But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,
The council ordered Peter and John out so they would not hear what follows, eager to hide their shame. But their private schemes are recorded here for all time. If these rulers had bowed to the power of truth, they would have made the apostles their teachers; instead, men who refuse conviction will always find themselves at a loss what to do.
AI summary
Commenting on Acts 4:15-22
The sanhedrin ordered the apostles out of the chamber so they could deliberate privately on what to do. Whether they met in the chamber Gazith or in the shops is uncertain from Scripture, though the rabbinic sources place their removal to the shops about forty years before the temple's destruction, around this very time.
AI summary
They could not deny the miracle, the people believed it happened. So their real aim was to silence the apostles before they convinced the nation Jesus was the Messiah. Fear of the crowd kept them from execution, so they settled on threats, supposing mere authority over ignorant Galileans would suffice.
AI summary