Acts 4:20
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

we cannot.

Acts 2:4,32 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost: and they began to speak with divers tongues, according as the Holy Ghost gave them to speak. . . .

Acts 17:16,17 Now whilst Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred within him, seeing the city wholly given to idolatry. . . .

Acts 18:5 And when Silas and Timothy were come from Macedonia, Paul was earnest in preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ.

Numbers 22:38 He answered him: Lo, here I am: shall I have power to speak any other thing but that which God shall put in my mouth?

Numbers 23:20 I was brought to bless, the blessing I am not able to hinder.

2 Samuel 23:2 The spirit of the Lord hath spoken by me and his word by my tongue.

Job 32:18-20 For I am full of matter to speak of, and the spirit of my bowels straiteneth me. . . .

Jeremiah 1:7,17-19 And the Lord said to me: Say not: I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee: and whatsoever I shall command thee, thou shalt speak. . . .

Jeremiah 4:19 My bowels, my bowels are in part, the senses of my heart are troubled within me, I will not hold my peace, for my soul hath heard the sound of the trumpet, the cry of battle.

Jeremiah 6:11 Therefore am I full of the fury of the Lord, I am weary with holding in: pour it out upon the child abroad, and upon the council of the young men together: for man and woman shall be taken, the ancient and he that is full of days.

Jeremiah 20:9 Then I said: I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name: and there came in my heart as a burning fire, shut up in my bones, and I was wearied, not being able to bear it.

Ezekiel 3:11,14-21 And go get thee in to them of the captivity, to the children of thy people, and thou shalt speak to them, and shalt say to them: Thus saith the Lord: If so be they will hear, and will forbear. . . .

Micah 3:8 And they shall be confounded that see visions, and the diviners shall be confounded: and they shall all cover their faces, because there is no answer of God.

1 Corinthians 9:16,17 For if I preach the gospel, it is no glory to me: for a necessity lieth upon me. For woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel. . . .

the things.

Acts 1:8,22 But you shall receive the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the uttermost part of the earth. . . .

Acts 3:15 But the author of life you killed, whom God hath raised from the dead: of which we are witnesses.

Acts 5:32 And we are witnesses of these things: and the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to all that obey him.

Acts 10:39-41 And we are witnesses of all things that he did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem: whom they killed, hanging him upon a tree. . . .

Acts 22:15 For thou shalt be his witness to all men of those things which thou hast seen and heard.

Luke 1:2 According as they have delivered them unto us, who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word:

Hebrews 2:3,4 How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? Which, having begun to be declared by the Lord, was confirmed unto us by them that heard him. . . .

1 John 1:1-3 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have handled, of the word of life. . . .

Context
The Name Forbidden
19But Peter and John answering, said to them: If it be just, in the sight of God, to hear you rather than God, judge ye. 20For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. 21But they, threatening, sent them away, not finding how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified what had been done, in that which had come to pass.…
Cross References
Jeremiah 20:9
Then I said: I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name: and there came in my heart as a burning fire, shut up in my bones, and I was wearied, not being able to bear it.

Amos 3:8
The lion shall roar, who will not fear? The Lord God hath spoken, who shall not prophesy?

1 Corinthians 9:16
For if I preach the gospel, it is no glory to me: for a necessity lieth upon me. For woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel.

1 John 1:1
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have handled, of the word of life.

1 John 1:3
That which we have seen and have heard, we declare unto you: that you also may have fellowship with us and our fellowship may be with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

Lexicon
For
γὰρ (gar)
Conjunction
Strong's Greek 1063: For. A primary particle; properly, assigning a reason.

we
ἡμεῖς (hēmeis)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 1st Person Plural
Strong's Greek 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

cannot
δυνάμεθα (dynametha)
Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 1st Person Plural
Strong's Greek 1410: (a) I am powerful, have (the) power, (b) I am able, I can. Of uncertain affinity; to be able or possible.

stop
μὴ (mē)
Adverb
Strong's Greek 3361: Not, lest. A primary particle of qualified negation; not, lest; also (whereas ou expects an affirmative one) whether.

speaking about
λαλεῖν (lalein)
Verb - Present Infinitive Active
Strong's Greek 2980: A prolonged form of an otherwise obsolete verb; to talk, i.e. Utter words.

what
(ha)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's Greek 3739: Who, which, what, that.

we have seen
εἴδαμεν (eidamen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural
Strong's Greek 3708: Properly, to stare at, i.e. to discern clearly; by extension, to attend to; by Hebraism, to experience; passively, to appear.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's Greek 2532: And, even, also, namely.

heard.”
ἠκούσαμεν (ēkousamen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural
Strong's Greek 191: To hear, listen, comprehend by hearing; pass: is heard, reported. A primary verb; to hear.


Additional Translations
For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

For we are not able to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard."

For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

for we cannot but speak the things which we saw and heard.

for as for us we cannot refrain from speaking of the things which we have seen and heard.

for we cannot but speak the things which we saw and heard.

For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

As for us, what we have seen and heard we cannot help speaking about."

for we can't help telling the things which we saw and heard."

for we cannot but speak what we did see and hear.'
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