Acts 4:25

Acts 4:25 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?
• New International Version (NIV)You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: “ ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
• English Standard Version (ESV)who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, "'Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain?
• New King James Version (NKJV)who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things?

Context of Acts 4:25

23After the Jewish leaders let them go free, Peter and John went back to the group of believers. They told them what the leaders of the priests and the important Jews had said. 24The believers listened to what Peter and John told them. Then they all prayed together. They said to God, ‘You are the Lord who rules over everything. You made the sky, the earth and the sea. You also made everything that is in them. Our ancestor, King David, was your servant. You sent your Holy Spirit to him so that he spoke your message. You said through him, “People of other nations were very angry. They made plans to do useless things. Why did they do that? 26The kings and rulers of the world met together. They decided to fight against the Lord God and against his Messiah.” 27Lord God, it has now happened like that. Herod and Pontius Pilate have met together here in Jerusalem. They met with Israelite people and with people of other nations. Together they made plans to kill your holy servant, Jesus. He is the one that you chose to be your Messiah.

Acts 4:25 word by word

ὁ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν διὰ πνεύματος ἁγίου στόματος Δαυὶδ παιδός σου εἰπών· ἱνατί ἐφρύαξαν ἔθνη καὶ λαοὶ ἐμελέτησαν κενά;Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Whoλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• byδιάdia · through/because ofG1223
• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the mouthστόμαstoma · mouthG4750
• of thyσύsu · youG4771
• servantπαῖςpais · childG3816
• DavidΔαυείδ, Δαυίδ, ΔαβίδDabid · DavidG1138
• ·ἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• Whyτίςtis · which?G5101
• didφρυάσσομαιphruassō · to rageG5433
• the heathenἔθνοςethnos · GentilesG1484
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• the peopleλαόςlaos · a peopleG2992
• imagineμελετάωmeletaō · to meditate/plotG3191
• vain thingsκενόςkenos · emptyG2756

Cross-references for Acts 4:25

• Acts 1:16‘My friends, long ago, the Holy Spirit gave King David a message to speak from God. He spoke about the things that Judas would do. Judas was the one who showed the soldiers how to catch Jesus. These things had to happen in the way that David wrote in the Bible long ago.
• Acts 2:30He was a prophet. He knew what God had promised to do for him. He knew that one of his descendants would be king of God's people one day.
• Psalms 2:1Why are nations making plans to turn against the Lord? All their plans will fail!

Commentaries on Acts 4:25

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 25By the mouth of thy servant David hast said - Several add, but impertinently, ̔, by the Holy Spirit; but it is sufficient that God has said it; and thugs we find that David spoke by the inspiration of God; and that the second Psalm relates to Jesus Christ, and predicts the vain attempts made by Jewish and heathen powers to suppress Christianity.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 25Who by the mouth … - , Psalm 2:1-2. This is a strong, solemn testimony to the inspiration of David. It is a declaration of the apostles, made in solemn prayer, that God himself spake by the mouth of David. This is the second part of their prayer. In the first, they acknowledge the right of God to rule; in this, they appeal to a prophecy; they plead that this was a thing foretold; and as God had foreseen it and foretold it, they appealed to him to protect…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 23-31Verses 23-31 Christ's followers do best in company, provided it is their own company. It encourages God's servants, both in doing work, and suffering work, that they serve the God who made all things, and therefore has the disposal of all events; and the Scriptures must be fulfilled. Jesus was anointed to be a Saviour, therefore it was determined he should be a sacrifice, to make atonement for sin. But sin is not the less evil for God's bringing good out…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 25-26This passage quotes Psalm 2:1–2, which describes how the Gentile (non-Jewish) nations react to the Lord’s anointed king. Similarly, the Jews and Gentiles in Jerusalem had gathered together against Jesus and now against his followers.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 23-3723-30. being let go, they went to their own company--Observe the two opposite classes, representing the two interests which were about to come into deadly conflict.Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 4:25

• David
• Prophecy
• Quotations and Allusions
• Vanity

In the dictionaries

• David
• Counsel
• Hold
• Notable
• Possess
• Prophet
• Psalms
• Threaten
• Threatening
• Acts of the Apostles

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