Bible Strands
Acts 4:25
You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of Your servant, our father David: ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The believers in Acts 4 pray to the Sovereign Lord, declaring that God previously spoke through the Holy Spirit via David. They make this statement immediately after being released by Jewish authorities and joining in corporate prayer.
The words — πνεύματος ἁγίου (pneumatos hagiou) translates literally as “of the Holy Spirit,” identifying the divine source of David’s speech. πατρὸς ἡμῶν (patros hēmōn) means “of our father,” locating David as the ancestral prophet whose words are being quoted.
The thread — The verse quotes Psalms 2:1, which records the nations raging and peoples plotting in vain. The supplied context links this to Acts 1:16 regarding the Spirit’s foretelling about Judas and Acts 2:30 concerning David’s dynastic promise, noting these are separate prophetic references rather than citations of Psalm 2.
Why it lands — The text states that God spoke through the Holy Spirit via David, establishing Scripture’s divine origin and the believers’ reliance on it. Readers must acknowledge God’s sovereignty over human rebellion and ground their prayers in recorded prophecy rather than immediate circumstances.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?
Cross-references
- Psalms 2:1 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
- Acts 1:16 “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled that the Holy Spirit foretold through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus.
- Acts 2:30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that He would place one of his descendants on his throne.