Actschapter 5
42 verses · Luke · about AD 62 · Acts
Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and withhold some of the proceeds from the land?
Introduction
Luke, Acts, Acts Overview.
Luke wrote this chapter for Theophilus, and he tells its hardest story without softening it. The church that shared its goods in the last chapter now faces a lie told inside its own walls. The rest of the chapter turns outward again to crowds, prisons and the council. Listen for the fear that falls on everyone who hears what happened. Notice the advice of the respected teacher who speaks for caution in the council. The chapter ends with the apostles going home glad, and the reason for their gladness is worth weighing.
Context
- Who
- Theophilus and Gentile readers, shown that the movement policed itself before Rome ever bothered with it.
- What
- The deaths of Ananias and Sapphira, the signs done by the apostles, their arrest and release, and their trial before the Sanhedrin.
- Where
- Jerusalem, in a gathering of believers, in Solomon's Colonnade, in the public jail and in the council chamber.
- When
- The early years of the Jerusalem church, about AD 30 to 34.
- Why
- To show that the Spirit in the church is holy and that no threat from the rulers could stop the apostles' preaching.
Historical context
The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was not keeping money. Peter says plainly that the field was theirs to sell and the money theirs to keep. What they bought with the lie was reputation, in an honour-and-shame society, the public standing of a great giver, at a discount.
Show the rest of the historical context, 3 more paragraphs
Burial happened fast in that climate, usually the same day, and by law and custom the men of the community carried it out. That is why the young men wrap the body and go straight out to a tomb without waiting for the widow.
Gamaliel was the most respected Pharisee teacher of the generation, and Paul later claims to have studied under him. His argument leans on two failed uprisings, Theudas and Judas the Galilean, that everyone in the room remembered; Josephus records both movements and their collapse.
The flogging that ends the chapter was synagogue discipline, the beating limited by the Law to forty strokes and given as thirty-nine so no one could miscount. It was legal, painful, and shaming.
Significance
For the first hearers, this chapter said the Spirit at work in the church was not a warm feeling but a holy presence. A community that shared everything could only survive if honesty inside it was absolute.
Show the rest of the significance, 1 more paragraph
The second half told them what to expect from the authorities: arrest, warning, beating, and rejoicing anyway. The apostles walked out counting the shame as honour and went straight back to teaching.
The heads below are this chapter's scenes. The numbered points under each are its verses.
Ananias and Sapphira Lie to the Holy Spirit
Acts 5:1-2
a man named Ananias: Ananias and Sapphira sell property as Barnabas did at 4:37, yet keep back some of the proceeds while presenting part as the whole. Nothing required any believer to sell or to give all the proceeds (5:4), so the offense is the pretense.
Acts 5:1
“But a certain man named Ananias,.... A name common among the Jews, the same with Hananiah, Jer 28:1 it signifies not the humility of the Lord, or the affliction of the Lord, or the answer of the Lord, as say some, as if it was derived from ענה; but the grace of the Lord, or the Lord's gracious one, coming from חנן: there is no dependence on names; though this man's name signified one that was in the grace and favour of God; he was not so, but a graceless person, as appears by what follows.”
3 more voices on this verseWhat preachers and commentators have said about this verse, in their own words.
Acts 5:1
“But a certain man - In the previous chapter the historian had given an account of the eminent liberality and sincerity of the mass of early Christians, in being willing to give up their property to provide for the poor, and had mentioned the case of Barnabas as worthy of special attention. In this chapter he proceeds to mention a case, quite as striking, of insincerity, and hypocrisy, and of the just judgment of God on those who were guilty of it.”
Acts 5:1
“For they both raised the dead, which God alone (can do), and restored the debilitated to their integrity, which none but Christ (can do); nay, they inflicted plagues too, which Christ would not do. For it did not beseem Him to be severe who had come to suffer. Smitten were both Ananias and Elymas -Ananias with death, Elymas with blindness-in order that by this very fact it might be proved that Christ had had the power of doing even such (miracles).”
Tertullian · written before 220 · On Modestypatristic
Acts 5:1
“But a certain man named Ananias - It is certain, not a believer, for all that believed were of one heart and of one soul: probably not baptized; but intending now to offer himself for baptism.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
he kept back some of the proceeds: Barnes notes that the verb for kept back is used in Titus 2:10 for pilfering, a secret skimming of what was professed as given. Erasmus reads the plan as buying a name for piety while keeping a reserve. Matthew Henry places the sin in pretending it was their all.
Acts 5:2
“Kept back part of the price - Ananias and Sapphira were evidently persons who professed faith in Christ with the rest of the disciples. While all were making sacrifices for the present necessity, they came forward among the rest, pretending to bring all the money they had got for a possession, κτημα, (of what kind we know not), which they had sold.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Acts 5:3-4
Peter says Satan filled Ananias's heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, then says he lied to God. Lying to the Holy Spirit is lying to God, a witness to the Spirit's deity.
