Acts 4:29

And now, Lord, consider their threats, and enable Your servants to speak Your word with complete boldness,

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — Peter and John pray immediately after the Sanhedrin forbids them to speak in Jesus' name (Acts 4:18). They address God as Lord, still in the aftermath of the council's warning.

The words — ἀπειλὰς (apeilas) is "threats" — hostile intimidation, not a gentle caution. ἔπιδε (epide), aorist imperative, is a direct command: "look upon," demanding God's attention rather than suggesting it.

The thread — The same boldness-under-threat motif appears in Acts 4:13 (observers marvel at the disciples' boldness), Acts 14:3 (Paul and Barnabas speak boldly), and Philippians 1:14 (brothers dare to speak the word without fear).

Why it lands — The prayer does not ask for the threats to be removed but for God to enable speech despite them. The reader is asked to recognize that the request is for internal enablement, not external safety.

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

And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,

Cross-references

Acts 4:13 When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they marveled and took note that these men had been with Jesus.
Acts 14:3 So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who affirmed the message of His grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.
Philippians 1:14 And most of the brothers, confident in the Lord by my chains, now dare more greatly to speak the word without fear.
Acts 4:31 After they had prayed, their meeting place was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Acts 28:31 Boldly and freely he proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Timothy 4:17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed, and all the Gentiles would hear it. So I was delivered from the mouth of the lion.
Acts 4:17 But to keep this message from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in this name.”
Acts 9:27 Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and described how Saul had seen the Lord, who had spoken to him on the road to Damascus, and how Saul had spoken boldly in that city in the name of Jesus.
Acts 13:46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “It was necessary to speak the word of God to you first. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.
Acts 19:8 Then Paul went into the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.