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.
• 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.”
• New Living Translation (NLT)But to keep them from spreading their propaganda any further, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus’ name again.”

Context of Acts 4:17

15So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. 16“What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. 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.” 18Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges!

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 5:39But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
• Psalms 2:1Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?
• Daniel 2:34While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them.
• Romans 10:16But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”
• Romans 15:18I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done—
• 1 Thessalonians 1:8The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it,
• Acts 4:21After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened.
• Acts 5:24On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to.
• 2 Chronicles 25:15The anger of the Lord burned against Amaziah, and he sent a prophet to him, who said, “Why do you consult this people’s gods, which could not save their own people from your hand?”
• Isaiah 30:8Go now, write it on a tablet for them, inscribe it on a scroll, that for the days to come it may be an everlasting witness.
• Jeremiah 20:1When the priest Pashhur son of Immer, the official in charge of the temple of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things,
• Jeremiah 29:25“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You sent letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, and to all the other priests. You said to Zephaniah,
• Jeremiah 38:4Then the officials said to the king, “This man should be put to death. He is discouraging the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as all the people, by the things he is saying to them. This man is not seeking the good of these people but their ruin.”
• Amos 2:12“But you made the Nazirites drink wine and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.
• Amos 7:12Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there.
• Micah 2:6“Do not prophesy,” their prophets say. “Do not prophesy about these things; disgrace will not 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