Acts 5:3
“But Peter said, Ananias,.... Peter, by divine revelation, or by a spirit of discerning, such as Elisha had, who knew what his servant Gehazi had done, knowing what a reserve Ananias had made, calls him by his name, and says to him, why hath Satan filled thine heart? or emboldened thee, given thee so much spirit and courage to act in such an impudent and audacious manner; so the phrase is used in Est 7:5 see the Septuagint there, and often in Talmudic writings. "Says R.”
3 more voices on this verse
Acts 5:3
“For having made a vow they offered their money to God as if it were their own and not his to whom they had vowed it; and keeping back for their own use a part of that which belonged to another, through fear of famine which true faith never fears, they drew down on themselves suddenly the avenging stroke, which was meant not in cruelty toward them but as a warning to others. In fact, the apostle Peter by no means called down death upon them, as Porphyry foolishly says.”
Jerome · written before 420 · LETTER 130.14patristic
Acts 5:3
“Satan is a lying spirit; he was so in the mouth of Ahab's prophets, and so he was in the mouth of Ananias, and by this made it appear that he filled his heart. The sin itself: He lied to the Holy Ghost; a sin of such a heinous nature that he could not have been guilty of it if Satan had not filled his heart.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Acts 5:3
“To lie to the Holy Ghost - Who is in us. And to keep back - Here was the first instance of it. This was the first attempt to bring propriety of goods into the Christian Church.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
You have not lied to men: Barnes draws from Peter's questions that no one was required to sell property or to give the money once it was sold. Bede observes that Peter first says Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit, then says he lied to God. Bede and Ambrose conclude that the Spirit is God.
Acts 5:4
"Thou hast not lied unto men but unto God": First, we understand that he called the Holy Spirit the Spirit of the Lord. Then, since he mentioned first the Holy Spirit and added: "Thou hast not lied unto men but unto God," you must necessarily either understand the oneness of the Godhead in the Holy Spirit, since when the Holy Spirit is tempted a lie is told to God; or, if you endeavour to exclude the oneness of the Godhead, you yourself according to the words of Scripture certainly believe Him to be God.
Ambrose of Milan · written before 397 · On the Holy Spirit, Book 3patristic
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 5:4
“Whiles it remained - As long as it remained unsold. This place proves that there was no “obligation” imposed on the disciples to sell their property. They who did it, did it voluntarily; and it does not appear that it was done by all, or expected to be done by all. And after it was sold ... - Even after the property was sold, and Ananias had the money, still there was no obligation on him to devote it in this way. He had the disposal of it still.”
Acts 5:5-6
Ananias fell down and died: on hearing Peter's words, a judgment immediate and severe. It falls at the hour pretense first entered the fellowship, and great fear came over all who heard.
Acts 5:5
“Then Ananias, upon hearing these words, fell down and expired: One must understand here as well, because it is the beginning of the teaching, and these people dared very much in trying to test the Holy Spirit. And their punishment has become a great aid for the other brethren. For they were educated and taught that one must not dare things against the Holy Spirit nor try to test it.”
Ambrose of Milan · written before 397 · Commentary (church-history corpus)patristic
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 5:5
“He died upon the spot: Ananias, hearing these words, was speechless, in the same sense that he was who was charged with intruding into the wedding feast without a wedding garment: he had nothing to say for himself; but this was not all: he was struck speechless with a witness, for he was struck dead: He fell down, and gave up the ghost.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Acts 5:5
“And Ananias fell down and expired - And this severity was not only just, considering that complication of vain glory, covetousness, fraud, and impiety, which this action contained: but it was also wise and gracious, as it would effectually deter any others from following his example.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
wrapped up his body: Clarke says the burial took place the same day, for the death was a plain judgment of God and there was no reason to wait. Gill notes that Jewish burial grounds lay outside the city, so the young men carried him there. They were younger members of the church.
Acts 5:6
“And the young men arose,.... The younger brethren of the church, who were robust, and strong, and fit for the following service: these rose up from their seats at once, not willing that such an awful spectacle should lie long before them: and wound him up; in linen clothes, as was the manner of the Jews: and carried him out: of the house where they were, and out of the city; for the burying places of the Jews were without the city: and buried him; which was all done in a very short time, as appears by what follows.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 5:6
“The young men arose - Some of the stout young men belonging to the disciples then present, who were the fittest to undertake a work of this kind, which required considerable bodily exertion. Buried him - This was on the same day in which he died. It was a clear case that he was dead, and dead by a judgment of God that would not be revoked. As therefore it was no case of suspended animation, there was no reason to delay the burial.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Acts 5:7-10
his wife also came in: Peter asks Sapphira, unaware of what had happened, whether this was the price, so her answer is her own. She repeats the lie, and Peter names the deeper offense of agreeing to test the Spirit of the Lord.
Acts 5:7
“And it was about the space ... - As Sapphira had been no less guilty than her husband, so it was ordered in the providence of God that the same judgment should tome upon both.”
Chrysostom and Theophylact see mercy in the question, since Peter wanted to save her and gave her time to confess. Barnes notes that her answer was true as far as it went, because that sum had been received. A true statement meant to mislead is still a lie.
