Acts 3:6 (KJV)

What does Acts 3:6 mean?

Acts 3:6 describes Peter’s response to a man who had asked him for money. Peter has no silver or gold to give him. Instead, Peter tells the man to get up and walk, invoking Jesus Christ of Nazareth as he speaks.

The man had been unable to walk since birth and was brought daily to a temple gate to ask for money. Peter’s words turn the encounter from a request for a gift into a command to do something the man had never been able to do.

The Greek behind Acts 3:6

• “name” — ὄνομα (onoma): The word means “name,” but it can also carry the sense of the person represented by that name. Peter speaks in connection with Jesus, identifying him as the one behind the command.
• “Christ” — χριστός (christos): The word means “anointed one,” a person marked out by having oil placed on them. Here it identifies Jesus by a title, alongside the place name “of Nazareth.”

Why Acts 3:6 matters

• Peter presents the man’s ability to walk as connected to Jesus, not simply to Peter’s own power. Later, Peter asks the crowd why they look at him and John as though they had made the man walk by their own power or godliness (Acts 3:12).
• Peter’s command is followed by action. He takes the man by the right hand and lifts him up; the man’s feet and ankles become strong, and he begins to walk (Acts 3:7–8).
• The man’s response makes the event public. He enters the temple with Peter and John, walking, leaping, and praising God, while people recognize him as the man who had sat asking for money (Acts 3:8–10).