Acts 4:31

δεηθέντων, cf. Acts 16:26, where a similar answer is given to the prayer of Paul and Silas: the verb is characteristic of St. Luke and St. Paul, and is only used by these two writers with the exception of one passage, Matthew 9:38; in St. Luke's Gospel it is found eight times, and in Acts seven times, and often of requests addressed to God as here, cf. Acts 10:2; Acts 8:24; Luke 10:2; Luke 21:36; Luke 22:32; 1 Thessalonians 3:10. See on αἰτέω, Grimm-Thayer (Synonyms). This frequent reference to prayer is characteristic of St. Luke both in his Gospel and the Acts, cf. Acts 1:14; Acts 2:42; Acts 4:31; Acts 6:4; Acts 10:2; Acts 13:3; Acts 14:23; Acts 16:13; Acts 16:25; Acts 28:8; Friedrich, Das Lucasevangelium, pp. 59, 60. ἐσαλεύθη, Acts 16:26; Luke (Luke 6:38; Luke 6:48; Acts 7:24) Acts 21:26; Hebrews 12:26-27; in the O.T. we have similar manifestations of the divine Presence, cf. Psalms 114:7; Amos 9:5, where the same word is used; cf. also Isaiah 6:4; Haggai 2:6; Joel 3:16; Ezekiel 38:19. For instance of an earthquake regarded as a token of the presence of a deity, see Wetstein, in loco; Virgil, Æneid, iii., 90; Ovid, Met., xv., 672, and so amongst the Rabbis, Schöttgen, Hor. Heb., in loco. In the Acts it is plainly regarded as no chance occurrence, and with regard to the rationalistic hypothesis that it was merely a natural event, accidentally coinciding with the conclusion of the prayer, Zeller admits that there is every probability against the truth of any such hypothesis; rather may we see in it with St. Chrysostom a direct answer to the appeal to the God in whose hands were the heaven and the earth (cf. Iren., Adv. Haer., iii., 12, 5). “The place was shaken, and that made them all the more unshaken” (Chrysostom, Theophylact, Oecumenius). συνηγμένοι, “were gathered,” so in Acts 4:27; the aorist in the former verse referring to an act, but here the perfect to a state, but impossible to distinguish in translation, Burton, N. T. Moods and Tenses, p. 45. That the shaking is regarded as miraculous is admitted by Weiss, who sees in it the reviser's hand introducing a miraculous result of the prayer of the Church, in place of the natural result of strengthened faith and popular favour. καὶ ἐπλήσθησαν, Acts 4:8. So here the Holy Ghost inspired them all with courage: He came comfortari, to strengthen; they had prayed that they might speak the word μετὰ παρρ. and their prayer was heard and fulfilled to the letter (Acts 4:31) as Luke describes “with simple skill”. ἐλάλουν : mark the force of the imperfect. ἐπλησθ. (aorist), the prayer was immediately answered by their being filled with the Holy Ghost, and they proceeded to speak, the imperfect also implying that they continued to speak (Rendall); there is no need to see any reference to the speaking with tongues. Feine sees in the narrative a divine answer to the Apostles' prayer, so that filled with the Holy Ghost they spoke with boldness. And he adds, that such divine power must have been actually working in the Apostles, otherwise the growth of the Church in spite of its opposition is inexplicable a remark which might well be considered by the deniers of a miraculous Christianity. It is in reality the same argument so forcibly put by St. Chrysostom: “If you deny miracles, you make it all the more marvellous that they should obtain such moral victories these illiterate men!” Jüngst refers the whole verse to a redactor, recording that there was no one present with reference to whom the παρρησία could be employed. But the distinction between the aorist ἐπλήσ. and the imperfect ἐλάλουν shows that not only the immediate but the continuous action of the disciples is denoted.