Acts 5:8
“And Peter answered unto her,.... Who might be inquiring for her husband; though such a way of speaking was common with the Jews, when nothing goes before to which the answer is made; of which there are frequent instances in the sacred writings: tell me whether ye sold the land for so much; naming the sum of money which Ananias had brought; though the historian does not mention it.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 5:8
“For so much - That is, for the sum which Ananias had presented. This was true, that this sum had been received for it; but it was also true that a larger sum had been received. It is as really a falsehood to deceive in this manner, as it would have been to have affirmed that they received much “more” than they actually did for the land. Falsehood consists in making an erroneous representation of a thing in any way for the purpose of deceiving.”
Barnes explains that to test the Spirit meant to see whether he could detect their hypocrisy, and that agreeing together shows Sapphira shared the plan. Clarke finds the Holy Spirit, God and the Spirit of the Lord to be one person across these verses.
Acts 5:9
“Agreed together - Conspired, or laid a plan. From this it seems that Sapphira was as guilty as her husband, To tempt - To try; to endeavor to impose on, or to deceive; that is, to act as if the Spirit of the Lord could not detect the crime. They did this by trying to see whether the Spirit of God could detect hypocrisy. At the door - Are near at hand. They had not yet returned.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 5:9
“As there are those whom the gospel justifies, so there are those whom it condemns. This punishment of Ananias may seem severe, but we are sure it was just. (1.) It was designed to maintain the honour of the Holy Ghost as now lately poured out upon the apostles, in order to the setting up of the gospel kingdom.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
buried her beside her husband: Theophylact explains that she stood near Peter so that she could confess without shame before others, and so she fell at his feet. Clarke attributes both deaths to an immediate judgment of God. He adds that many hope their souls still found mercy.
Acts 5:10
“Yielded up the ghost - See Act 5:5. It was not by Peter’s words, nor through Peter’s prayers, nor through shame, nor through remorse, that this guilty pair died, but by an immediate judgment of God. The question of the salvation of Ananias and Sapphira has not been a little agitated; and most seem inclined to hope that, though their sin was punished by this awful display of the Divine judgment, mercy was extended to their souls.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 5:10
“The Church - This is the first time it is mentioned: and here is a native specimen of a New Testament Church; which is a company of men, called by the Gospel, grafted into Christ by baptism, animated by love, united by all kind of fellowship, and disciplined by the death of Ananias and Sapphira.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Acts 5:10
“And many instances there are of sudden deaths which are not to be looked upon as the punishment of some gross sin, like this. We must not think that all who die suddenly are sinners above others; perhaps it is in favour to them, that they have a quick passage: however, it is forewarning to all to be always ready. But here it is plain that it was in judgment.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
great fear came over: the whole church, the first place in Acts where the word church names the whole gathered body of believers. The fear recalls Israel's fear at Sinai, fear before a holy God present among His people.
Acts 5:11
“And great fear came upon all the church, &c.--This effect on the Christian community itself was the chief design of so startling a judgment; which had its counterpart, as the sin itself had, in Achan (Jos 7:1-26), while the time--at the commencement of a new career--was similar.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 5:11
“Ananias and Sapphira were punished, but this served for the benefit of others. Before, although there were signs, there was no such fear. Therefore it is true that the Lord is known by the judgments He executes.”
Theophylact of Ohrid · written before 1107 · Commentary on Actspatristic
Healed by Peter's Passing Shadow
Acts 5:12-14
The apostles performed many signs: The people regarded the believers highly, yet no one else dared to join them, the fear of verse 11 spreading outward. Growth is still counted in believers, large numbers of both men and women.
Acts 5:12
“And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought,.... That is, by their means, or by them as instruments, or through the imposition of their hands on persons, many miraculous and wonderful cures, as well as other extraordinary actions, were performed: among the people; the common people, who attended in great numbers on their ministry, when the chief men and rulers of the nation despised them.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 5:12
“By the hands of the apostles - This verse should be read with the 15th, to which it properly belongs. Solomon’s porch - See the note on Joh 10:23.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
no one else dared to join them: Commentators differ on who the rest were. Lightfoot, cited by Barnes and Clarke, meant the other disciples, who feared to rank themselves with the apostles. Barnes prefers Kuinoel's view that outsiders were deterred by the fate of Ananias, while Clarke follows Calmet, who meant the Jewish sects.
Acts 5:13
“And of the rest - Different interpretations have been given of this expression. Lightfoot supposes that by “the rest” are meant the remainder of the 120 disciples of whom Ananias had been one; and that they feared to put themselves on an equality with the apostles. But this interpretation seems to be far-fetched. Kuinoel supposes that by “the rest” are meant those who had not already joined with the apostles, whether Christians or Jews, and that they were deterred by the fate of Ananias.”
both men and women: Chrysostom notes that Luke stops counting here, for the believers had become a great multitude. Gill observes that the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira led to more additions to the church. Matthew Henry notes the attention given to women believers.
