Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 4:4
Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.
4. Howbeit ] Better, But, i.e. not being deterred by the arrest of the Apostles.
many of them which heard the word believed ] on Jesus; for Peter had set Him before them as that Prophet concerning whom Moses had spoken.
and the number of the men was ] [better, came to ] about five thousand ] That is, the society had been increased by nearly two thousand converts since the day of Pentecost (Act 2:41).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Howbeit – But; notwithstanding.
Many of them … – This was one of the instances, which has since been so often repeated, in which persecution is seen to have a tendency to extend and establish the faith which it was designed to destroy. It finally came to be a proverb that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church; and there is no lesson which men have been so slow to learn as that to oppose and persecute men is the very way to confirm them in their opinions and to spread their doctrines. It was supposed here that the disciples were few; that they were without power, wealth, and influence; and that it was easy to crush them at once. But God made their persecution the means of extending, in a signal manner, the truths of the gospel and the triumphs of his word. And so in all ages it has been, and so it ever will be.
And the number … – It seems probable that in this number of 5,000 there were included the 120 persons who are mentioned in Act 1:15, and the 3,000 people who were converted on the day of Pentecost, Act 2:41. It does not appear probable that 5,000 would have been assembled and converted in Solomons porch Act 3:11 on occasion of the cure of the lame man. Luke doubtless means to say that, up to this time, the number of persons who had joined themselves to the apostles was about 5,000. On this supposition, the work of religion must have made a very rapid advance. How long this was after the day of Pentecost is not mentioned, but it is clear that it was at no very distant period; and the accession of near two thousand to the number of believers was a very striking proof of the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.
Of the men – Of the persons. The word men is often used without reference to sex, Luk 11:31; Rom 4:8; Rom 11:4.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 4. The number – was about five thousand.] That is, as I understand the passage, the one hundred and twenty which were converted before pentecost, the three thousand converted at pentecost, and one thousand eight hundred and eighty converted since the conversion of the three thousand; making in the whole five thousand, or about that number: there might have been more or less; the historian does not fix the number absolutely. A goodly flock in one city, as the commencement of the Christian Church! Some think all the five thousand were converted on this day; but this is by no means likely.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God, Rom 10:17. It being the ordinary means which God hath appointed; the apostles themselves make use of it towards the conviction of this people. The number of the hearers is not intended to be set here, or in any other place; but either these
five thousand were such as were converted at this sermon, or rather the number converted by St. Peters former sermon, Act 2:14-40, were at this sermon made thus many; howsoever, the increase which God gave was very great.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
4. the number of the menormales, exclusive of women; though the word sometimes includes both.
about five thousandandthis in Jerusalem, where the means of detecting the imposture orcrushing the fanaticism, if such it had been, were within everyone’sreach, and where there was every inducement to sift it to the bottom.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Howbeit, many of them which heard the word,…. The doctrine of the Gospel, preached by Peter and John:
believed; the report of it, and in Christ, as risen from the dead, which was the sum and substance of it: and this they did, notwithstanding the opposition made by the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducces, and the violence they used to the apostles; for though they kept their persons in hold, they could not stop the free course of the word, which ran and was glorified:
and the number of the men was about five thousand; or “was five thousand”, as the Alexandrian copy, the Vulgate Latin, and Ethiopic versions read; that is the number, not of the hearers, but “of them that believed”, was so many; and so read the Arabic and Ethiopic versions: there were so many persons converted at this time; for this number does not include the three thousand that were converted under the first sermon, but regards those who now became true believers, and were added to the church; so that there were now eight thousand persons added to it; a great increase indeed! now had Christ the dew of his youth, and now were these fishermen fishers of men indeed: that our Lord’s feeding five thousand men with five barley loaves and two fishes, should have any regard to the conversion of these five thousand men, is but a conceit.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Men (). Strictly, men and not women, for is the term for both men and women. But in Lu 11:31 seems to include both men and women and that is possible here, though by no means certain, for see Mt 14:21 where the women and children are expressly excepted.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
The number was about five thousand. Translate ejgenhqh as Rev., came to be; indicating the addition to the original number of the many that believed.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; (polloi de ton akousanton ton logon episteusan) “However many of those who were hearing (giving heed to) the word believed,” or trusted in Jesus Christ, in spite of the arrest or detainment of Peter and John. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God,” without regards to or in spite of human circumstances, Rom 10:17; It is much like Paul’s address at Mars Hill when 1) some believed, 2) some mocked, and 3) some procrastinated, Act 17:32-34.
