Acts 4:10 tells us that a man who had been lame now stands healthy before the crowd, and Peter says this happened through the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. The verse is Peter’s public explanation to the religious leaders about why a crippled beggar can walk. Peter speaks to the rulers and elders of Israel, and he speaks on behalf of all the people gathered there.
Be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, in him does this man stand here before you whole.
Acts 4:10 (WEB)
What Acts 4:10 Means
Peter opens by making sure his listeners understand clearly: “be it known to you all.” He is not hinting or speaking in riddles. He wants every person in that room to know the source of the healing. The phrase “in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth” points to authority and identity. In the Bible, a name often stands for the person’s character and power, so Peter is saying the healing came through the living Jesus, not through Peter’s own strength or holiness.
The verse then links that name to the events of the crucifixion and resurrection. Peter reminds the leaders that they were responsible for Jesus’s death, and that God reversed their verdict by raising him up. The man’s healing is presented as a sign that the one they rejected is alive and active. Peter ends by saying the man “stands here before you whole,” so the evidence is standing right in front of them.
The verse does not promise that every prayer in Jesus’s name will bring physical healing, nor does it describe a formula that guarantees results. What it does show is the early church’s conviction that Jesus is the source of power and that his resurrection gives his followers confidence to speak and act boldly. The focus is on who Jesus is and what God has done through him.
The Context of Acts 4:10
Acts was written by Luke, who also wrote the Gospel bearing his name, and it records the early growth of the church after Jesus’s ascension. The book is addressed to readers who wanted an account of how the good news spread from Jerusalem outward. In this chapter, Peter and John have just healed the beggar at the temple gate and are now being questioned by the Sanhedrin, the council that had tried Jesus.
The verses just before Acts 4:10 describe the council asking, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?” Peter’s answer in verse 10 directly responds to that question. The verses that follow, including verse 12 with its claim that salvation is found in no other name, widen the point from one healing to the central message of the gospel. Reading verse 10 within this exchange shows that it is a courtroom-style defense, and that Peter is turning the question back on the leaders who had condemned Jesus.
Key Phrases in Acts 4:10
Acts 4:12
There is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved!”
(WEB)
This verse follows directly after Peter’s statement and widens the claim from one healing to the whole message of salvation. Reading it alongside verse 10 shows that the name of Jesus is not only the source of a miracle but the only name through which people are saved.
Acts 3:16
By faith in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which is through him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
(WEB)
Earlier in the same story, Peter explains the healing of the lame man at the temple gate by pointing to faith in Jesus’s name. Reading this verse helps you see that Acts 4:10 continues a pattern in which the apostles consistently credit Jesus rather than themselves.
A Short Prayer From Acts 4:10
Lord Jesus, I thank you that your name still holds power and authority over every part of my life. Help me to speak of you with honesty and courage, not hiding what you have done or pretending I have strength of my own. When I face questions, fears, or hard situations, remind me that you were raised from the dead and that you are alive and at work today. Let my trust rest in you, and let others see your goodness in the way I live. Amen.