Acts 5:14
“And believers were the more added to the Lord,.... That is, to the church, as in Act 2:47 over which Christ was Lord and head; for they were added to the Lord before, by believing in him, when they gave up themselves to him, to be saved by him; and now to the apostles, and the church by the will of God; and this case of Ananias and Sapphira was so far from hindering persons from coming into the church, that there were greater additions made to it than before, even of such as were true believers in Christ.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 5:14
“But, as among those that followed Christ while he was upon earth, so among those that believed on him after he went to heaven, great notice was taken of the good women.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Acts 5:15-16
people brought the sick: The sick are laid in the streets for Peter's shadow to fall on them, and all brought from the towns around Jerusalem were healed. The healing is the Lord's, as at the temple gate, where Peter healed in the name of Jesus (3:6).
Acts 5:15
“Insomuch - So that. This should be connected with Act 5:12. Many miracles were performed by the apostles, “insomuch, etc.” They brought forth - The people, or the friends of the sick, brought them forth. Beds - κλινῶν klinōn. This word denotes usually the “soft” and “valuable” beds on which the rich commonly lay. And it means that the rich, as well as the poor, were laid in the path of Peter and the other apostles. Couches - κραββάτων krabatōn.”
tormented by unclean spirits: Clarke notes that Luke lists the sick apart from those troubled by unclean spirits, as the Gospels also do. Barnes adds that the crowds came drawn by Peter's miracles as they once came to Jesus, and that every one was healed. Chrysostom sees their life woven of sorrow and joy.
Acts 5:16
“Sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits - Here it is evident that sick people are distinguished from those who were vexed with unclean spirits; and therefore they were not one and the same thing. The same distinction is made Mat 4:24; Mat 10:1; Mar 1:32, Mar 1:34; Mar 16:17, Mar 16:18; and Luk 4:40, Luk 4:41; Luk 7:21.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Prison Doors Opened by an Angel at Night
Acts 5:17-18
the party of the Sadducees: Luke names the high priest's party as the Sadducees, who denied the resurrection of the dead. A risen man preached in the temple courts struck at their teaching, a motive sharper than jealousy of popularity.
Acts 5:17
“The high priest - and the sect of the Sadducees - A goodly company for the priest! He, and these deniers of any angel or resurrection, were filled with zeal - Angry, bitter, persecuting zeal.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
put them in the public jail: Barnes and Gill explain that the public jail held common offenders, so the arrest meant both security and disgrace. Clarke notes that the Codex Bezae adds a line here saying each went to his own house. The hour was too late for a hearing.
Acts 5:18
“And laid their hands on the apostles,.... That is, laid hold on them, and took them, and carried them away; at least their servants did so, by their orders: and put them in the common prison; where malefactors were put; and this both for greater security, and for greater disgrace.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 5:18
“Put them in the common prison - It being too late in the evening to bring them to a hearing. To this verse the Codex Bezae adds, και επορευθη εἱς ἑκαστος εις τα ιδια, And each of them went to his own house.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Acts 5:19-21
an angel of the Lord: opened the jail doors in the night and sent the apostles back to the temple courts. The phrase the full message of this new life names the whole gospel. At daybreak the apostles obey, teaching in the courts where they had been arrested.
Acts 5:19
“THE second persecution of the Church, in which all the Apostles were put into the common prison, was mainly brought about by the sect of the Sadducees. These, as you know, were the Broad School, the liberals, the advanced thinkers, the modern-thought people of the day. If you want a bitter sneer, a biting sarcasm, or a cruel action, I commend you to these large-minded gentlemen. They are liberal to everybody, except to those who hold the Truth of God—and for those they have a reserve of concentrated bitterness which far excels wormwood and gall.”
Barnes notes that the temple was the most public place, so preaching there showed boldness and proof that God had freed them. Clarke reads this life as another name for the gospel of eternal life through Christ's death and resurrection. Matthew Henry includes the promises for the present life.
Acts 5:20
“All the words of this life - All the doctrines of life eternal, founded on the word, death, and resurrection of Christ Jesus. This is another periphrasis for Gospel. Go to the temple - the most public place, and speak to the people - who come there to worship according to the law, the words of this life - the whole doctrine of salvation from sin and death; and show that the law is fulfilled in the sacrifice of Jesus, and that, by his resurrection, he has brought life and immortality to light.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Matthew Henry notes that the apostles obeyed at once, while the council, sure of its prisoners, summoned an extraordinary full assembly. Barnes thinks the elders named here were men of age outside the Sanhedrin, and Clarke calls their exact place unknown. The court convened for prisoners already gone.
Acts 5:21
“Early in the morning - Greek: at the break of day. Compare Luk 24:1; Joh 8:2. Called the council together - The Sanhedrin, or the Great Council of the nation. This was clearly for the purpose of “trying” the apostles for disregarding their commandments. And all the senate - Greek: “eldership.” Probably these were not a part of the Sanhedrin, but were people of age and experience, who in Act 4:8; Act 25:15, are called “elders of the Jews,” and who were present for the sake of counsel Canal advice in a case of emergency.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 5:21
“They, supposing they had the apostles sure enough, called the council together, a great and extraordinary council, for they summoned all the senate of the children of Israel. How they were prepared, and how big with expectation, to crush the gospel of Christ and the preachers of it, for they raised the whole posse.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Acts 5:22-26
did not find them there: The officers find the jail securely locked with the guards at the doors, yet no one inside. The captain brings the apostles back without force, for fear the people would stone them, the crowd's favor now a shield.
