Acts 4:15

¶ But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,

But {G1161} when they had commanded {G2753} them {G846} to go aside {G565} out of {G1854} the council {G4892}, they conferred {G4820} among {G4314} themselves {G240},

So they told them to step away from the Sanhedrin while they discussed the matter privately.

So they ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin and then conferred together.

But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,

Acts 4:15 describes a pivotal moment during the trial of the apostles Peter and John before the Sanhedrin, the supreme Jewish judicial and religious council. After Peter's bold declaration and the undeniable presence of the healed man, the council found themselves in a difficult position.

Context

This verse immediately follows the powerful testimony of Peter and John, who, filled with the Holy Spirit, boldly proclaimed Jesus Christ as the source of the miraculous healing of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate. Despite being "unlearned and ignorant men," their wisdom and courage astonished the Sanhedrin, who recognized that they had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13). The visible evidence of the healed man standing right there (Acts 4:14) made it impossible for the council to deny the miracle itself. Thus, they needed to deliberate privately on how to handle this unprecedented situation and the growing influence of the early Christian movement.

Key Themes

  • Deliberation and Strategy: The Sanhedrin's command for Peter and John to "go aside" reveals their need for a private consultation to strategize. This wasn't a simple procedural step but an urgent huddle to address a challenge to their authority and religious order.
  • Undeniable Truth vs. Opposition: The council could not deny the miracle, which was a clear act of God's power. Their conference was not about questioning the event, but about how to suppress its impact and the message of the apostles. This highlights the tension between irrefutable divine truth and human attempts to control or oppose it.
  • Fear of the People: While not explicitly stated in this verse, the subsequent actions of the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:16-17, 21) show their primary concern was the public's reaction. They feared the people who glorified God for the miracle, indicating their desire to maintain social and religious control.

Linguistic Insights

The phrase "conferred among themselves" is translated from the Greek συνέβαλλον πρὸς ἀλλήλους (syneballon pros allēlous), which literally means "they threw together to one another" or "they put together against each other." It implies a serious discussion, a sharing of ideas, and a deliberate weighing of options. This wasn't casual talk but an intense consultation to formulate a unified response to a significant threat posed by the apostles' message and the undeniable miracle.

Practical Application

This verse offers insight into how worldly powers often react to undeniable spiritual truth. When confronted with evidence of God's work that they cannot refute, they may resort to private deliberations, attempts to control the narrative, or suppression. For believers, it's a reminder that the truth of the Gospel, especially when accompanied by God's power, can be so compelling that even opponents are forced to acknowledge it, even if they choose to resist. Our role, like Peter and John, is to continue to speak boldly for Christ, trusting that God's power will ultimately prevail over human opposition.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Acts 26:30

    And when he had thus spoken, the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them:

  • Acts 26:32

    Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar.

  • Matthew 5:22

    But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

  • Acts 5:34

    Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space;

  • Acts 5:42

    And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

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