2) “And the number of men,” (kai egenthe arithmos ton anthropon) “And the number of responsible persons, perhaps men and women, came to be, increased up to, or was at the end of that day, or as a final result of that occasion; God’s word does not return void, nor do His witnesses lose their reward for faithfulness, in spite of some rejection, Isa 55:10-11; Ecc 11:1-2.
3) “Was about five thousand,” (hos chiliades pente) “(was) approximately five thousand,” This passage does not convey the idea that five thousand believers were added that day, but that the church’s size had grown “to be” about five thousand in number. From the number (together) of men and women, Act 1:15 to Act 2:41.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
4. And many of them which heard The apostles are put in prison, but the force of their preaching is spread far and wide, and the course thereof is at liberty. Of which thing Paul boasteth very much, that the Word of God is not bound with him, (2Ti 2:9.) And here we see that Satan and the wicked have liberty granted them to rage against the children of God; yet can they not (maugre their heads (203)) prevail, but that God doth further and promote the kingdom of his Son; Christ doth gather together his sheep; and that a few men unarmed, furnished with no garrisons, do show forth more power in their voice alone, than all the world, by raging against them. This is, indeed, no common work of God, that one sermon brought forth such plentiful fruit; but this is the more to be wondered at, that the faithful are not terrified with the present danger, and discouraged from taking up the cross of Christ together with the faith. For this was a hard beginning for novices. Christ did more evidently declare by this efficacy and force of doctrine that he was alive, than if he should have offered his body to be handled with hand, and to be seen with the eyes. And whereas it is said that the number of those which believed did grow to be about five thousand, I do not understand it of those which were newly added, but of the whole church.
(203) “ Omnia machinando,” by all their machinations.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(4) The number of the men was about five thousand.Better, became, or was made up to, about five thousand. It seems probable, though not certain, that St. Luke meant this as a statement of the aggregate number of disciples, not of those who were converted on that day. As in the narrative of the feeding of the five thousand (Mat. 14:21), women and children were not included. The number was probably ascertained, as on that occasion, by grouping those who came to baptism and to the breaking of bread by hundreds and by fifties (Mar. 6:40). The connection in which the number is given makes it probable that it represents those who, under the influence of the impression made by the healing of the cripple and by St. Peters speech, attended the meetings of the Church that evening. The coincidence of the numbers in the two narratives could scarcely fail to lead the disciples to connect the one with the other, and to feel, as they broke the bread and blessed it, that they were also giving men the true bread from heaven.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
4. Many Who as Jerusalemites had probably been acquainted personally with Jesus and his history, and as regular temple worshippers were religiously disposed. The author of “Ecce Homo” well remarks that probably nearly all the moral worth at this epoch in Jerusalem went into the Christian Church.
Five thousand Adding since Pentecost two thousand men, without enumerating females and children. So that the body of actually professing believers may have been ten or twelve thousand. The number of Christians then was nearly as large as the present entire population of Jerusalem!
‘But many of those who heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.’
However, this event did not affect the impact of the message (indeed as the chief priests and their denial of a general resurrection were not popular it may have helped it) and many who heard Peter’s words believed, so that the number of disciples now came to ‘the number of the men — about five thousand’. Five thousand is probably not intended to be taken literally. It had in mind an increase from the ‘three thousand’ on the day of Pentecost, and probably had in mind the ‘five thousand men’ fed by Jesus when He broke the loaves, the picture of the covenant community. Five is the number of covenant and ‘five thousand’ therefore signified the covenant community as a whole. But it certainly signified a large number. Taking into account women and children as well this may well have been more than one tenth of the population of Jerusalem.
Note the stress on the fact that they ‘believed’. They responded to the message of the crucified and risen Jesus and committed themselves to following Him along with His people. In the terms of Act 3:19 they ‘repented’. They had been faced up with Jesus Christ and their hearts had responded, and from now on they would follow Him. Later we will learn that it was because they were ‘ordained to eternal life’ (Act 13:48). As in so many incidents in Scripture God was carrying out his will, and human beings were of their own volition moving along in parallel with that will.