Acts 5:22
“But when the officers came,.... The Arabic version adds, "to it"; that is, to the prison; and found them not in the prison.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 5:22
“It is well ordered that the information was not brought to them at once, but they are first utterly at a loss what to think, that when they have considered it well and seen that there is a Divine Power in the case, then they may learn the whole state of the case.”
John Chrysostom · written before 407 · Homily on Acts 13patristic
the jail securely locked: Barnes notes that the doors were unbroken and the guards still watching, so only God could have freed the apostles. Chrysostom compares this double security with the seal and the watch at Jesus' tomb. Matthew Henry calls the release a picture of Christ's resurrection.
Acts 5:23
“Found we shut - It had not been broken open; and there was therefore clear proof that they had been delivered by the interposition of God. Nor could they have been released by the guard, for they were keeping watch, as if unconscious that anything had happened, and the officers had the only means of entering the prison.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 5:23
“Note, There is no prison so dark, so strong, but God can both visit his people in it, and, if he pleased, fetch them out of it. This discharge of the apostles out of prison by an angel was a resemblance of Christ's resurrection, and his discharge out of the prison of the grave, and would help to confirm the apostles' preaching of it.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
they were perplexed: Barnes explains that the word for perplexed describes someone who has lost his way. Clarke suggests the rulers could not decide whether the apostles escaped by magic or by a real miracle. Bede says malice hardened them even against clear signs.
Acts 5:24
“They doubted of them whereunto this would grow - They did not know what to think of the apostles, whether they had saved themselves by magic, or whether they were delivered by a real miracle; and they were at a loss to tell what the issue of these things would be.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
are standing in the temple courts: Clarke notes that the news came while the council was still baffled, reporting the prisoners of the night before preaching in public. Oecumenius sees the escape as comfort for the apostles and a benefit to the Jews themselves. Chrysostom says they feared the crowd more than God.
fear the people would stone them: Barnes notes that the apostles came willingly, since they meant to answer the charge and bear witness again. Theophylact says the rulers should have feared God instead, who guarded the apostles like nestlings from their hands. The crowd now shielded the apostles.
We Must Obey God Rather Than Men
Acts 5:27-28
They brought them in: The high priest repeats the order of chapter 4 and complains that they have filled Jerusalem with their teaching. The complaint is an unwilling witness to how far the preaching had spread.
determined to make us responsible: Bede and Jamieson, Fausset and Brown recall the cry at Jesus' trial that called his blood down on the people and their children (Matthew 27:25). Jamieson, Fausset and Brown also note that the high priest avoids naming Jesus. Theophylact says they still thought Christ a mere man.
Acts 5:28
“Did not we strictly command you, not to teach? - See the poor cunning of the enemies of the Gospel. They make laws and interdicts at their pleasure, which those who obey God cannot but break; and then take occasion thereby to censure and punish the innocent, as guilty. Ye would bring the blood of this man upon us - An artful and invidious word.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 5:28
“Did not we straitly command you - Ου παραγγελιᾳ παρηγγειλαμεν, With commanding did we not command you; a Hebraism - another proof of the accuracy and fidelity of St. Luke, who seems always to give every man’s speech as he delivered it; not the substance, but the very words. See Act 4:17. Not teach in this name? - That is, of Jesus as the Christ or Messiah. His saving name, and the doctrines connected with it, were the only theme and substance of their discourses.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Acts 5:29-32
Peter answers for the apostles that they must obey God rather than men, setting a limit to obedience where a command stands against God's. Their testimony is joined to the Spirit's, whom God has given to those who obey Him.
Acts 5:29
“Then Peter, and the other apostles, answered and said,.... Peter began, as the mouth of the apostles, being the eldest man, and very bold and zealous; and the rest followed, or joined, with him in what he said: we ought to obey God rather than men; this is said in answer to the charge of disobedience to the orders and commands of the council: men, civil magistrates, and ecclesiastical rulers, are to be obeyed in things which are not repugnant to the will of God; but in things that are, God is to be obeyed, and not men.”
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 5:29
“We ought to obey God rather than men - The same answer they gave before, Act 4:19, founded on the same reason, which still stood good. We have received our commission from God; we dare not lay it down at the desire or command of men. See the note on Act 4:19.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Acts 5:29
“Then Peter - In the name of all the apostles, said - He does not now give them the titles of honour, which he did before, chap. iv, 8; but enters directly upon the subject, and justifies what he had done. This is, as it were, a continuation of that discourse, but with an increase of severity.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
The God of our fathers: Clarke notes that naming the God of the fathers showed the council that the apostles preached no strange God. Chrysostom observes that they refer the whole work to the Father, so that the Son should not seem alien to him. Oecumenius calls the man they despised both Savior and God.
