Acts 4:31 (DRB)

Passage

And when they had prayed, the place was moved wherein they were assembled: and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost: and they spoke the word of God with confidence.

Nearby Context

Acts 4:29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants that with all confidence they may speak thy word,

Acts 4:30 By stretching forth thy hand to cures and signs and wonders, to be done by the name of thy holy Son, Jesus.

Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place was moved wherein they were assembled: and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost: and they spoke the word of God with confidence.

Acts 4:32 And the multitude of believers had but one heart and one soul. Neither did any one say that aught of the things which he possessed was his own: but all things were common unto them.

Acts 4:33 And with great power did the Apostles give testimony of the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord: and great grace was in them all.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "prayed", "place", "moved", "wherein", "assembled", "filled", "holy", and "ghost". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "prayed" and "place", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 30's "By stretching forth thy hand to cures..." into verse 32's "And the multitude of believers had but...", so "prayed" and "place" 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 "prayed" and "place" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.