Acts 4:7

And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(7) And when they had set them in the midst.—The Sanhedrin sat in a semi-circle, the president being in the middle of the arc, the accused standing in the centre.

They asked.—Literally, were asking. They put the question repeatedly, in many varying forms.

By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?—Literally, By what kind of power, or what kind of name? apparently in a tone of contempt. They admit the fact that the lame man had been made to walk, as too patent to be denied. (Comp. Acts 4:16.) The question implied a suspicion that it was the effect of magic, or, as in the case of our Lord’s casting out devils, by the power of Beelzebub (Luke 11:15; John 8:48). There is a touch of scorn in the way in which they speak of the thing itself. They will not as yet call it a “sign,” or “wonder,” but “have ye done this?”

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

4:5-14 Peter being filled with the Holy Ghost, would have all to understand, that the miracle had been wrought by the name, or power, of Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, whom they had crucified; and this confirmed their testimony to his resurrection from the dead, which proved him to be the Messiah. These rulers must either be saved by that Jesus whom they had crucified, or they must perish for ever. The name of Jesus is given to men of every age and nation, as that whereby alone believers are saved from the wrath to come. But when covetousness, pride, or any corrupt passion, rules within, men shut their eyes, and close their hearts, in enmity against the light; considering all as ignorant and unlearned, who desire to know nothing in comparison with Christ crucified. And the followers of Christ should act so that all who converse with them, may take knowledge that they have been with Jesus. That makes them holy, heavenly, spiritual, and cheerful, and raises them above this world.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

In the midst - In the presence of the Great Council.

By what power ... - A similar question was put to Christ in the temple, Matthew 21:23.

By what name - That is, by whose authority. It is very probable that they expected to intimidate the apostles by this question. They claimed the right of regulating the religious affairs of the nation. They had vast power with the people. They assumed that all power to instruct the people should originate with them; and they expected that the apostles would be confounded, as having violated the established usage of the nation. It did not seem to occur to them to enter into an investigation of the question whether this acknowledged miracle did not prove that they were sent by God, but they assumed that they were impostors, and attempted to silence them by authority. It has been usual with the enemies of religion to attempt to intimidate its friends, and when argument fails, to attempt to silence Christians by appealing to their fears.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

7. By what power or … name have ye done this—thus admitting the reality of the miracle, which afterwards they confess themselves unable to deny (Ac 4:16).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

When they had set them in the midst; the sanhedrim, or great council, did sit in a circular form; and the apostles being to answer for themselves, were placed so as they might better hear and be heard.

By what power; natural, or supernatural and Divine?

By what name? At whose command, or in whose authority? They inquire whether they did pretend to be prophets, or persons extraordinarily sent, &c. Though the miracle which they had wrought showed sufficiently by whose power it was done, yet of this they were willingly ignorant, and inquire only that they might find matter out of the apostles’ own mouths, for which they might blame or punish them.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And when they had set them in the midst,.... Of the assembly, as the Ethiopic version adds; in the middle of the sanhedrim, which sat in a semicircular form; or as the Jews express it, as the half of a round corn floor, or as a half moon, and not in a perfect circle; because it was necessary that the contending parties, and the witnesses, might go in and speak before them all (b); so that those that were set before them, were placed in the middle of them: and here Peter and John were set; so the Arabic version renders it, "when they set both": they sent for them out of the hold, or custody, where they had been all night, and ordered them to be brought before them, to be examined about their doctrine and practice:

they asked, by what power, or by what name have ye done this? they inquired of them, whether it was by a natural, or by a divine, or by a diabolical power, that they had wrought the cure upon the lame man? whether it was by the use of medicine, or by the help of magic art, and the assistance of the devil, which they were very ready to charge Christ and his disciples with? or whether they pretended to a divine and supernatural aid? and also what name they had made use of, and by whose authority they acted?

(b) Misn. Sanhedrin, c. 4. sect. 3. & Bartenora in ib.

Geneva Study Bible

{2} And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what {e} name, have ye done this?

(2) Against those who brag of a succession of persons, without a succession of doctrine, and by that means beat down the true ministers of the word, as much as they are able.

(e) By what authority.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

Acts 4:7. The apostles were placed in the midst (ἐν τῷ μέσῳ, comp. Matthew 14:6; John 8:3), so that they might be seen by all; and, for the purpose of ascertaining the state of matters which had occasioned the popular tumult of yesterday, the question is first of all submitted to them for their own explanation: By what kind of power[156] (which was at your command), or by what kind of name (which ye have pronounced), have ye done this (the cure which, they were aware, was the occasion of the discussion)? Erroneously, Morus, Rosenmüller, and Olshausen have referred τοῦτο to the public teaching. For the judicial examination had to begin at the actual commencement of the whole occurrence; and so Peter correctly understood this τοῦτο, as Acts 4:9-10 prove.