Acts 5:30
“The God of our fathers raised up Jesus - It was well to introduce this, that the council might at once see that they preached no strange God; and that he who so highly honored the patriarchs, Moses, and the prophets, had yet more highly honored Jesus Christ in raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand, and proclaiming him as the only giver of salvation and the repentance which leads to it.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
ConnectionsGalatians 3:13
as Prince and Savior: Wesley pairs the titles with the gifts, so that as Prince Jesus gives repentance and as Savior he gives forgiveness. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown note that Christ appears here as the one who dispenses these blessings. Some therefore call repentance itself a gift.
Acts 5:31
“Him hath God exalted - See the notes on Act 2:33. To be a Prince - ἀρχηγὸν archēgon. See the notes on Act 3:15. In that place he is called the “Prince of life.” Here it means that he is actually in the “exercise” of the office of a prince or a king, at the right hand of his Father. The title “Prince,” or “King,” was one which was well known as applied to the Messiah. It denotes that he has “dominion” and “power,” especially the power which is needful to give repentance and the pardon of sins.”
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 5:31
“Him hath God exalted - From the grave to heaven; to give repentance - Whereby Jesus is received as a Prince; and forgiveness of sins - Whereby he is received as a saviour. Hence some infer, that repentance and faith are as mere gifts as remission of sins.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Acts 5:31
“THE same fact appears very differently to different people. Our Lord Jesus, having risen from the dead, was exalted with the right hand of God. To the Jewish priests and rulers this was a dreadful announcement. They could not endure to hear that Jesus, whom they slew and hanged on a tree, was yet alive. As the murderer is startled at the apparition of the ghost of the man he has slain, so were these rulers altogether dismayed at the idea that Jesus of Nazareth, whom they had nailed to the Cross, was risen from the grave.”
whom God has given to those: Chrysostom and Theophylact note that Peter says given to those who obey, which shows humility and tells the hearers they too could receive the Spirit. Chrysostom also reasons that the Spirit came only because sins had first been forgiven. The Spirit's coming is the second witness.
Acts 5:32
“We are his witnesses - The word αυτου, his, is omitted by AD, and several others of good note; the Syriac, all the Arabic, Ethiopic, and Vulgate. It does not seem to be necessary. Of these things - Των ῥηματων τουτων, Of these transactions: i.e. of Christ’s life and miracles, and of your murderous proceedings against him. And so is also the Holy Ghost - In the gift of tongues lately communicated; and by his power and influence on our souls, by which we are enabled to give irresistible witness of our Lord’s resurrection.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Gamaliel's Counsel; Beaten, They Rejoice
they were enraged: When the council heard Peter's answer, they were enraged, and they resolved to put the apostles to death. Only Gamaliel's intervention in the verses that follow stands between the apostles and the death the council has already resolved on.
Acts 5:33
“When they heard that - That which the apostle Peter had said, to wit, that they were guilty of murder; that Jesus was raised up; and that he still lived as the Messiah. They were cut to the heart - The word used here properly denotes “to cut with a saw”; and as applied to the “mind,” it means to be agitated with “rage” and “indignation,” as if wrath should seize upon the mind as a saw does upon wood, and tear it violently, or agitate it severely.”
Acts 5:34-35
a Pharisee named Gamaliel: Gamaliel, a Pharisee and teacher of the law honored by all the people, has the apostles put outside before he speaks. The Mishnah names him among the great teachers of his generation, and Paul names him as his own teacher at 22:3.
Acts 5:34
“A Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law - “This,” says Dr. Lightfoot, “was Rabban Gamaliel the first; commonly, by way of distinction, called Rabban Gamaliel the elder. He was president of the council after the death of his own father, Rabban Simeon, who was the son of Hillel. He was St. Paul’s master, and the 35th receiver of the traditions, and on this account might not be improperly termed νομοδιδασκαλος, a doctor of the law, because he was one that kept and handed down the Cabala received from Mount Sinai.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 5:34
“But a certain Pharisee - And as such believing the resurrection of the dead; a doctor, or teacher of the law - That is, a scribe, and indeed one of the highest rank; had in honour by all the people - Except the Sadducees; rising up in the council - So God can raise defenders of his servants, whensoever and wheresoever he pleases.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Acts 5:34
“Then stood there up one in the council,.... Or "in the sanhedrim", which the high priest had called together; this phrase is left out in the Syriac version: yet certain it is, that the great council was now assembled, and the disciples were now before them, and this man, who was one of the members of it, stood up in it; for it seems to have been the custom, that though they usually sat, yet when anyone had anything to say, or made a speech, he rose up from his seat.”
Clarke notes that the council had already resolved to kill the apostles and was about to act. Chrysostom observes that Gamaliel speaks mildly and briefly, choosing recent cases because they persuade best. The Clementine Recognitions claim Gamaliel was secretly a believer.
