Acts 4:20 (KJV)

Passage

For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

Nearby Context

Acts 4:18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.

Acts 4:19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.

Acts 4:20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

Acts 4:21 So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done.

Acts 4:22 For the man was above forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was shewed.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "speak", "things", "seen", and "heard". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "speak" and "things", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "But Peter and John answered and said..." into verse 21's "So when they had further threatened them...", so "speak" and "things" belong inside that flow. In Acts context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "speak" and "things" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.