Act 4:4. The number of the men was about five thousand. Dr. Benson concludes, that five thousand men were converted on this occasion, besides the three thousand mentioned before, chap. Act 2:41. If it had been said, as there, that so many were added to the church, it would have determined the sense as he and others understand it; but the use of the word here, became, favours the interpretation,thatthewholenumber,includingthosewhohadbeenconverted before, became about five thousand. See ch. Act 1:15 in the Greek. It is hardly to be thought, unless it were expressly asserted, that another day should be so much more remarkable for its number of converts, than that on which the Spirit descended. However, supposing only two thousand were now converted, it is a glorious proof of the truth of Christianity; and no example can be given of the philosophers, or any other teachers, succeeding so gloriously in making converts to such holy and self-denying doctrines.
Act 4:4 . As a contrast to this treatment of the apostles ( ), Luke notices the great increase of the church, which was effected by the address of the apostle. The number of believers had before this been above three thousand (Act 2:41 ; Act 2:47 ); by the present increase the number of men (the women, therefore, being not even included on account of the already so considerable multitude of believers) came to be about five thousand . The supposition of Olshausen, “that at first, perhaps, only men had joined the church,” is arbitrary, and contrary to Act 1:14 . At variance with the text, and in opposition to Act 5:14 , de Wette makes women to be included.
4 Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.
Ver. 4. And the number ] A goodly increase. The lily is said to be increased by its own juice that flows from it. (Pliny.) So the Church.
4. ] This form is unknown in good Greek: but common in Hellenistic, see Col 4:11 ; 1Th 2:14 ; Winer, 15. It appears to have been originally a Doric form: and is commonly, though this cannot always be pressed (1Th 1:5-6 ; 1Th 2:5 , and notes there), used where a passive sense is admissible, and an agent understood: cf. e.g. Mat 6:10 ; Mat 8:13 ; Mat 21:42 . Here the agent would be God: see ch. Act 2:47 .
] It does not appear whether we are to take this strictly as masculine, or more loosely as if it were : Meyer thinks the former: Olshausen, that as yet only men attached themselves to the church (but see ch. Act 1:14 ): De Wette objects to the stricter view, that Luke does not so reckon, ch. Act 2:41 (see however Luk 9:14 , and cf. [38] Mt.): but leaves it undecided. The laxer use of occurs Luk 11:31 , and Jas 1:20 . In ch. Act 5:14 , men and women both are mentioned as being added to the Lord.
[38] When, in the Gospels, and in the Evangelic statement, 1Co 11:23-25 , the sign () occurs in a reference, it is signified that the word occurs in the parallel place in the other Gospels, which will always be found indicated at the head of the note on the paragraph. When the sign () is qualified , thus, ‘ Mk.,’ or ‘ Mt. Mk.,’ &c., it is signified that the word occurs in the parallel place in that Gospel or Gospels, but not in the other or others .
Wordsw. sees in the 5000 a fulfilment of the prophecy contained in the miracle of feeding the 5000. But how will the circumstances tally, seeing that these were but new converts, babes in grace, not yet fed to the full as were those others? And again, it is not quite certain whether this number was that of new converts on this occasion, or of the whole Church: but most probably the latter.
Act 4:4 . : “came to be” R.V., only here in St. Luke, except in the quotation in Act 1:20 (see also Act 7:13 , ., and Blass in [148] hellenistic, frequently in LXX; in N.T. cf. 1Th 2:14 , Col 4:11 ; also Jos., Ant. , x., 10, 2, Winer-Schmiedel, p. 108, note). . This word here appears to be used of men only (so Wetstein, Blass), cf. Mat 14:21 , Mar 6:40 , for although we cannot argue with Weiss from Act 5:14 , that women in great numbers did not join the Church until a later period ( cf. also Act 2:41 , where women may well have been included), yet it seems that St. Luke, by his use of one word, , here refers to the additional number of men . St. Luke does not say that five thousand of St. Peter’s hearers were converted, in addition to those already converted at Pentecost (although Dr. Hort, following Chrys., Aug [149] , Jer [150] , takes this view, Judaistic Christianity , p. 47), or that five thousand were added, but his words certainly mark the growing expansion of the Church in spite of threatening danger, as this is also evident on the view that five thousand represent the total number of believers. The instances above from the Gospels are generally quoted to confirm the view here taken, but Wendt, in loco , curiously quotes the same passages in proof that here includes women. The numbers are regarded by him as by Weizscker as artificial, but see above on Act 1:15 .