ἘΝ ΠΟΊῼ ὈΝΌΜΑΤΙ] The Sanhedrim certainly knew that the apostles had performed the cure ἘΝ ὈΝΌΜΑΤΙ ʼΙ. ΧΡΙΣΤΟῦ (Acts 3:6), and they intended to found on the confession of this point partly the impeachment of heresy and blasphemy—as the Jewish exorcists were accustomed to use names of an entirely different kind in their formulae, namely, those of the holy patriarchs, or of the wise Solomon, or of God Himself (see Van Dalen, de divinat. Idol. V. T. p. 520)—and partly the charge of effort at rebellion, which might easily be based on the acknowledgment of the crucified insurgent as the Messiah.

ὑμεῖς] you people! with depreciating emphasis at the close.

[156] Observe the qualitative interrogative pronouns.

Expositor's Greek Testament

Acts 4:7. ἐν τῷ μέσῳ: according to the Mishnah the members of the court sat in a semicircle, see Hamburger, u. s., to be able to see each other. But it is unnecessary to press the expression, it may be quite general, cf. Matthew 14:6, Mark 3:3, John 8:3. On the usual submissive attitude of prisoners, see Jos., Ant., xiv., 9, 4. In this verse R.V. supplies “was there” as a verb, Annas being its subject. Various attempts to amend the broken construction—all the proper names are in the nominative (not in accusative as T.R.), so W.H[151], R.V., Wendt, Weiss; . reads συνήχθησαν, so Blass in β.—ἐν ποίᾳ: by what kind of power; or may = τίνι, Acts 23:34—ἐν ποίῳ ὀνόματι: in virtue of what name? “nomen hic vis ac potestas” Grotius and Wetstein, in loco. They ask as if they would accuse them of referring to some magical name or formula for the performance of the miracles, Acts 19:13 (on ὄνομα see Acts 3:16), cf. LXX, Exodus 5:23. Probably they would like to bring the Apostles under the condemnation pronounced in Deuteronomy 13:1. “So did they very foolishly conceit that the very naming of some name might do wonders—and the Talmud forgeth that Ben Sadha wrought miracles by putting the unutterable name within the skin of his foot and then sewing it up,” J. Lightfoot.—ὑμεῖς: as if in scorn, with depreciatory emphasis at the close of the question, so Wendt, and Blass, Grammatik des N. G., p. 160.—τοῦτο: not this teaching (Olshausen), but the miracle on the lame man.

[151] Westcott and Hort’s The New Testament in Greek: Critical Text and Notes.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

7. And when they had set them in the midst] The council or Sanhedrin was assembled as the Beth-din, in the house of judgment.

they asked, By what power, or by what name, &c.] For power, the original has the same word as is used so often of Christ’s miracles, and generally rendered mighty works. Name is = authority. The force of the expression is perhaps felt better, if the preposition ἐν be rendered literally in rather than by; certainly so in the second member of the sentence.

Bengel's Gnomen

Acts 4:7. Ἐπυνθάνοντο) they began asking, in many words, as if it were a matter unknown or obscure. To it corresponds γνωστὸν, Be it known, Acts 4:10.—δυνάμει, ὀνόματι, by what power or name) Something had been reported to them of the words of Peter, ch. Acts 3:6; Acts 3:12; Acts 3:16 [as they use the very same words, name and power]. And this very expression (viz. ‘name’) is admirably repeated by Peter, Acts 4:10; Acts 4:12.—ἐποιήσατε, have ye done) They speak ambiguously: they do not say, have ye healed?

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 7. - Inquired for asked, A.V.; in for by, A.V. In what name; ποίος, what, means exactly, "what kind." The miracle might have been wrought, as it seemed to them, by Beelzebub, or by magic (Luke 15:15, etc.; Acts 13:6; Acts 19:19, etc.), as well as by Divine power and in the Name of God. They asked which it was. In the Greek there is an emphasis upon the "ye," which is placed last, equal to "such as you," unlearned and contemptible men. Acts 4:7

Vincent's Word Studies

What power - what name

Lit., what sort of power; what kind of name.

Have ye done

The ye closes the sentence in the Greek with a contemptuous emphasis: you people.