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But when they had ordered them to leave the Council, they began to confer with one another,
Acts 4:15 · New American Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,
  • KJV But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,
  • BSB So they ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin and then conferred together.
  • NKJV But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,
  • NLT So they ordered Peter and John out of the council chamber and conferred among themselves.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

The council sent the apostles out and conferred privately. Unable to deny the miracle, they deliberated over what to do.

Overview

The private consultation reveals the council's dilemma: they cannot refute the healing yet are determined to oppose the message. Their secret deliberation contrasts with the apostles' open proclamation. The scene exposes the futility of resisting God's work, as the leaders scramble to suppress a truth they themselves cannot deny, foreshadowing the gospel's continued advance despite their efforts.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 3

  • Matt 5:22But I tell you, that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be in danger of the judgment; and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ will be in danger of the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of Gehenna.
  • Acts 26:30–32The king rose up with the governor, and Bernice, and those who sat with them.
  • Acts 5:34–42But one stood up in the council, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, honored by all the people, and commanded to put the apostles out for a little while.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (5)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Acts videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Acts 4:15YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on ActsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.

How Acts 4:15 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.