Acts 5:5
in Acts 5On hearing these words, Ananias fell down and died. And great fear came over all who heard what had happened.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Ananias hearing these words fell down and gave up the ghost: and great fear came upon all that heard it.
KJV
And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
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This verse in Acts 5
Commentary
15 notes on this verseThen 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.
This site's exposition
fell down, and gave up the ghost
on Acts 5:5-6
Ananias fell down and gave up the ghost on the spot, a judgment as immediate as it is severe, and great fear came on all them that heard these things. The young men wound him up and buried him without waiting for family or ceremony, following the custom of prompt burial in the heat of Jerusalem. Bede and Henry read the swiftness of the sentence as a mercy to the infant church, guarding the fellowship's integrity at the very hour false pretense first entered it.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers4 voices
A commentator
Apostolic ConstitutionsApostolic Constitutions (Book VII), Section 1, II · Written before 380.
proposed
"You shall not steal:" [Exodus 20:15] for Achan, when he had stolen in Israel at Jericho, was stoned to death; [Joshua 7:1] and Gehazi, who stole, and told a lie, inherited the leprosy of Naaman; [2 Kings 5:27] and Judas, who stole the poor's money, betrayed the Lord of glory to the Jews, [John 12:6] and repented, and hanged himself, and burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out; [Matthew 27:5; Acts 1:18] and Ananias, and Sapphira his wife, who stole their own goods, and "tempted the Spirit of the Lord," were immediately, at the sentence of Peter our fellow-apostle, struck dead. [Acts 5:1-11]
And so if against those who did not covet other persons' goods but tried to be sparing of their own, and had no desire to acquire but only the wish to retain, there went forth so severe a sentence, what should we think of those who desire to amass wealth, without ever having had any of their own, and, making a show of poverty before people, are before God convicted of being rich, through the passion of avarice?
"And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost." This miracle is greater than that of the lame man, in respect of the death inflicted, and the knowing what was in the thought of the heart, even what was done in secret. Therefore let it be no stumbling-block to any, if at present also there are sacrilegious persons. If there were such persons then, much more now, when evils are many. But let us "rebuke them before all, that others also may fear." Judas was sacrilegious, but it was no stumbling-block to the disciples. "And great fear," it is said, "came on all them that heard these things." That man was punished, and others profited thereby. Not without cause. And yet, signs had been wrought before: true, but there was not such a sense of fear. So true is that saying, "The Lord is known by executing judgments." The same thing had occurred in the case of the Ark: Uzzah was punished and fear came upon the rest. But in that instance the king through fear removed from him the Ark; but here the disciples became more earnestly heedful.
Therefore they were subjected to a penalty for having committed sacrilege. By what? by death; for that extinguished it, as if it dried it up, that is, it deprived it of the vital moisture. Wherefore also the living thing is said by the ancients to …
The Medieval Church1 voice
Hearing these words, Ananias fell down and expired. The severe sentence was given to the transgressor not for the sake of profit, but foresaw in spirit the future weeds that would adulterate the Church's simplicity with corrupt morals (from these, the most detestable race of …
8 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church2 voices
a great fear overwhelmed all who heard of it: Not without cause, because this man died that others might be frightened by his example.
Many of the impious, pointing to what happened with Ananias and Sapphira, condemn the chief of the apostles to death. But the accusation concerns not Peter, but rather the Holy Spirit, who pronounced upon them a just sentence: for Peter only exposed their lie, while …
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
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.
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.
