Gamaliel urged the council to keep away from the men and let them alone (Acts 5:38). He said that if the plan was of man it would fail, but if it was of God they would not be able to overthrow it (Acts 5:38–39).
In Acts 5:33–40, the council reacts in anger and moves toward killing the apostles, but Gamaliel interrupts and urges restraint. He points to earlier leaders whose movements collapsed after their deaths, suggesting that time will expose whether this new movement is merely human. This scene continues the conflict between the apostles’ public teaching and Jerusalem’s leadership. Immediately before, the apostles have been questioned and have insisted they must obey God rather than human commands (see Acts 5:29), and the council’s response is escalating hostility.
Acts 5:33–40 shows a leadership crisis that nearly turns lethal. The council reacts with intense anger and is ready to kill the apostles (explicit). A respected law teacher, Gamaliel, interrupts the momentum, removes the apostles for a private discussion, and urges careful restraint (explicit).
A careful answer keeps the immediate passage, the book's argument, and the whole-Bible storyline together, so the question is answered in context instead of as a detached idea.
Start with Acts 5:38, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
38Now I tell you, refrain from these men, and leave them alone. For if this counsel or this work is of men, it will be overthrown.