Acts 4:13

Boldness See on freely, Acts 2:29. Perceived (καταλαβόμενοι) The word, meaning originally to seize upon or lay hold of, occurs frequently in the New Testament in different phases of this original sense. Thus, to apprehend or grasp, Ephesians 3:18; Philippians 3:12, Philippians 3:13; Romans 9:30 : of seizure by a demon, Mark 9:18 : of something coming upon or overtaking, John 12:35; 1 Thessalonians 5:4 : of comprehending, grasping mentally, as here, Acts 10:34; Acts 25:25. Unlearned (ἀγράμματοι) Or, very literally, unlettered. With special reference to Rabbinic culture, the absence of which was conspicuous in Peter's address. Ignorant (ἰδιῶται) Originally, one in a private station, as opposed to one in office or in public affairs. Therefore one without professional knowledge, a layman; thence, generally, ignorant, ill-informed; sometimes plebeian, common. In the absence of certainty it is as well to retain the meaning given by the A. V., perhaps with a slight emphasis on the want of professional knowledge. Compare 1 Corinthians 14:16, 1 Corinthians 14:23, 1 Corinthians 14:24; 2 Corinthians 11:6. Took knowledge (ἐπεγίνωσκον) Or recognized. See on Acts 3:10.

Acts 4:13-14 . Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John — Observed with what courage and freedom they spoke, and pleaded their Master’s cause, and to what a high degree they extolled him in the very presence of those magistrates who had so lately condemned him to the most shameful death; and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant — Or rather, illiterate and uneducated men, or men in private stations in life, as Dr. Doddridge renders the latter word, ιδιωται , observing, that the expressions literally signify, “that they were not scholars, nor in any public rank of life, as the priests and magistrates were; but that they import no want of natural good sense, or any ignorance of what was then the subject of debate: so that our translation seems very unhappy here.” They marvelled — Were greatly astonished; and took knowledge of them — Greek, επεγινωσκον , they knew, or were persuaded, namely, upon further recollection or consideration; that they had been with Jesus — Had been his disciples, and from him had received their knowledge and their courage. They themselves, it is probable, had seen these two disciples with him in the temple, or on the night when he was taken, led to the house of Caiaphas, and examined: and they now recollected that they had seen them with him. Or some of the servants of these rulers, or those about them, informed them of it.

And when they understood that they had been with Jesus, had been conversant with him, attendant on him, and trained up under him, they knew what to impute their boldness to; nay, their boldness in divine things was enough to show with whom they had associated, and from whom they had had their education. Observe, reader, those that have been with Jesus, that have had converse and communion with him, should conduct themselves in every thing so that those who converse with them may take knowledge of them that they have been with him; and, therefore, are made so holy and heavenly, spiritual and cheerful; so raised above this world, and inspired with hopes of, and desires after, another. And, beholding the man who was healed — As they were obliged to acknowledge he was; standing with them — With Peter and John, perfectly recovered; they could say nothing against it — Against the fact, though they were unwilling to own the doctrine which it tended so strongly to prove.

They were unlearned; not wholly unlearned, but such as were without any polite learning, or more than ordinary education, such as every one amongst them had. Ignorant men; idiots, so the Greek word, from whence ours come, signifying such as were brought up at home, and never acted in a larger sphere than the walls of their own house; having never been magistrates, or teachers of the law, or any way public persons; and spake only their mother tongue. They took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus; which these rulers might easily take notice of, many of them frequenting his company too, Matthew 21:23 Luke 18:18 John 12:42 .

Acts 4:13 . Θεωροῦντες ) beholding .— παῤῥησίαν , the freedom of speech ) The noun παῤῥησία , and the verb παῤῥησιάζομαι , both very frequently used in this book of Acts, inasmuch as being appropriate to its subject, express the characteristic of true religion. It was by this boldness of speech that they overcame both city and world (urbem et orbem).— καταλαβόμενοι , having perceived ) now, or even before.— ἄνθρωποι , men ) This is a more humble designation than ἄνδρες .— ἀγράμματοι , unlearned ) who could scarcely read or write, having hardly made further progress even in sacred learning.— ἰδιῶται , untutored men) Private persons, viz. fishermen; and therefore not endued with those accomplishments on which political and eloquent men depend. The ἀγράμματος is unaccomplished; the ἰδιώτης , still more so. See the remarks which we have made concerning this word, on Chrysost. de Sacerd., § 413. “It is by men of this kind, despised in the eyes of the world, that God has ALWAYS caused His word to be preached.”—Justus Jonas.— ἐπεγίνωσκόν τε , and they knew or recognised ) now at last: for a little before they had paid less attention to them.

{5} Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and {i} ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. (5) The good liberty and boldness of the servants of God does yet this much good, that those who lay hidden under a mask of zeal at length betray themselves to indeed be wicked men. (i) The word used here is idiot, which signifies a private man when it is used in reference to a magistrate: but with reference to sciences and studies, it signifies one that is unlearned, and with regard to honour and estimation, it implies one of base degree, and of no estimation.

