Acts 4:15 (ASV)

Passage

But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,

Nearby Context

Acts 4:13 Now when they beheld the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

Acts 4:14 And seeing the man that was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.

Acts 4:15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,

Acts 4:16 saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been wrought through them, is manifest to all that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it.

Acts 4:17 But that it spread no further among the people, let us threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "commanded", "aside", "council", "conferred", and "themselves". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "commanded" and "aside", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "And seeing the man that was healed..." into verse 16's "saying What shall we do to these...", so "commanded" and "aside" 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 "commanded" and "aside" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.