Acts 4:17

Acts 4:17 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name.
• New International Version (NIV)But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name."
• New King James Version (NKJV)But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.”

Context of Acts 4:17

15So they ordered Peter and John to leave the council room and began to discuss the matter among themselves. 16They said, “What should we do to these men? Clearly, they’ve performed a miracle that everyone in Jerusalem knows about. We can’t deny that. So let’s threaten them. Let’s tell them that they must never speak to anyone about the one named Jesus. Then the news about the miracle that they have performed will not spread any further among the people.” 18They called Peter and John and ordered them never to teach about Jesus or even mention his name. 19Peter and John answered them, “Decide for yourselves whether God wants people to listen to you rather than to him.

Acts 4:17 word by word

ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα μὴ ἐπὶ πλεῖον διανεμηθῇ εἰς τὸν λαόν, ἀπειλησώμεθα αὐτοῖς μηκέτι λαλεῖν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τούτῳ μηδενὶ ἀνθρώπων.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Butἀλλάalla · butG235
• thatἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• it spreadδιανέμωdianemō · to spreadG1268
• noμήmē · notG3361
• furtherπλείων, πλεῖονpleiōn pleion pleon · greaterG4119
• ·ἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
• amongεἰςeis · towardG1519
• the peopleὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the peopleλαόςlaos · a peopleG2992
• let usἀπειλέωapeileō · to threatenG546
• straitlyἀπειλήapeilē · threatG547
• themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• that they speakλαλέωlaleō · to speakG2980
• henceforthμηκέτιmēketi · never againG3371
• to noμηδείςmēdeis mēdemia mēden · nothingG3367
• manἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
• thisοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• nameὄνομαonoma · nameG3686

Cross-references for Acts 4:17

• Acts 5:39However, if it’s from God, you won’t be able to stop them. You may even discover that you’re fighting against God.”
• Psalms 2:1Why do the nations gather together? Why do their people devise useless plots?
• Daniel 2:34While you were watching, a stone was cut out, but not by humans. It struck the statue’s iron-and-clay feet and smashed them.
• Romans 10:16But not everyone has believed the Good News. Isaiah asks, “Lord, who has believed our message?”
• Romans 15:18I’m bold enough to tell you only what Christ has done through me to bring people who are not Jewish to obedience. By what I have said and done,
• 1 Thessalonians 1:8From you the Lord’s word has spread out not only through the province of Macedonia and Greece but also to people everywhere who have heard about your faith in God. We don’t need to say a thing about it.
• Acts 4:21The authorities threatened them even more and then let them go. Since all the people were praising God for what had happened, the authorities couldn’t find any way to punish Peter and John.
• Acts 5:24When the officer of the temple guards and the chief priests heard this, they were puzzled about what could have happened.
• 2 Chronicles 25:15The Lord became angry with Amaziah. He sent him a prophet who asked him, “Why do you dedicate your life to serving the gods of those people? Those gods couldn’t save their own people from you.”
• Isaiah 30:8Now, write this on a tablet for them, and inscribe it in a book so that it will be there in the future as a permanent witness.
• Jeremiah 20:1Now the priest, Immer’s son Pashhur, the chief officer of the Lord’s temple, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things.
• Jeremiah 29:25‘This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: You sent letters in your own name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah, son of Maaseiah, and to all the priests. These letters said:
• Jeremiah 38:4Then the officials said to the king, “Have this man put to death. He discourages the soldiers who are left in this city and all the people by telling them such things. This man is not trying to help these people; he’s trying to hurt them.”
• Amos 2:12You made the Nazirites drink wine. You commanded the prophets to stop prophesying.
• Amos 7:12Then Amaziah said to Amos, “You seer, run away to Judah! Eat there, and prophesy there!
• Micah 2:6Your prophets say, “Don’t prophesy! Don’t prophesy such things! Disgrace will never overtake us.”

Commentaries on Acts 4:17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17But that it spread no farther - Not the news of the miraculous healing of the lame man, but the doctrine and influence which these men preach and exert. More than a thousand people had already professed faith in Christ in consequence of this miracle, (see Acts 4:4;), and if this teaching should be permitted to go on, probably accompanied with similar miracles, they had reason to believe that all Jerusalem (themselves excepted, who had steeled their hearts…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15-18Verses 15-18 What shall we do to these men? - The object which they had in view was evidently to prevent their preaching. The miracle was performed, and it was believed by the people to have been made. This they could not expect to be able successfully to deny. Their only object, therefore, was to prevent the apostles from making the use which they saw they would to convince the people that Jesus was the Messiah. The question was, in what way they should…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. 16-18They acknowledged the miracle but still tried to prevent the message. Jesus had experienced similar resistance (Matthew 19:8; Mark 10:5; see also Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6; Jeremiah 4:4).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 13-1713-17. perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men--that is, uninstructed in the learning of the Jewish schools, and of the common sort; men in private life, untrained to teaching. took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus--recognized them as having been in His company; remembering possibly, that they had seen them with Him [Meyer, Bloomfield, Alford]; but, more probably, perceiving in their whole bearing what identified them with…Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 4:17

• Caiaphas
• Court
• Government
• Intolerance, Religious
• John
• Persecution
• Peter
• Priest

In the dictionaries

• Counsel
• Hold
• Notable
• Possess
• Sanhedrim
• Threaten
• Threatening
• Acts of the Apostles
• Courts, Judicial
• Miracle

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