): Great fear came upon all that heard these things, that heard what Peter said, and saw what followed; or upon all that heard the story of it; for, no doubt, it was all the talk of the city.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And Ananias hearing these words,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
And Ananias, hearing these words ... - Seeing that his guilt was known, and being charged with the enormous crime of attempting to deceive God. He had not expected to be thus exposed; and it is clear that the exposure and the charge came upon him unexpectedly and terribly, like a bolt of thunder. Fell down - Greek: Having fallen down. Gave up the ghost - This is an unhappy translation. The original means simply “he expired,” or “he died.” Compare the notes on Mat 27:
Fell down, and gave up the ghost - Πεσων εξεψυξε, Falling down, he expired, breathed his last: “Gave up the ghost” is a very improper translation here. See the notes on Gen 25:8, and on Mat 27:50 (note). Two things may be remarked here: 1. That the sin of this person was of no ordinary magnitude, else God would not have visited it with so signal a punishment. 2. That Peter must have had the power to discern the state of the heart, else he had not known the perfidy of Ananias. This power, commonly called the discernment of spirits, the apostles had as a particular gift, not probably always but at select times, when God saw it necessary for the good of his Church.
The words behind it
17 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἀκούων | akouon | Hearing | G191 → | 425 times |
| δὲ | de | now | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| ὁ | ho | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| Ἁνανίας | hananias | Ananias | G367 → | 11 times |
| τοὺς | tous | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| λόγους | logous | words | G3056 → | 329 times |
| τούτους | toutous | these | G3778 → | 1381 times |
| πεσὼν | peson | having fallen down | G4098 → | 90 times |
| ἐξέψυξεν. | exepsuxen | he breathed his last. | G1634 → | 3 times |
| καὶ | kai | And | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἐγένετο | egeneto | came | G1096 → | 667 times |
| φόβος | phobos | fear | G5401 → | 46 times |
| μέγας | megas | great | G3173 → | 243 times |
| ἐπὶ | epi | upon | G1909 → | 883 times |
| πάντας | pantas | all | G3956 → | 1235 times |
| τοὺς | tous | those | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἀκούοντας | akouontas | hearing | G191 → | 425 times |
ἀκούωνHearing
akouonG191 →425 times
δὲnow
deG1161 →2765 times
ὁ<the>
hoG3588 →19766 times
ἉνανίαςAnanias
hananiasG367 →11 times
τοὺς<the>
tousG3588 →19766 times
λόγουςwords
logousG3056 →329 times
τούτουςthese
toutousG3778 →1381 times
πεσὼνhaving fallen down
pesonG4098 →90 times
ἐξέψυξεν.he breathed his last.
exepsuxenG1634 →3 times
καὶAnd
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἐγένετοcame
egenetoG1096 →667 times
φόβοςfear
phobosG5401 →46 times
μέγαςgreat
megasG3173 →243 times
ἐπὶupon
epiG1909 →883 times
πάνταςall
pantasG3956 →1235 times
τοὺςthose
tousG3588 →19766 times
ἀκούονταςhearing
akouontasG191 →425 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Revelation 11:5If anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouths and devours their enemies. In this way, anyone who wants to harm them must be killed.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 5:14
Therefore this is what the LORD God of Hosts says: “Because you have spoken this word, I will make My words a fire in your mouth and this people the wood it consumes.
- 2 Kings 1:10–12
Elijah answered the captain, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And fire came down from heaven and consumed the captain…
- Hosea 6:5
Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of My mouth, and My judgments go forth like lightning.
- Numbers 16:28–35
Then Moses said, “This is how you will know that the LORD has sent me to do all these things, for it was not my own doing:
- Jeremiah 5:14
Through
Acts 2:43A sense of awe came over everyone, and the apostles performed many wonders and signs.
it leads to
- John 14:12
Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I am doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
- Luke 7:16
A sense of awe swept over all of them, and they glorified God. “A great prophet has appeared among us!” they said. “God has visited His people!”
- Luke 8:37
Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to depart from them, because great fear had taken hold of them. So He got into the boat and started back.
- Mark 16:17
And these signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
- John 14:12
Where this verse is studied
About Acts
This page draws on 14 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ambrose of Milan, Commentary (church-history corpus); Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions (Book VII), Section 1, II; Bede, On the Acts of the Apostles; Bede, Commentary on Acts; John Cassian, INSTITUTES 7.25; John Chrysostom, Homily on Acts 12; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Oecumenius, Commentary on Acts; Rabanus Maurus, Commentary (church-history corpus) and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Acts.