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24 When they heard this, they raised their voices to God with one mind[a] and said, “Master of all,[b] you who made the heaven, the earth,[c] the sea, and everything that is in them, 25 who said by the Holy Spirit through[d] your servant David our forefather,[e]

Why do the nations[f] rage,[g]
and the peoples plot foolish[h] things?
26 The kings of the earth stood together,[i]
and the rulers assembled together,
against the Lord and against his[j] Christ.’[k]

27 “For indeed both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, assembled together in this city against[l] your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed,[m]

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 4:24 sn With one mind. Cf. Acts 1:14.
  2. Acts 4:24 tn Or “Lord of all.”sn The use of the title Master of all (δεσπότης, despotēs) emphasizes that there is a sovereign God who is directing what is taking place.
  3. Acts 4:24 tn Grk “and the earth, and the sea,” but καί (kai) has not been translated before “the earth” and “the sea” since contemporary English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
  4. Acts 4:25 tn Grk “by the mouth of” (an idiom).
  5. Acts 4:25 tn Or “ancestor”; Grk “father.”
  6. Acts 4:25 tn Or “Gentiles.”
  7. Acts 4:25 sn The Greek word translated rage includes not only anger but opposition, both verbal and nonverbal. See L&N 88.185.
  8. Acts 4:25 tn Or “futile”; traditionally, “vain.”
  9. Acts 4:26 tn Traditionally, “The kings of the earth took their stand.”
  10. Acts 4:26 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”sn See the note on Christ in 2:31.
  11. Acts 4:26 sn A quotation from Ps 2:1-2.
  12. Acts 4:27 sn The application of Ps 2:1-2 is that Jews and Gentiles are opposing Jesus. The surprise of the application is that Jews are now found among the enemies of God’s plan.
  13. Acts 4:27 sn A wordplay on “Christ,” v. 26, which means “one who has been anointed.”

24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God.(A) “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.(B) 25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:(C)

“‘Why do the nations rage
    and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth rise up
    and the rulers band together
against the Lord
    and against his anointed one.[a][b](D)

27 Indeed Herod(E) and Pontius Pilate(F) met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus,(G) whom you anointed.

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 4:26 That is, Messiah or Christ
  2. Acts 4:26 Psalm 2:1,2