SEV Biblia, Chapter 4:13
Entonces viendo la constancia de Pedro y de Juan, sabido que eran hombres sin letras e ignorantes, se maravillaban; y les conocían que habían estado con Jess.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Acts 4:13
Verse 13. The boldness of Peter and John] thn parrhsian, The freedom and fluency with which they spoke; for they spoke now from the immediate influence of the Holy Ghost, and their word was with power. That they were unlearned and ignorant men] agrammatoi, Persons without literature, not brought up in nor given to literary pursuits-and ignorant, idiwtai, persons in private life, brought up in its occupations alone. It does not mean ignorance in the common acceptation of the term; and our translation is very improper. In no sense of the word could any of the apostles be called ignorant men; for though their spiritual knowledge came all from heaven, yet in all other matters they seem to have been men of good, sound, strong, common sense.
They took knowledge of them] epeginwskon may imply that they got information, that they had been disciples of Christ, and probably they might have seen them in our Lord's company; for there can be little doubt that they had often seen our Lord teaching the multitudes, and these disciples attending him.
That they had been with Jesus.] Had they not had his teaching, the present company would soon have confounded them; but they spoke with so much power and authority that the whole sanhedrin was confounded.
He who is taught in spiritual matters by Christ Jesus has a better gift than the tongue of the learned. He who is taught in the school of Christ will ever speak to the point, and intelligibly too; though his words may not have that polish with which they who prefer sound to sense are often carried away.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 13. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John , etc.] With what courage and intrepidity they stood before them, the presence of mind they had, and the freedom of speech they used, as the word properly signifies: they observed their elocution, the justness of their diction, the propriety of their language, and the strength and nervousness of their reasoning; as well as their great resolution, constancy, and firmness of mind; not being afraid to profess the name of Christ, or to charge them with the murder of him; and that they seemed to be determined to abide by him, at all events; to assert him to be the true Messiah, though rejected by the Jewish builders; and that he was risen from the dead; and not only to ascribe unto him the miracle now wrought, but the salvation of men; and to declare, that there was none in any other but him: the Syriac version renders it, when they heard the word of Simeon and John, which they spoke openly: and freely, without any reserve: they answered readily to the question, that it was by the name of Jesus of Nazareth that they had done this miracle; they dealt freely with the Jewish sanhedrim, and told them in so many words, that they were the crucifiers of Christ, and the rejecters of that stone, which God had made the head of the corner, and that there was no salvation for them in any other: it appears from hence, that John spoke as well as Peter, though his words are not recorded: and perceived that they were unlearned ignorant men ; not by what they now said, but by what they heard and understood of them before: they were informed that they were unlearned men, or who did not understand letters; not but that they had learned their mother tongue, and could read the Scriptures; but they had not had a liberal education; they had not been brought up at the feet of any of the doctors, in any of the schools and universities of the Jews; they were not trained up in, and conversant with, the nice distinctions, subtle argumentations, and decisions of the learned doctors, in the interpretation of the law of Moses, and the traditions of the elders: and understood that they were also ignorant men, idiwtai , idiots, or private men; for men might be unlearned, and yet not be such; it seems the high priests themselves were sometimes unlearned men: hence, on the day of atonement, they used to read before him, in the order of the day, and say to him, Lord high priest, read thou with thine own mouth; perhaps thou hast forgot, or it may be, tdml al , thou hast not learned f170 .
The Jews have adopted the word here used into their language; and express by it, sometimes a man that is mean, abject, and contemptible: thus instead of children of base men, or without a name, the Targumist on ( Job 30:8) reads, yjwydh ynb , the children of idiots, or private men: and in the Targum on ( 1 Samuel 18:23 24:14) it is used for one lightly esteemed, and comparable to a flea: it sometimes designs persons in a private life, though men of learning and knowledge, in distinction from those that are in office; so we read f171 , that three kings, and four twjwydh , private persons, have no part in the world to come; the three kings are Jeroboam, Ahab, and Manasseh; the four idiots, or private men, are Balaam, Doeg, Ahithophel, and Gehazi.