Acts 5:35
“And said unto them, ye men of Israel,.... This he said after the apostles were put out, when the council was by themselves; and he addressed them as "men of Israel"; not as distinct from the priests and Levites in the council, but because they were all of the stock of Israel; for this council did not consist of Israelites only, as distinct from priests and Levites, as appears from Act 5:21. A sanhedrim commonly consisted of each of these; though if only of Israelites it was a lawful one.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 5:35
“What ye intend to do - Τι μελλετε πρασσειν, What ye are about to do: they had already intended to destroy them; and they were now about to do it.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Acts 5:36-39
Some time ago Theudas rose up: Gamaliel cites two failed movements, Theudas with about four hundred men and Judas the Galilean, both scattered once their leaders died. His test is that if the work is from God, the council will not be able to stop them.
Acts 5:36
“Rose up Theudas - Josephus, Ant. lib. xx. cap. 4, sect. 1, mentions one named Theudas who was the author of an insurrection; about whom there has been much controversy whether he were the person spoken of here by Gamaliel. Every circumstance, as related by Josephus agrees well enough with what is referred to here, except the chronology; for the Theudas mentioned by Josephus made his insurrection when Fadus was governor of Judea; which was at least ten years after the time in which the apostles were brought before this council.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Judas the Galilean appeared: Barnes cites Josephus, who calls Judas a Galilean and later a Gaulonite from the town of Gamala. Bede adds that Judas, with a Pharisee named Sadduc, urged the people to keep their freedom by refusing Roman taxes. Chrysostom notes that Gamaliel stresses how each movement scattered.
Acts 5:37
“Judas of Galilee - Josephus has given an account of this man (Antiq., xvii. 10, section 5), and calls him a “Galilean.” He afterward calls him a “Gaulonite,” and says he was of the city of “Gamala” (Antiq., 18:1:1).”
Leave these men alone: Wesley counts this advice wise for a sudden and doubtful case, while plain good should be joined and plain evil opposed. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown call the neutral policy wise for the council, yet warn that personal neutrality toward Christ is hostility. Oecumenius notes that Gamaliel commits to neither origin.
Acts 5:38
“Refrain from these men - Do not molest them, leave them to God; for if this counsel and work be of man it will come to nought, like the rebellion of Theudas, and that of Judas of Galilee: for whatever pretends to be done in the name of God, but is not of him, will have his curse and not his blessing. He whose name is prostituted by it will vindicate his injured honor, and avenge himself.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 5:38
“Let them alone - In a cause which is manifestly good, we should immediately join. In a cause, on the other hand, which is manifestly evil, we should immediately oppose. But in a sudden, new, doubtful occurrence, this advice is eminently useful.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Bede notes that the Greek uses a single word for those who fight against God. Barnes thinks Gamaliel was open to the movement being divine yet unconvinced, while Chrysostom says later events proved it was of God. Tertullian repeats the warning against fighting God.
Acts 5:39
“We who are without fear ourselves are not seeking to frighten you, but we would save all men if possible by warning them not to fight with God. You may perform the duties of your charge, and yet remember the claims of humanity; if on no other ground than that you are liable to punishment yourself, (you ought to do so).”
Tertullian · written before 220 · To Scapulapatristic
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 5:39
“But if it be of God,.... If it is according to the counsel of his will; if it is a scheme of his forming, and a work to which he has called these men, and they proceed in it on good principles, and with a view to the honour and glory of God: ye cannot overthrow it; it will proceed and get ground, and stand, maugre all the opposition of hell and earth; therefore do nothing to them, or hinder them from going on.”
Acts 5:39
“But if it be of God - If God is the “author” of this religion. From this it seems that Gamaliel supposed that it was at least possible that this religion was divine. He evinced a far more candid mind than did the rest of the Jews; but still it does not appear that he was entirely convinced.”
Acts 5:40-42
They called the apostles in: The council has the apostles flogged and orders them not to speak in the name of Jesus. They leave rejoicing, and every day in the temple courts and from house to house they proclaim that Jesus is the Christ.
Acts 5:40
“To him they agreed - That is, not to slay the apostles, nor to attempt any farther to imprison them; but their malevolence could not be thus easily satisfied; and therefore they beat them - probably gave each of them thirty-nine stripes; and, having commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus, they let them go. It was of Jesus they were afraid: not of the apostles. They plainly saw that, if the doctrine of Christ was preached, it must prevail; and, if it prevailed, they must come to nought.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 5:40
“The prisons there, and the bonds, and the scourges, and the big stones, and the swords, and the onsets by the Jews, and the assemblies of the heathen, and the indictments by tribunes, and the hearing of causes by kings, and the judgment-seats of proconsuls and the name of Caesar, do not need an interpreter. That Peter is struck, that Stephen is overwhelmed by stones, that James is slain as is a victim at the altar, that Paul is beheaded has been written in their own blood.”
Tertullian · written before 220 · Scorpiacepatristic
counted worthy of suffering disgrace: Barnes notes that a public flogging was meant to disgrace more than to hurt, and the rulers hoped shame would silence the apostles. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown call it their first taste of persecution. Polycarp later urged believers who suffer for his name to glorify him.
