4:16a

“What shall we do with these men?” they asked: The Greek words are literally “saying, ‘What should we do with these men?’” The word “saying” introduces some of the things they conferred/discussed (4:15b). For example, the Contemporary English Version omits this word to indicate the connection to 4:15b:

“What can we do with these men? (Contemporary English Version)

Some languages must use a “say” verb to introduce what was said. But the Berean Standard Bible placed the phrase they asked in the middle of the spoken words. Place it where it would be most natural in your language. For example:

They said, “What shall we do with these men? (New Century Version)

In this quote (4:16–17), the first sentence in the quote is a question, but the rest of the quote are statements. In some languages it is better to use “say” here rather than “ask.”

What shall we do with these men?: This is a rhetorical question. It expresses uncertainty and frustration. The members of the Sanhedrin were uncertain about what to do with Peter and John. They were also frustrated. They wanted to punish Peter and John but were afraid to, because punishing them would make the people of Jerusalem angry with them.

There are several ways to translate this meaning:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

What are we going to do with these men? (New International Version)
-or-
What shall we decide to do with these ⌊two⌋ men?

• As a statement. For example:

We have to decide what we are going to do with these men!

• Make the implied meaning explicit. For example:

⌊being frustrated,⌋ said, What shall we do with these men?
-or-
said ⌊in frustration⌋, “We have to decide what we are going to do with these men!

Some languages have ways of indicating frustration. If your language has such a way that can easily be expressed in writing, this would be a place where you could use it.

4:16b

In Greek, 4:16b starts with the conjunction that is usually translated as “for.” It introduces an explanation for why the leaders do not know what to do (4:16a). For example:

For (Revised Standard Version)

It is clear to everyone living in Jerusalem that a remarkable miracle has occurred through them: In Greek this clause is literally “for that a remarkable sign has happened through them is clear to all those who live in Jerusalem.” It indicates that everyone in Jerusalem knew about this sign. The words through them imply that God did the sign/miracle because Peter and John asked him to do so. Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

for it is clear to all of the people living in Jerusalem that a remarkable sign has happened through those two
-or-
a remarkable sign has occurred through them and everyone living in Jerusalem knows about it

remarkable: The Greek word here refers to something worthy of paying attention to. For example:

outstanding (New International Version)
-or-
notable (Revised Standard Version)

miracle: In Greek this phrase is literally “sign.” Here it refers to a miracle that has a symbolic meaning. The healing of the lame man suggests that what Peter and John said about Jesus was true. Some languages can use “sign” with that meaning. Some languages must make explicit that it is a miracle. For example:

miraculous sign (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
a sign which is an amazing thing
-or-
a miracle that is a sign

See how you translated the word “sign” in 2:19a.

them: The pronoun them refers here to Peter and John.

4:16c

we cannot deny it: This clause indicates that the leaders could not honestly tell anyone that the miracle had not happened. They also could not deny that Peter and John had done the miracle, because too many people knew what happened. Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

we cannot say that it didn’t happen
-or-
we cannot say that it is only a lie

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