And so a bench of idiots, or private men, is distinguished from a bench of authorized and approved judges f172 ; and sometimes the word is used of such, as are distinguished from doctors, or wise men; so when it is said f173 , the command of plucking off the shoe, is done before three judges, and though the three are idiots; the note of Maimonides upon it is, not wise men, but that know how to read the language, the Hebrew language: and such were the disciples, in every sense of the word; they were mean and abject, poor fishermen, men of no name and figure, that were in no office, and exalted station of life, nor versed in Jewish learning, but common private men: so that they marvelled ; the sanheddrim were astonished to hear them talk with so much fluency and pertinence: and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus ; looking wistly upon them, they knew them again, and remembered that; they were persons that were the disciples of Jesus, and whom they had seen in company with him; not in the high priests palace, when Jesus was arraigned, examined, and condemned there; though Peter, and some think John was there at that time, yet not to be observed and taken notice of by the sanhedrim; but in the temple where Jesus taught, and where the chief priests, Scribes, and elders came, and disputed with him about his authority, and cavilled at him, ( Matthew 21:15,23).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 5-14 - Peter being filled with the Holy Ghost, would have all to understand that the miracle had been wrought by the name, or power, of Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, whom they had crucified; and this confirme their testimony to his resurrection from the dead, which proved him to be the Messiah. These rulers must either be saved by that Jesus who they had crucified, or they must perish for ever. The name of Jesus is given to men of every age and nation, as that whereby alone believer are saved from the wrath to come. But when covetousness, pride, or an corrupt passion, rules within, men shut their eyes, and close their hearts, in enmity against the light; considering all as ignorant an unlearned, who desire to know nothing in comparison with Chris crucified. And the followers of Christ should act so that all wh converse with them, may take knowledge that they have been with Jesus That makes them holy, heavenly, spiritual, and cheerful, and raise them above this world.
Greek Textus Receptus
θεωρουντες 2334 5723 V-PAP-NPM δε 1161 CONJ την 3588 T-ASF του 3588 T-GSM πετρου 4074 N-GSM παρρησιαν 3954 N-ASF και 2532 CONJ ιωαννου 2491 N-GSM και 2532 CONJ καταλαβομενοι 2638 5642 V-2AMP-NPM οτι 3754 CONJ ανθρωποι 444 N-NPM αγραμματοι 62 A-NPM εισιν 1526 5748 V-PXI-3P και 2532 CONJ ιδιωται 2399 N-NPM εθαυμαζον 2296 5707 V-IAI-3P επεγινωσκον 1921 5707 V-IAI-3P τε 5037 PRT αυτους 846 P-APM οτι 3754 CONJ συν 4862 PREP τω 3588 T-DSM ιησου 2424 N-DSM ησαν 2258 5713 V-IXI-3P
Vincent's NT Word Studies
13. Boldness. See on freely, ch. ii. 29.Perceived (katalabomenoi). The word, meaning originally to seize upon or lay hold of, occurs frequently in the New Testament in different phases of this original sense. Thus, to apprehend or grasp, Eph. iii. 18; Philip. iii. 12, 13; Rom. ix. 30: of seizure by a demon, Mark ix. 18: of something coming upon or overtaking, John xii. 35; 1 Thess. v. 4: of comprehending, grasping mentally, as here, Acts x. 34; xxv. 25.
Unlearned (agrammatoi). Or, very literally, unlettered. With special reference to Rabbinic culture, the absence of which was conspicuous in Peter's address.
Ignorant (idiwtai). Originally, one in a private station, as opposed to one in office or in public affairs. Therefore one without professional knowledge, a layman; thence, generally, ignorant, ill-informed; sometimes plebeian, common. In the absence of certainty it is as well to retain the meaning given by the A.V., perhaps with a slight emphasis on the want of professional knowledge. Compare 1 Cor. xiv. 16, 23, 24; 2 Corinthians xi. 6.
Took knowledge (epeginwskon). Or recognized. See on ch. iii. 10.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
4:13 {The boldness} (ten parresian). Telling it all (pan, resia). See also verses #29,31. Actually Peter had turned the table on the Sanhedrin and had arraigned them before the bar of God. {Had perceived} (katalabomenoi). Second aorist middle participle of katalambanw, common verb to grasp strongly (kata), literally or with the mind (especially middle voice), to comprehend. The rulers recalled Peter and John from having seen them often with Jesus, probably during the temple teaching, etc. {They were unlearned} (agrammatoi eisin). Present indicative retained in indirect discourse. Unlettered men without technical training in the professional rabbinical schools of Hillel or Shammai. Jesus himself was so regarded (#Joh 7:15, "not having learned letters"). {And ignorant} (kai idiwtai). Old word, only here in the N.T. and #1Co 14:24; 2Co 11:6. It does not mean "ignorant," but a layman, a man not in office (a private person), a common soldier and not an officer, a man not skilled in the schools, very much like agrammatos. It is from idios (one's own) and our "idiosyncracy" is one with an excess of such a trait, while "idiot" ( this very word) is one who has nothing but his idiosyncracy. Peter and John were men of ability and of courage, but they did not belong to the set of the rabbis. {They marvelled} (eqaumazon). Imperfect (inchoative) active, began to wonder and kept it up. {Took knowledge of them} (epeginwskon autous). Imperfect (inchoative) active again, they began to recognize them as men that they had seen with Jesus.