[148] R(omana), in Blass, a first rough copy of St. Luke.
[149] Augustine.
[150] Jerome, Hieronymus.
Howbeit = But.
word. Greek. logos. App-121.
believed. App-150.
men. Greek. aner. App-123.
4.] -This form is unknown in good Greek: but common in Hellenistic,-see Col 4:11; 1Th 2:14; Winer, 15. It appears to have been originally a Doric form: and is commonly, though this cannot always be pressed (1Th 1:5-6; 1Th 2:5, and notes there), used where a passive sense is admissible, and an agent understood: cf. e.g. Mat 6:10; Mat 8:13; Mat 21:42. Here the agent would be God: see ch. Act 2:47.
] It does not appear whether we are to take this strictly as masculine, or more loosely as if it were : Meyer thinks the former: Olshausen, that as yet only men attached themselves to the church (but see ch. Act 1:14): De Wette objects to the stricter view, that Luke does not so reckon, ch. Act 2:41 (see however Luk 9:14, and cf. [38] Mt.): but leaves it undecided. The laxer use of occurs Luk 11:31, and Jam 1:20. In ch. Act 5:14, men and women both are mentioned as being added to the Lord.
[38] When, in the Gospels, and in the Evangelic statement, 1Co 11:23-25, the sign () occurs in a reference, it is signified that the word occurs in the parallel place in the other Gospels, which will always be found indicated at the head of the note on the paragraph. When the sign () is qualified, thus, Mk., or Mt. Mk., &c., it is signified that the word occurs in the parallel place in that Gospel or Gospels, but not in the other or others.
Wordsw. sees in the 5000 a fulfilment of the prophecy contained in the miracle of feeding the 5000. But how will the circumstances tally, seeing that these were but new converts, babes in grace, not yet fed to the full as were those others? And again, it is not quite certain whether this number was that of new converts on this occasion, or of the whole Church: but most probably the latter.
Act 4:4. , the men) The number, therefore, with the women and children, was much greater. In this multitude, amounting to about five thousand, there seem to be included those who are mentioned in ch. Act 2:41, about three thousand souls. Subsequently, after other accessions, ch. Act 5:14, Act 6:1; Act 6:7, they became several myriads: ch. Act 21:20, Thou seest how many myriads [not thousands, as Engl. Vers.] of Jews there are who believe.
many: Act 28:24, 2Co 2:14-17, Phi 1:12-18, 2Ti 2:9, 2Ti 2:10
the number: Act 2:41, Gen 49:10, Isa 45:24, Isa 53:12, Joh 12:24
Reciprocal: Psa 40:3 – many Psa 45:5 – people Psa 72:16 – There Psa 110:3 – from the womb Isa 32:20 – Blessed Isa 44:4 – spring Isa 66:8 – shall a nation Eze 47:9 – a very great Mat 14:21 – about Mar 4:31 – is less than Luk 5:6 – they enclosed Luk 13:19 – and it Joh 4:38 – sent Joh 8:28 – then Joh 14:12 – greater Joh 17:20 – for them Joh 21:6 – the multitude Act 5:14 – believers Act 6:1 – when Act 9:35 – all Act 11:21 – and a Act 16:5 – increased Act 21:20 – how Gal 2:8 – he
4
Act 4:4. Howbeit is not in the original text, and does not serve any important purpose, although it is not out of line with the thought of the passage. The original does justify the statement that many believed. That is a frequent expression used by the inspired writers to mean that the people obeyed the commands given them. If the word is used in a restricted sense it will say so, as in the case of the rulers in Joh 12:42. Number of the men was, etc. The Englishmen’s Greek New Testament renders this passage, “the number of men became about five thousand.” Moffatt translates it, “bringing up their number to about five thousand.” It means that the new believers made on this occasion, added to what, they already had, made the total number of disciples in fellowship with the apostles about five thousand.
