Acts 4:10 says that a man standing whole before the Jewish leaders was healed by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and the apostle Peter is the one making that claim. He speaks boldly to the rulers, elders and people of Israel in Jerusalem, the very leaders who had handed Jesus over to be crucified. The verse is Peter’s answer to a direct question about how a lame beggar had been made well.
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 begins by telling his listeners that this is something they all need to know, so he is addressing the whole council and the wider crowd at once. The phrase “in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth” points to authority and identity: in the ancient world, a name carried the person’s character and power, so acting “in the name of” someone meant acting by their authority. Peter is saying the healing did not come from his own strength or piety, and he names the one who did it.
The verse then sets two facts side by side: “whom you crucified” and “whom God raised from the dead.” Peter does not soften the charge against his audience, and he places God’s verdict beside their verdict. The sentence ends with the man “stand here before you whole,” which is the visible evidence that Peter points to. The verse does not promise that every prayer will bring physical healing, and it is describing one specific event that the whole city could see.
The Context of Acts 4:10
The book of Acts was written by Luke, who also wrote the Gospel bearing his name, and it is addressed to a reader named Theophilus. It records how the good news about Jesus spread from Jerusalem outward. Chapter 4 follows directly after the healing of the crippled man at the temple gate in Acts 3, and Peter and John have been arrested for preaching about the resurrection. They now stand before the same council that condemned Jesus.
Read in that setting, Acts 4:10 is not a polite testimony but a courtroom defense that turns the accusation around. The leaders ask by what power the healing was done, and Peter answers with the one name they had tried to erase. The verses that follow, including the reference to the rejected stone, show that Peter sees the crucifixion and resurrection as the center of God’s plan rather than a failure.
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 speech and states that salvation is found in no other name. It gives the broader conclusion that Peter draws from the healing he has just described.
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)
Peter says here that faith in the name of Jesus produced the healing of the lame man at the temple. It is the earlier moment in the same story and shows the same pattern of crediting the name.
A Short Prayer From Acts 4:10
Lord Jesus, you are the name above every name, and the one that stood before rulers and elders without fear. Give me the same clarity to say honestly where my good things come from. When I am tempted to keep quiet about you, remind me that you were crucified and raised, and that this is the truth the world most needs to hear. Let my life point people to you, the risen Christ who makes whole what was broken. Amen.
