EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Acts 4:19
19Then Peter and John replied to the leaders, ‘What do you think God wants us to do? Should we obey you? Or should we obey God? You decide!
Acts 4:19 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.
- New International Version (NIV)But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges!
- English Standard Version (ESV)But Peter and John answered them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge,
- New King James Version (NKJV)But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.
Context of Acts 4:19
17But we do not want any more people to know what has happened. So we must say to these men, “You must stop using the name of Jesus. You must stop teaching people about him.” ’ 18Then the Jewish leaders told Peter and John to come back into the room. They said to them, ‘You must not use the authority of Jesus to teach people any more. You must not speak about him.’ Then Peter and John replied to the leaders, ‘What do you think God wants us to do? Should we obey you? Or should we obey God? You decide! 20We know what is right. We must continue to speak about these things. We must tell people about the things that we have seen and heard.’ 21The Jewish leaders were angry. They told Peter and John that they must obey them. Then they let Peter and John go free. All the people there were praising God because of the miracle. So the leaders could not decide how to punish Peter and John.
Read all of Acts 4Acts 4:19 word by word
Ὁ δὲ Πέτρος καὶ Ἰωάννης ἀποκριθέντες εἶπον πρὸς αὐτούς· εἰ δίκαιόν ἐστιν ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ ὑμῶν ἀκούειν μᾶλλον ἢ τοῦ θεοῦ, κρίνατε.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Butδέde · thenG1161
- PeterΠέτροςPetros · PeterG4074
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- JohnἸωάννηςIōannēs · JohnG2491
- answeredἀποκρίνωapokrinomai · to answerG611
- and saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- untoπρόςpros · to/withG4314
- themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- Whetherεἰei · ifG1487
- it beεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- rightδίκαιοςdikaios · justG1342
- in the sight ofἐνώπιονenōpion · beforeG1799
- Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- to hearkenἀκούωakouō · to hearG191
- unto youσύsu · youG4771
- moreμᾶλλονmallon · more: ratherG3123
- thanἤē · orG2228
- judge yeκρίνωkrinō · to judgeG2919
Cross-references for Acts 4:19
- 2 Corinthians 4:2We refuse to do anything secretly that we might be ashamed of. We do not tell lies. We do not change God's message to deceive people. No. We tell God's true message clearly. God himself sees that we teach people in an honest way. Everyone should understand that we only do what is right.
- Ephesians 6:1You who are children, obey your parents. Because you belong to the Lord, that is the right thing to do.
- 1 Timothy 2:3It is good that we should pray like that. It makes God, our Saviour, happy.
- Acts 5:29Peter and the other apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than obey people.
- Exodus 1:17But the two women respected God. So they did not do what the king of Egypt had told them. They obeyed God and they let the boys live.
- 1 Kings 12:30But that caused the Israelite people to do a very bad thing. They went to Bethel and to Dan to worship the gold cows.
- 1 Kings 14:16He will put Israel under the power of its enemies because of Jeroboam's sins. Jeroboam also caused Israel's people to do bad things.’
- 1 Kings 21:11So the leaders and the important men who lived in Naboth's city, obeyed Jezebel. They did what she commanded them to do in the letters that she sent to them.
- 1 Kings 22:14But Micaiah said, ‘I can only speak what the Lord tells me to say. As surely as the Lord lives, that is what I must do.’
- 2 Kings 16:15Then King Ahaz commanded Uriah the priest, ‘On the large new altar, offer these gifts: A burnt offering for each morning. A grain offering for each evening. A burnt offering and a grain offering on behalf of the king. A burnt offering on behalf of all the people of Israel. A grain offering and drink offerings on behalf of the people. Splash the blood from all these sacrifices on the new altar. But I will use the bronze altar myself, to find out about my future times.’
- 2 Chronicles 26:16Uzziah was so powerful that he became proud. That caused him to lose his power. He began to turn away from the Lord his God. He went into the Lord's temple to burn incense on the special altar there.
- Daniel 3:18But even if he does not save us, we still would not serve your gods. And we will not worship the gold statue that you have built. We want you to understand that very clearly, sir.’
- Daniel 6:10Daniel heard that the king had written this new law. Then he went home. He went upstairs to his room where the windows opened in the direction of Jerusalem. He bent down on his knees and he prayed to God, and he thanked God. He did that three times every day, in the same way that he had always done before.
- Hosea 5:11Terrible trouble will come to Ephraim's people. They will receive great punishment. They deserve that because they chose to worship idols.
- Amos 7:16So listen to the Lord's message to you! You are telling me, “Do not speak God's message against Israel. Do not say that trouble is coming to Isaac's descendants.”
- Micah 6:16You have obeyed the rules of King Omri. You have done what King Ahab and all his people did. You have copied their wicked ideas. So I must destroy you and all your things completely. Then people from other countries will not be kind or polite to you. Instead, they will make you ashamed.’
Commentaries on Acts 4:19
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 19Whether it be right in the sight of God - As if they had said: Worldly prudence and a consideration of our secular interests would undoubtedly induce us to obey you; but acting as before God, and following the dictates of eternal truth and justice, we dare not be silent. Can it be right to obey men contrary to the command and will of God? When he commands us to speak, dare we hold our tongue? We have received our authority from God through Christ, and…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 19Whether it be right - The apostles abated nothing of their boldness when threatened. They openly appealed to their judges whether their command could be right. And in doing this, they expressed their full conviction of the truth of what they had said, and their deliberate purpose not to regard their command, but still to proclaim to the people the truth that Jesus was the Messiah. In the sight of God - That is, whether God will judge this to be right…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-22Verses 15-22 All the care of the rulers is, that the doctrine of Christ spread not among the people, yet they cannot say it is false or dangerous, or of any ill tendency; and they are ashamed to own the true reason; that it testifies against their hypocrisy, wickedness, and tyranny. Those who know how to put a just value upon Christ's promises, know how to put just contempt upon the world's threatenings. The apostles look with concern on perishing souls…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19-20The apostles shared a principle that can guide God’s people in dealing with hostile authorities (see also 5:40; compare 1 Samuel 15:22; Jeremiah 7:23; Luke 20:20–26; Romans 13:1–7). Jesus had predicted that his disciples would encounter hostility and persecution (Luke 21:12–19).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 18-2218-22. Whether it be right ... to hearken to you more than ... God, judge ye.Read the comment
Topics related to Acts 4:19
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Acts 4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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