Acts 4:25

“who through the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father David, your servant, said, ‘Why did the nations rage, and the peoples plot vain things?”

Acts 4:25 · direct translation from the Greek
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With the Greek beneath

25

Quotation · Psalms 2:1-2

Go to Psalms 2:1-2

The assembly quotes Psalm 2:1-2 and applies it to Herod, Pilate, the nations and the peoples of Israel (4:27). The psalm has no title in Hebrew; Acts attributes it to David.

Formula: διὰ πνεύματος ἁγίου στόματος Δαυὶδ παιδός σου εἰπών “through the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father David, your servant, said” (Acts 4:25)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: ὁ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν διὰ πνεύματος ἁγίου στόματος Δαυὶδ παιδός σου εἰπών Ἱνατί ἐφρύαξαν ἔθνη καὶ λαοὶ ἐμελέτησαν κενά παρέστησαν οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες συνήχθησαν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ κατὰ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ κατὰ τοῦ χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ

Hebrew (Masoretic text): לָמָּה רָגְשׁוּ גוֹיִם וּלְאֻמִּים יֶהְגּוּ רִיק יִתְיַצְּבוּ מַלְכֵי אֶרֶץ וְרוֹזְנִים נוֹסְדוּ יָחַד עַל יְהוָה וְעַל מְשִׁיחוֹ

Septuagint (Psalms 2:1-2 in the Septuagint numbering): Ἵνα τί ἐφρύαξαν ἔθνη, καὶ λαοὶ ἐμελέτησαν κενά παρέστησαν οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες συνήχθησαν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ κατὰ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ κατὰ τοῦ χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ. διάψαλμα.

The Greek of the NT matches the Septuagint word for word in 26 consecutive words: “ἐφρύαξαν ἔθνη καὶ λαοὶ ἐμελέτησαν κενά παρέστησαν οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες συνήχθησαν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ κατὰ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ κατὰ τοῦ χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ.”

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Acts 4:25, word by word

the Holy Spiritπνεύματοςpneumatos

Spirit

God himself at work, giving life and dwelling in believers.

Where else “pneumatos” appears
the Holy Spiritἁγίουhagiou

Holy Spirit

God's Spirit, who is his own and sets people apart for him.

Where else “hagiou” appears
by the mouthστόματοςstomatos

mouth

The part of the face through which one eats and speaks; also what one says.

Where else “stomatos” appears
fatherπατρὸςpatros

forefather

An ancestor: Abraham as the founder of the family.

Where else “patros” appears
DavidΔαυὶδDauid

David

David, the king of Israel from whose line God promised a king forever (2 Samuel 7:12-16).

Where else “Dauid” appears
servantπαιδόςpaidos

God's Servant

God's Servant, above all Jesus.

Where else “paidos” appears
saidεἰπώνeipōn

say

To express something in words to others.

Where else “eipōn” appears
‘WhyἹνατίHinati

why

"Why?", "for what reason?".

Where else “Hinati” appears
did the nationsἔθνηethnē

Gentile

The peoples who are not Israel.

Where else “ethnē” appears
rageἐφρύαξανephryaxan

rage

Rage, be in an uproar with insolence, like a snorting horse.

Where else “ephryaxan” appears
the peoplesλαοὶlaoi

people

A people, above all Israel, God's people.

Where else “laoi” appears
plotἐμελέτησανemeletēsan

plot

To turn a scheme over in one's mind.

Where else “emeletēsan” appears
vain thingsκενάkena

vain

Of no use at all.

Where else “kena” appears

Translation note

Psalm 2:1-2. The beginning of this verse is difficult in Greek.

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Quotation · Psalms 2:1-2

The assembly quotes Psalm 2:1-2 and applies it to Herod, Pilate, the nations and the peoples of Israel (4:27). The psalm has no title in Hebrew; Acts attributes it to David.

See them side by side

Acts 4:25

25who through the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father David, your servant, said, ‘Why did the nations rage, and the peoples plot vain things?

Psalms 2:1-2

1Why are the nations in turmoil, and the peoples meditate a vain thing?

The context

24And they, when they heard it, raised their voice with one mind to God and said, “Sovereign, you who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them,

25 · This verse (above)

26The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Anointed.’

Read all of Acts 4

To study Acts 4 in a group

  1. 1. What it says

    Peter and John are questioned by the council. What do they say, and what do the rulers notice about them? (vv. 8-13)

  2. 2. What it means

    Why do Peter and John answer that they cannot stop speaking about what they saw and heard? (vv. 19-20)

  3. 3. How I live it

    The believers were of one heart, and no one lacked anything (vv. 32-35). Whom around you could you help today in a concrete way?

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