13-17. 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 Jesus: that is, "We thought we had got rid of Him; but lo! He reappears in these men, and all that troubled us in the Nazarene Himself has yet to be put down in these His disciples." What a testimony to these primitive witnesses! Would that the same could be said of their successors!

Verse 13. - Beheld for saw , A.V.; had perceived for perceived , A.V. The boldness; literally, free or outspokenness ( παῥῤησία ), and properly used with words signifying to speak (see Acts 2:29 ; Acts 4:29, 31 ; Acts 28:31 ; John 7:13 , etc.), and so the verb ( παρρησιάζεσθαι ) means "to speak freely and boldly" ( Acts 9:27, 29 ; Acts 13:46 ; Acts 14:3 ; Acts 18:26 ; Acts 19:8 ; Acts 26:26 ; elsewhere in the New Testament only in Ephesians 6:20 ; 1 Thessalonians 2:2 ). St. Peter had shown his free-spokenness in so boldly proclaiming the resurrection and mighty power of him whom the rulers he was addressing had crucified. Boldness of speech, when combined with charity and moderation, is a most important grace for a minister of Christ. Unlearned and ignorant men. The term unlearned ( ἀγράμματος ) means that they had no "knowledge of Jewish culture" beyond the Scriptures. Ignorant men ( ἰδιῶται ) was a technical term for those who had not studied in rabbinic schools. The word hediot occurs frequently in the Talmud (Farrar's 'Life of St. Paul,' vol. 1. p. 106). They took knowledge , etc. Annas and Caiaphas or some of their people, it is likely, had seen them in the high priest's palace ( John 18:15-18 ). Acts 4:13

13–22 . The Apostles are dismissed unpunished 13 . the boldness ] The word implies freedom and readiness of speech such as would not be expected from the unlearned. of Peter and John ] Here we have evidence that not all the speeches which were made are reported by St Luke, for we have no record of any word spoken by John, yet his boldness of speech, no less than St Peter’s, is observed by the council. Christ’s speeches had produced a like effect ( John 7:15 ). ignorant men ] The Greek signifies plebeian , as opposed to noble men. Render, common . they took knowledge of them ] These words have been interpreted as though they meant that the members of the Sanhedrin now for the first time discovered the relation in which the two Apostles stood to Jesus. Those who press such a rendering must overlook the force of the very same verb as used in Acts 3:10 , “They knew that it was he which sat for alms.” The men of whom this is said had known the cripple for years, but now observed in addition that he was a cripple no longer, though still the same man whom they had so long seen begging. Just so with the Jewish authorities; they could hardly fail to have known the connection of the preachers with Jesus after the sermon on the day of Pentecost and the events which followed it, and now they further ( ἐπὶ ) notice that as the Master’s words had been powerful, so there was like power in the language of those who had been with Him.

Acts 4:13-15 . Θεωροῦντες ] “Inest notio contemplandi cum attentione aut admiratione.” Tittmann, Synon. N. T. p. 121. καὶ καταλαβόμενοι ] and when they had perceived ( Acts 10:34 ; Ephesians 3:18 ; Plat. Phaedr. p. 250 D; Polyb. viii. 4. 6; Dion. Hal. ii. 66), when they had become aware . They perceived this during the address of Peter, which was destitute of all rabbinical learning and showed to them one γραμμάτων ἄπειρον (Plat. Apol. p. 26 D). ἀγράμματοι (Xen. Mem. iv. 2. 20; Plat. Crit. p. 109 D) denotes here the want of rabbinic culture. Ἰδιῶται is the same: laymen , who are strangers to theological learning. See Hartmann in the Stud. u. Krit. 1834, I. p. 119 ff. The double designation is intended to express the idea very fully; ἄνθρωποι has in it, moreover, something disparaging: unlearned men . Comp. Lys. acc. Nicom . 28, and Bremi in loc. On ἰδιώτης , which, according to the contrast implied in the connection, may denote either a private man, or a plebeian, or an unlearned person, or a common soldier, or one inexperienced in gymnastic exercises, one not a poet, not a physician, and other forms of contrast to a definite professional knowledge, see Valcken. in loc ; Hemsterhuis, ad Lucian. Necyom. p. 484; Ruhnken, ad Long. p. 410. Here the element of contrast is contained in ἀγράμματοι : hence the general meaning plebeians (Kuinoel and Olshausen, comp. Baumgarten) is to be rejected. They were μωροὶ τοῦ κόσμου , 1 Corinthians 1:27 . Comp.

John 7:15 . ἐπεγίνωσκόν τε αὐτοὺς , ὅτι κ . τ . λ .] and recognised them (namely) that they were (at an earlier period) with Jesus . Their astonishment sharpened now their recollection; and therefore Baur and Zeller have taken objection to this remark without sufficient psychological reason. ἐπεγίνωσκ . is incorrectly taken (even by Kuinoel) as the pluperfect . See Winer, p. 253 [E. T. 337]. The two imperfects, ἐθαύμαζ . and ἐπεγίνωσκ ., are, as relative tenses, here entirely in place. τὸν δὲ ἄυθρωπ .] emphatically put first. συνέβαλον ] they conferred among themselves. Comp. Acts 17:18 ; Plut. Mor. p. 222 C.