Acts 4:4 (WEB)

Passage

But many of those who heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.

Nearby Context

Acts 4:2 being upset because they taught the people and proclaimed in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

Acts 4:3 They laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was now evening.

Acts 4:4 But many of those who heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.

Acts 4:5 In the morning, their rulers, elders, and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem.

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "heard", "word", "believed", "number", "came", "five", and "thousand". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "heard" and "word", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "They laid hands on them and put..." into verse 5's "In the morning their rulers elders and...", so "heard" and "word" 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 "heard" and "word" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.