Acts 4:13

4:13 When they saw the boldness ¹  of Peter and John, and discovered ²  that they were uneducated ³  and ordinary ⁴  men, they were amazed and recognized these men had been with Jesus.

Acts 4:19

4:19 But Peter and John replied, ⁵  “Whether it is right before God to obey ⁶  you rather than God, you decide,

Acts 4:29

4:29 And now, Lord, pay attention to ⁷  their threats, and grant ⁸  to your servants ⁹  to speak your message ¹⁰  with great courage, ¹¹ 

[4:13]  ¹ tn Or “courage.”

[4:13]  ² tn Or “and found out.”

[4:13]  ³ sn Uneducated does not mean “illiterate,” that is, unable to read or write. Among Jews in NT times there was almost universal literacy, especially as the result of widespread synagogue schools. The term refers to the fact that Peter and John had no formal rabbinic training and thus, in the view of their accusers, were not qualified to expound the law or teach publicly. The objection is like Acts 2:7.

[4:13]  ⁴ tn For the translation of ἰδιῶται (idiwtai) as “ordinary men” see L&N 27.26.

[4:19]  ⁵ tn Grk “answered and said to them.”

[4:19]  ⁶ tn Grk “hear,” but the idea of “hear and obey” or simply “obey” is frequently contained in the Greek verb ἀκούω (akouw; see L&N 36.14).

[4:29]  ⁷ tn Or “Lord, take notice of.”

[4:29]  ⁸ sn Grant to your servants to speak your message with great courage. The request is not for a stop to persecution or revenge on the opponents, but for boldness (great courage) to carry out the mission of proclaiming the message of what God is doing through Jesus.

[4:29]  ⁹ tn Grk “slaves.” See the note on the word “servants” in 2:18.

[4:29]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “word.”

[4:29]  ¹¹ tn Or “with all boldness.”