Acts 4:7 (ASV)

Passage

And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, By what power, or in 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 were gathered together in Jerusalem;

Acts 4:6 and Annas the high priest [was there], and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest.

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

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

Acts 4:9 if we this day are examined concerning a good deed done to an impotent man, by what means this man is made whole;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "midst", "inquired", "power", "name", and "done". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "midst" and "inquired", 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 was there..." into verse 8's "Then Peter filled with the Holy Spirit...", so "midst" and "inquired" 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 "inquired" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.