The Meaning of Acts 4:26 Explained

Acts 4:26

KJV: The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.

YLT: the kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ;

Darby: The kings of the earth were there, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ.

ASV: The kings of the earth set themselves in array, And the rulers were gathered together, Against the Lord, and against his Anointed:

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The kings  of the earth  stood up,  and  the rulers  were gathered  together  against  the Lord,  and  against  his  Christ. 

What does Acts 4:26 Mean?

Study Notes

Lord Jehovah. Psalms 2:2 .
Christ Anointed. Psalms 2:2 .

Context Summary

Acts 4:23-35 - Help From On High
Like draws to like; Judas went to his own place, and the Apostles to their own company. The best answer to threats is prayer. The Apostles' one petition just then was for boldness. They scorned to ask for their own safety; it was enough if Jesus was glorified.
What a note of jubilant triumph was in that glorious prayer, offered by this threatened little band! They realized that they were under the special protection of God, who had made the world, had spoken by the prophets, and was the Father of Jesus. They thought that more miracles of healing would promote their cause; but, though they did not realize it at the time, their unity, love, hope, willingness to share their goods, coupled with their intrepid bearing, were their most potent arguments. Notice that in their consciousness, it was God's hand that was being stretched out to heal, though their hands were the immediate channel of its beneficent operations. They had been filled before, but they were filled again. It is our privilege to claim repeated infillings to make good our leakage and evaporation. [source]

Chapter Summary: Acts 4

1  The rulers of the Jews, offended with Peter's sermon,
3  imprison him and John
5  After, upon examination
8  Peter boldly avouching the lame man to be healed by the name of Jesus,
11  and that only by the same Jesus we must be eternally saved,
13  they threaten him and John to preach no more in that name,
23  whereupon the church flees to prayer
31  And God, by moving the place where they were assembled, testifies that he heard their prayer;
34  confirming the church with the gift of the Holy Spirit, and with mutual love and charity

Greek Commentary for Acts 4:26

Set themselves in array [παρεστησαν]
Literally, stood by. [source]
Against his Anointed [κατα του Χριστου αυτου]
Against his Messiah, his Christ. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Acts 4:26

Acts 4:27 Whom thou didst anoint [ον εχρισας]
As in Acts 4:26 (cf. Luke 4:18; Isaiah 61:1). Inaugurated as King Messiah. [source]

What do the individual words in Acts 4:26 mean?

Took [their] stand the kings of the earth and rulers were gathered together - themselves against the Lord Christ of Him
παρέστησαν οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς καὶ ἄρχοντες συνήχθησαν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ κατὰ τοῦ Κυρίου Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ

παρέστησαν  Took  [their]  stand 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: παριστάνω 
Sense: to place beside or near.
βασιλεῖς  kings 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: βασιλεύς  
Sense: leader of the people, prince, commander, lord of the land, king.
τῆς  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
γῆς  earth 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: γῆ  
Sense: arable land.
ἄρχοντες  rulers 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: ἄρχων  
Sense: a ruler, commander, chief, leader.
συνήχθησαν  were  gathered 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Passive, 3rd Person Plural
Root: συνάγω  
Sense: to gather together, to gather.
ἐπὶ  together 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐπί  
Sense: upon, on, at, by, before.
τὸ  - 
Parse: Article, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
αὐτὸ  themselves 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Accusative Neuter 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
κατὰ  against 
Parse: Preposition
Root: κατά 
Sense: down from, through out.
Κυρίου  Lord 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: κύριος  
Sense: he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord.
Χριστοῦ  Christ 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Χριστός  
Sense: Christ was the Messiah, the Son of God.
αὐτοῦ  of  Him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.