Acts 3:15
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You killed the Author of life, but God raised Him from the dead, and we are witnesses of the fact.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
killed the Prince of life--Glorious paradox, but how piercing to the conscience of the auditors.
Open source ↗In this chapter we have a miracle and a sermon: the miracle wrought to make way for the sermon, to confirm the doctrine that was to be preached, and to make way for it into the minds of the people; and then the sermon to explain the miracle, and to sow the ground which by it was broken up. I. The miracle was the healing of a man that was lame from his birth, with a word speaking (Act 3:1-8), and the impression which this made upon the people (Act 3:9-11). II. The scope of the sermon which was preached hereupon was to bring people to Christ, to repent of their sin in crucifying him (Act 3:12-19), to believe in him now that he was glorified, and to comply with the Father's design in glorifying him (Act 3:20-26). The former part of the discourse opens the wound, the latter applies the remedy.
Open source ↗3:15 It was unfathomable to the Jewish mind that the author of life, God himself, could be killed. They did not recognize Jesus as Messiah (cp. 13:27; Luke 23:34), and they did not realize that the Messiah would be divine (see John 1:1-18; cp. Dan 7:13-14).
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
Other passages the community most often connects to this one. Tap to read.
But God raised Him from the dead, releasing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for Him to be held in its clutches.
God has raised this Jesus to life, to which we are all witnesses.
And He told me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life.
For as the Father has life in Himself, so also He has granted the Son to have life in Himself.
In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting for God, for whom and through whom all things exist, to make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.
So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being;” the last Adam a life-giving spirit.
In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.
Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God and who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true—in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
And having been made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him