Acts 5:41
“Rejoicing - Nothing to most people would seem more disgraceful than a public whipping. It is a punishment inflicted usually not so much because it gives “pain,” as because it is esteemed to be attended with disgrace. The Jewish rulers doubtless desired that the apostles might be so affected with the sense of this disgrace as to be unwilling to appear again in public, or to preach the gospel anymore. Yet in this they were disappointed. The effect was just the reverse.”
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 5:41
“Let us then continually persevere in our hope, and the earnest of our righteousness, which is Jesus Christ, "who bore our sins in His own body on the tree," "who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth," but endured all things for us, that we might live in Him. Let us then be imitators of His patience; and if we suffer for His name's sake, let us glorify Him. For He has set us this example in Himself, and we have believed that such is the case.”
Polycarp of Smyrna · written before 155 · Epistle to the Philippians 8patristic
Acts 5:41
“The signs and wonders which the apostles wrought were hitherto miracles of mercy; but now comes in a miracle of judgment, and here is an instance of severity following the instances of goodness, that God may be both loved and feared. The sin of Ananias and Sapphira his wife.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
from house to house: Clarke places the temple teaching at the hours of morning and evening prayer. Chrysostom notes that their teaching now spread wider, into homes as well as the temple. He calls the rulers' threats an attempt at the impossible.
Acts 5:42
“Daily in the temple - That is at the hours of morning and evening prayer; for they felt it their duty to worship God in public, and to help others to make a profitable use of the practice. Every man that professes Christianity should, in this respect also, copy their conduct: nor can any man be considered to have any religion, let his sentiments be what they may, who does not attend on the public worship of his Maker. They ceased not to teach and preach Jesus - Far from desisting, they became more zealous, yea, incessant, in their work.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
How this psalm is built
The form: A judgment inside the church and a second trial before the council, joined by a report of signs and growth, as 5 classes it.
The patterns in this chapter
| Device | What it does | Where to see it |
|---|---|---|
| Husband and wife, one after the other | Verses 1 to 6 tell of Ananias and verses 7 to 10 of Sapphira, about three hours later, and the two scenes run in the same order. Peter questions, the one questioned falls and dies, and the young men carry the body out and bury it. The words great fear come after each death, in verse 5 and again in verse 11. Theophylact of Ohrid holds that Peter questioned Sapphira to give her time to repent and confess.Counted from the Berean Standard Bible text of Acts 5, The chapter's own text, verses 1 to 11. | Acts 5:5, Acts 5:6, Acts 5:7, Acts 5:10, Acts 5:11 |
| A summary of signs and growth | Verses 12 to 16 stand between the two halves of the chapter. They report many signs and wonders, the believers gathered with one accord in Solomon's Colonnade, and more and more believers brought to the Lord. The sick were laid in the streets so that Peter's shadow might fall on them, and crowds came from the towns around Jerusalem. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown read these verses as the height of Peter's standing as the directing spirit of the early church.Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible. | Acts 5:12, Acts 5:14, Acts 5:15, Acts 5:16 |
| The second trial answers the first | In 4:18 the council commanded the apostles not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus, and in 5:28 the high priest reminds them of those strict orders. Their reply in 5:29, We must obey God rather than men, repeats the answer of 4:19. Adam Clarke notes that it is the same answer given before, resting on the same reason, and John Wesley calls it a continuation of the earlier speech with an increase of severity. The first trial ended with threats, and this one ends with a flogging and the apostles rejoicing.Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible. | Acts 4:18, Acts 4:19, Acts 5:28, Acts 5:29, Acts 5:40, Acts 5:41 |
How this chapter is built
1 more paragraph on the patterns
Acts 5 has two halves joined by a summary. Verses 1 to 11 tell of Ananias and Sapphira in two matching scenes, each ending with a burial and with great fear. Verses 12 to 16 report signs, healings and growth. Verses 17 to 42 tell of the arrest, the release by an angel of the Lord during the night, and the second hearing before the Sanhedrin. There Gamaliel's advice keeps the council from putting the apostles to death. The chapter closes where the trial began, with the apostles teaching in the temple courts.
Keep studying
Studies21
- Trees: Eden, Cross, New Jerusalem
- Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5)
- Hanged on a tree
- Holiness and Purity
- Integrity
- Daniel's Open Window
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Words12
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Sources for this chapter
The summary
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament and Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary.
The form and classifications
Counted from the Berean Standard Bible text of Acts 5, The chapter's own text, verses 1 to 42 and John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament.
The exposition
Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes; Ambrose of Milan, On the Holy Spirit, Book 3; Bede; Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit; Erasmus of Rotterdam, Commentary (church-history corpus); J. A. Alexander, The Acts of the Apostles Explained; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Calvin, Commentary upon the Acts of the Apostles; John Chrysostom; John Gill; John Lightfoot, Horae Hebraicae et Talmudicae; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Oecumenius, Commentary on Acts; Polycarp of Smyrna, Epistle to the Philippians 8; Pseudo-Clement, Clementine Recognitions, Book 1; Tertullian, To Scapula and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Acts.