Act 4:4. Many of thorn which heard the word believed. In sharp contrast to the arrest and persecution of the two leaders by the influential party in the state, the compiler of the Acts notices, that though the rulers refused to hear, yet many of those who looked on the strange scene that afternoon in the Temple courts believed the message of Christ.
And the number of the men was about five thousand. The word translated men no doubt included men and women. Some commentators would restrict the term to men only; Hackett, however, well observes: An emphasized or conscious restriction of the term to men would be at variance with that religious equality of the sexes so distinctly affirmed in the New Testament (Gal 3:28).
Act 4:4. Howbeit, many of them which heard the word believed For though the preachers were persecuted, the word prevailed. Thus the suffering days of the church have often been her growing days. And the number of the men, besides women and children, was about five thousand The assembly that owned Christianity was increased to above five thousand, and that success grieved the malignants. Baxter. Dr. Benson supposes that five thousand were converted on this occasion, besides the three thousand mentioned before, Act 2:41. Had it been said, as there, that so many were added to the church, it would have determined the sense to be as he and some others understand it; but the use of the word
, became, favours the interpretation, that the whole number, including those who had been converted before, now became about five thousand. It is hardly to be thought (unless it were expressly asserted) that another day should be so much more remarkable for its number of converts than that on which the Spirit descended. However, supposing only two thousand were now converted, it is a glorious proof of the truth of Christianity, and no example can be given of the philosophers, or any other teachers, succeeding so gloriously in making converts to such holy and self-denying doctrines.
4. The audience who had been listening to Peter must have been thrown into intense excitement by the arrest, and the disciples among them, doubtless, expected to see re-enacted, in the persons of Peter and John, the murderous scenes which had terminated the life of their master. Notwithstanding this excitement, however, the words of Peter were not without a decided effect upon the hitherto unbelieving portion of his hearers; for Luke says: (4) “But many of those who were hearing the word believed, and the number of the men became about five thousand.” Whether this number includes the three thousand who were added on Pentecost or not, has been a matter of some dispute, but it is generally agreed by critics that it does. If those who believed on the present occasion were alone intended, the writer would have said the number en, was, instead of egenethe, became, about five thousand.
FIVE THOUSAND CONVERTED
4. This wonderful accession augments the Nazarenes to eight thousand. While doubtless many of them were born from above for the first time in life, you must remember that the great salient fact is conversion to the Christhood of Jesus. Among the thousands of devout Jews (remember, this word is not applied to sinners) come from every nation under heaven; it certainly follows as a legitimate sequence that many of them know experimentally the God of Abraham and Moses, and as they had never heard of Jesus the Nazarene, of course they were perfectly innocent of His crucifixion. That doubtless large element of the Pentecostal crowd needed only to be converted to the Christhood of Jesus; while all of the Jerusalemites who were guilty of His blood, had to be justified and regenerated, as well as converted to the Christhood of Jesus. I trow not a few of this number, who had formerly known the God of Israel by happy experience, were actually baptized with the Holy Ghost and sanctified wholly in that Pentecostal revival.
Verse 4
Five thousand. This may perhaps include the converts made before.
4:4 Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the {b} number of the men was about five thousand.
(b) While they thought to diminish the number, they actually increased it.
Belief was the key factor in many more becoming Christians (cf. Act 3:19), not believing and being baptized (Act 2:38). Note that Luke wrote that they "believed" the message they had heard. The total number of male converts in Jerusalem now reached 5,000 (cf. Act 1:15; Act 2:41) because of Peter’s message. The Greek word andron specifies males rather than people. Normally most of the people in the temple courtyard who would have witnessed these events would have been males. Estimates of Jerusalem’s total population range from 25,000 to 250,000, though the lower figure seems more probable. [Note: Marshall, The Acts . . ., pp. 98-99.] One writer argued for 60,000 or more inhabitants. [Note: Fiensy, p. 214.] Another believed 100,000 to 120,000 people inhabited the city in the forties. [Note: Wolfgang Reinhardt, "The Population Size of Jerusalem and the Numerical Growth of the Jerusalem Church," in The Book of Acts in Its First Century Setting; Vol. 4: The Book of Acts in Its Palestinian Setting, p. 263.] Obviously there is a wide range of speculation.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)