Acts 4:23-37

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 4:29

And now, Lord, behold their threatenings ,.... Meaning not with his eye of omniscience, which he could not but do; but that he would so take notice of them, as in his providence to rebuke them for them, or restrain them, or make them fearless of them: and grant unto thy servants ; the apostles, and all the ministers of the word, who are the servants of the most high God, and who serve him in the Gospel of his Son, with great cheerfulness and faithfulness: that with all boldness they... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 4:30

By stretching forth thine hand to heal ,.... That is, by exerting his power in healing sicknesses, diseases, and lameness, as in the above instance, by the hands of the apostles; which, as it would be contrary to the schemes of the Jewish sanhedrim, and would confirm the doctrines of the Gospel; so it would animate the preachers of the word to preach it with more readiness, cheerfulness, and firmness of mind; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus ; as... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 4:31

And when they had prayed ,.... Either while they were praying, or as soon as they had done; for sometimes, as here, prayer is immediately heard, and an answer is returned, whilst the saints are speaking, or as soon as prayer is ended: the place was shaken where they were assembled together ; which, whether it was a private house, or the temple, is not certain: the latter seems more probable, because their number was so great, that no private house could hold them; and since this was the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 4:32

And the multitude of them that believed ,.... The Gospel, and in Christ, the substance of it; and a multitude they were, for they were now about eight thousand persons. And though their number was so great, they were of one heart and of one soul ; there was an entire consent and agreement in doctrine, in matters of faith they were all of one mind and judgment, and there was a perfect harmony in their practice, they all performed the same duties, and observed the same commands and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 4:33

And with great power ,.... Either in a very powerful way, with great fervency of spirit, and ardour of mind, and uncommon zeal; or with great efficacy on the souls of men; or with many miracles, and powerful operations in healing the sick, casting out devils, &c.; gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus ; which they were chosen to be witnesses, and were eyewitnesses of; and which is a fundamental article of the Gospel, and was what the Sadducees were... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 4:34

Neither was there any among them that lacked ,.... Bread to eat, or clothes to wear, or any of the necessaries of life; which shows their great charity, and gives a reason why they were in so much favour with the people, because they took so much care of their poor; and this flowed from the grace of God bestowed upon them: for as many as were possessors of lands and houses ; or "vineyards", as the Ethiopic version reads, whether in Jerusalem or elsewhere; sold them and brought the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 4:35

And laid them down at the apostles' feet ,.... Showing great veneration and respect to the apostles, and a sort of neglect and contempt of their worldly substance; and signifying that they entirely delivered them to the apostles, and subjected them to their disposal: and distribution was made unto every man, according as he had need ; though they had all things in common, yet there was an order observed; a man might not go to the common stock and take out of it what he would; but as all... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 4:36

And Joses ,.... The Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions, read "Joseph", and so do Beza's most ancient copy, and two of his manuscripts, and the Alexandrian copy, and others; for "Jose", or "Joses", is only an abbreviation or contraction of "Joseph"; though according to others it is the same with "Josiah": there is one of this name, who was the sort of Alphaeus, and brother to two of the apostles, James and Jude, Matthew 13:55 and another called "Joses Barsabas"; and it may be to... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 4:37

Having land, sold it ,.... Whether this was in Cyprus, or in Judea, is not certain; nor how he came by it, whether he had bought it, as the priests and Levites might, and as Jeremiah, who was of the priests, bought a field at Anathoth, Jeremiah 32:9 or, whether it was his wife's dowry; for the Levites had nothing by inheritance: they had forty two cities, and the six cities of refuge to dwell in, and the field of the suburbs of these cities; which field or land was never to be sold, but to... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 4:23

They went to their own company - This was properly the first persecution that had been raised up against the Church since the resurrection of Christ; and as the rest of the disciples must have known that Peter and John had been cast into prison, and that they were to be examined before the sanhedrin, and knowing the evil disposition of the rulers toward their brethren, they doubtless made joint supplication to God for their safety. In this employment it is likely Peter and John found them on... read more

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