Acts 3:15 Meaning and Explanation
“And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →They killed the Prince of life — but God raised him from the dead, and the apostles are witnesses of it.
What Does Acts 3:15 Mean?
Peter sharpens the paradox to its finest point: you killed the Prince of life. Death was inflicted on the very Author of living — and failed. God raised him, overturning the gravest act human hands have done, and Peter and John stand in the temple as eyewitnesses of the risen Lord (Acts 1:22).
Everything the church says rests on that last clause: 'whereof we are witnesses.' The gospel is not advice but news — something happened, and people saw him alive. And the title is as much comfort as accusation: life has a Prince, an Author who holds it and gives it. If the worst deed in history could not keep him in the grave, then no grave he stands beside is beyond his reach.
Acts 3:15 in the Original Language
archegos (ἀρχηγός), 'Prince' -- author, founder, pioneer; the one in whom a thing begins and who leads the way into it.
Frequently Asked Questions About Acts 3:15
What does Acts 3:15 mean?
They killed the Prince of life — but God raised him from the dead, and the apostles are witnesses of it.