Acts 2:45
in Acts 2Selling their possessions and goods, they shared with anyone who was in need.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and they sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all, according as any man had need.
KJV
And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
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This verse in Acts 2
Commentary
11 notes on this verseAnd the words "according to each one's need" he uses not simply, but in the sense of "stewardship," because this expression shows that the apostles did not act as the philosophers among the Greeks, of whom some abandoned their fields, and others threw much gold …
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
This was an angelic commonwealth, not to call anything of theirs their own. Forthwith the root of evils was cut out. By what they did, they showed what they had heard: this was that which he said, "Save yourselves from this untoward generation."
Observe the increase of piety: They cast away their riches, and rejoiced, and had great gladness, for greater were the riches they received without labor. None reproached, none envied, none grudged; no pride, no contempt was there. As children they did indeed account themselves to be under teaching: as new born babes, such was their disposition. Yet why use this faint image? If you remember how it was when God shook our city with an earthquake, how subdued all men were. Such was the case then with those converts. No knavery, no villany then: such is the effect of fear, of affliction! No talk of "mine" and "thine" then. Hence gladness waited at their table; no one seemed to eat of his own, or of another's;-I grant this may seem a riddle. Neither did they consider their brethren's property foreign to themselves; it was the property of a Master; nor again deemed they aught their own, all was the brethren's. The poor man knew no shame, the rich no haughtiness. This is gladness. The latter deemed himself the obliged and fortunate party; the others felt themselves as honored herein, and closely were they bound together.
For indeed, because when people make doles of money, there are apt to be insults, pride, grudging; therefore says the Apostle, "Not grudgingly, or of necessity."
As for selling and distributing their possessions according to whatever need one had, not merely, but in an economical manner. For they distributed according to value.
They first dwelt together in unity; who sold all they had, and laid the price of their goods at the Apostles' feet, as is read in the Acts of the Apostles. And distribution was made to each one as he had need, and none called anything his own, but they had all things common. And what is "together in unity"? They had, he says, one mind and one heart God-wards. So they were the first who heard, Behold how good and how pleasant is it, that brethren dwell together.
5 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
And if the whole Christian Church had continued in this spirit, this usage must have continued through all ages. To affirm therefore that Christ did not design it should continue, is neither more nor less than to affirm, that Christ did not design this measure of love should continue.
But it was at Jerusalem, because this had been the place which God chose, to put his name there, and the prophecy was that thence the word of the Lord should go forth to all nations, Isa. ii. It was now the place of the general rendezvous of all devout people: here God had promised to meet them and bless them; here therefore he meets them with this blessing of blessings.
And sold their possessions and goods..... Their houses and lands, their fields and vineyards, their goods, moveable or immoveable: and parted them to all men; that were of their society, not to others: as every man had need: the rich sold their estates, and divided them among the poor, or gave them such a portion thereof as their present exigencies required.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
And sold - That is, they sold as much as was necessary in order to procure the means of providing for the needs of each other. Possessions - Property, particularly real estate. This word, κτήματα ktēmata, refers properly to their fixed property, as lands, houses, vineyards, etc. The word rendered “goods,” ὑπάρξεις huparxeis, refers to their personal or movable “property.” And parted them to all - They distributed them to supply the needs of their poorer brethren, according to their necessities. As every man had need - This expression limits and fixes the meaning of what is said before.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
they that gladly received his word were baptized--"It is difficult to say how three thousand could be baptized in one day, according to the old practice of a complete submersion; and the more as in Jerusalem there was no water at hand except Kidron and a few pools.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase+odd-straight-quotes
The words behind it
16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| τὰ | ta | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| κτήματα | ktemata | possessions | G2933 → | |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| τὰς | tas | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ὑπάρξεις | huparxeis | goods | G5223 → | |
| ἐπίπρασκον | epipraskon | they were selling | G4097 → | 9 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| διεμέριζον | diemerizon | they were dividing | G1266 → | |
| αὐτὰ | auta | them | G846 → | 5565 times |
| πᾶσιν | pasin | to all | G3956 → | 1235 times |
| καθότι | kathoti | as | G2530 → | 6 times |
| ἄν | an | would | G302 → | 165 times |
| τις | tis | anyone | G5100 → | 528 times |
| χρείαν | chreian | need | G5532 → | 49 times |
| εἶχεν· | eichen | had; | G2192 → | 707 times |
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
τὰthe
taG3588 →19766 times
κτήματαpossessions
ktemataG2933 →
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
τὰςthe
tasG3588 →19766 times
ὑπάρξειςgoods
huparxeisG5223 →
ἐπίπρασκονthey were selling
epipraskonG4097 →9 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
διεμέριζονthey were dividing
diemerizonG1266 →
αὐτὰthem
autaG846 →5565 times
πᾶσινto all
pasinG3956 →1235 times
καθότιas
kathotiG2530 →6 times
ἄνwould
anG302 →165 times
τιςanyone
tisG5100 →528 times
χρείανneed
chreianG5532 →49 times
εἶχεν·had;
eichenG2192 →707 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
1 John 3:17If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him?
it leads to
- Hebrews 13:16
And do not neglect to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
- Isaiah 58:7–10
Isn’t it to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your home, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from your own…
- 1 John 4:20
If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
- Deuteronomy 15:7–11
If there is a poor man among your brothers within any of the gates in the land that the LORD your God is giving you, then you are not to harden your heart or…
- Hebrews 13:16
Through
Proverbs 19:17Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD, and He will repay the lender.
it leads to
- Proverbs 28:27
Whoever gives to the poor will not be in need, but he who hides his eyes will receive many curses.
- Hebrews 6:10
For God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the love you have shown for His name as you have ministered to the saints and continue to do so.
- Luke 6:38
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured…
- 2 Corinthians 9:6–8
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
- Proverbs 28:27
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies54
Show the next 6 titles
- David, a Type of Christ
- Dreams in Scripture and in Egypt
- The Fall Feasts
- The Hebrew Feasts
- Fire
- Father, Forgive Them
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- God and the Nations, from Abraham to the New Jerusalem
- Head Coverings
- The Words Tiqvah and Elpis
- How Prophecy Works
- Infant Baptism and Believers' Baptism
- Jesus on the Holy Spirit
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- Joel, the Study Guide
- Joel 2:28-32 in Acts 2
- Joseph
- Locusts in Scripture
- Mesopotamia
- The Messianic Psalms
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Show the next 6 titles
- Speaking in Tongues
- The Suffering Servant
- The Table of Nations
- The Appointed Times Read as a Calendar of Prophecy
- The Christian Year
- The Church
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About Acts
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on the Psalms, Psalm 133; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homily on Acts 7; 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 and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Acts.