Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,
Parallel translations
- WEB Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “You rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,
- BSB Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people!
- NKJV Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel:
- NASB Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people,
- NLT Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of our people,
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
Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, addressed the rulers and elders of Israel. The Spirit empowered him to testify boldly before the council.
Overview
Peter's filling with the Holy Spirit fulfills Jesus' promise that the Spirit would teach his followers what to say before rulers (Luke 12:11-12). This is the same Peter who once denied Jesus, now made bold by the Spirit. His Spirit-empowered witness shows that faithful testimony under pressure is God's gift, not human courage alone, equipping the church to confess Christ before hostile authorities.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Luke 12:11–12And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:
- Matt 10:19–20But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
- Acts 2:4And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
- Luke 21:14–15Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:
- Acts 7:55But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
- Acts 4:31And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
- Luke 23:13And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people,
- Acts 4:5And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 4:8 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
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