Acts 4:7 (KJV)

Passage

And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?

Nearby Context

Acts 4:5 And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes,

Acts 4:6 And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.

Acts 4:7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?

Acts 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,

Acts 4:9 If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "midst", "asked", "power", "name", and "done". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "midst" and "asked", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "And Annas the high priest and Caiaphas..." into verse 8's "Then Peter filled with the Holy Ghost...", so "midst" and "asked" 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 "midst" and "asked" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.