Acts 5

Acts 5:1

And one of those that came in to the faith of Christ, named Ananias, and Sapphira his wife, with joint consent devoted their estate, all that they had, to the use of the church, and to that purpose made sale of it.

Acts 5:2

And when they had done so, consented also, or combined together, to keep some part of the money

¹³ After this the ancient Gr. and Lat. MS. adds, καὶ οὐκ ἦν διάκρισιν ἐν αὐτοῖς οὐδεμίᾳ, and

there was no difference among them. ¹⁴ peculiar, Ἰδιον. ¹⁵ rendered. ¹⁶ a Cypriot by birth, or, born in Cyprus, Κύπριος τῷ γένει.

Acts 5:3

[a] filled thine heart] The phrase πληροῦν καρδίαν, to fill the heart, is used by the Hebrews in the Old Testament for to make one bold, so Esth. vii. 5, Who hath filled his heart to do this? the Greek, Τίς οὗτος ὃς ἐτόλμησε; Who is it that hath dared &c. So Eccl. viii. 11, The heart of the sons of men is filled to do evil, that is, is emboldened, where the Greek read, ἐπληροφορήθη, is filled.

[b] to lie] The verb ψεύδομαι hath among authors these three distinct uses, and agreeably three notions and interpretations proportioned to them: 1. It is used with a genitive case, and then it signifies passively, to be deceived, frustrated, cheated of any thing, ψεύδεσθαι ἐλπίδος, to be frustrated, defeated of his hope, and in Plato Apol., τούτου οὐκ ἐψεύσθην, “in this I was not deceived, or mistaken.” But this clearly belongs not to this place. 2dly, It is used with a dative case of the person, or (which is all one) with a preposition εἰς or κατὰ joined to the person, and then it is absolutely to lie. So it is here ver. 4. οὐκ ἐψεύσω ἀνθρώποις, ἀλλὰ τῷ Θεῷ, thou hast not lied to men, but to God, the lie which thou hast told was not told to men only, or was not injurious to men only, but to God also. So James iii. 14, ψεύδεσθε κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας, ye lie against the truth, your lying is contrary to the gospel doctrine and temper, and destructive to it. So Col. iii. 9, μὴ ψεύδεσθε εἰς ἀλλήλους, lie not against one another. 3dly, It is used with an accusative case of the person again, and then it signifies actively, to deceive,

Acts 5:4

Before it was sold, was it not wholly thine, no other man having right to any part of it? (so the Syriac reads it;) and when it was sold, didst not thou receive the whole sum or price for which it was sold? was it not all in thine hand and power, so as thou mightest have fully performed thy vow? what motive hadst thou to do such a thing as this? The falsity which was committed, in telling us that thou hadst sold thy possessions, and brought the whole price of it for the use of the church, (when thou didst keep a part of it for thyself,) was an injury, not only to the church, nor so much to us the apostles, as to God himself, to the Holy Ghost, who came lately down to plant this church, and hath such a peculiar relation to it, that what is done to that, is by interpretation done to the Holy Ghost, who had the privity of the vow, and knew that it was the consecrating of all, and not of this part only which thou hast brought to us.

[c] Whiles it remained] There is some difficulty in this verse: and the best way of clearing it is, by setting the first word right, τὸ μῖνον (which is commonly rendered, whilst it remained). That sure signifies a possession immovable, an estate in land, which is called a demesne in this very notion of μῖνειν, remaining, because when the fruit is taken off the land remains, and so is applied here to κτῆμα, a possession, ver. 1. Upon the same account again it is called an estate, as being a standing, remaining, continuing possession. Proportionable to this, τὸ πραθίν is wealth in money, or land sold or put into money. And then the meaning of the whole is clear, Οὐχὶ μῖνον σοὶ ἵμειν; “Was not the land, estate, demesnes, thy own land, estate, demesnes?” καὶ πραθὶν ἐν τῇ σῇ ἑξουσίᾳ ὑπῆρχε; “and was not the price for which it was sold wholly in thy power?” that is, in thy hand, as בְּרִר, in the hand, signifies in the power, not as of an owner, but as a receiver; as Gen. xxiv. 10 it is said of Abraham’s servant, that all the goods of his master were in his hand, as in the steward’s hand, to receive and look to. So that in both respects the possession being wholly thine, and the money coming wholly to thy hands, paid wholly to thee, (the contrary of either of which would have allowed him some pretence and excuse,) there was no excuse for thy not bringing, according to thy vow, the whole value of it.

Acts 5:5

And as Peter spake these words, Ananias fell down dead in the place immediately, to the great astonishment and terrifying of all those that were there present.

Acts 5:6

And the men of inferior rank, the officers to whom it belonged to bury the dead, (see note [c] Phil. i.,) took him, and stripped and swathed him, as they used to do the dead, (see note [g] John xix.,) and taking him up, carried him out and buried him.

Acts 5:7

And about three hours after this judgment fell on Ananias, Sapphira his wife—

Acts 5:8

And Peter examined and asked her, saying, Was that sum which ye brought the full sum for which the field was sold? And she answered, It was. ⁶ to provoke and dare God, (see note [c] Matt. iv.,) to try whether he will punish your fraud or no. Behold, (that thou mayest see what a provocation this hath been to God,) the men are coming in which have buried thy dead husband, and now they shall do as much for thee. ¹ that thou shouldst deceive the Holy Ghost. thine own? and being sold— ² Was not the possession or demesne

Acts 5:11

And all the believers were stricken with a great reverence, and so were all others to whom it was related.

(and they solemnly met together to preach and do miracles in the entrance to the temple, called Solomon’s porch.

Acts 5:13

And no other of the believers or Christians—called the church, ver. 11—durst consort with the twelve apostles, through the reverence, ver. 11, which these late acts had wrought in them; but the people that saw and heard what was done magnified them.

Acts 5:14

And these miracles, that wrought such a reverence in the believers, were a means also to work faith in all the common sort of the people.

Acts 5:15

And the people, ver. 12, had such confidence in their power of working miraculous cures, that they believed that the very shadow of Peter, walking by a diseased man, would work a cure on him; and thereupon they brought forth their sick and impotent friends, those that were not able to go or stand, and laid them upon beds, &c. in the passage, that as Peter came by, his shadow might come over some of them.

Acts 5:16

And the fame of their miracles spread into the country and region, and other cities about Jerusalem; and from thence they brought sick folks—

Acts 5:17

And the sanhedrim (most of them being of the sect of the Sadducees) set themselves very zealously against them,

¹ being the sect, ἡ οἶσα εἴρεσι.

Acts 5:18

And apprehended the apostles, and imprisoned them in the common gaol. * all the doctrine of Christianity.

Acts 5:20

[d] this life] What ῥήματα ζωῆς ταύτης, the words of this life, here signifies, will soon be discerned by the use of ζωή, life, in the gospel, for that doctrine which is the setting down of the way, which will bring him that walks in it to eternal life. Thus John xii. 50, I know, saith Christ of the message which he brought from his Father, that his commandment is eternal life, where eternal life must signify that way which leads to it; so John xvii. 3, This is eternal life, that they may know thee the only true God, that is, their knowing (and performing faithful, sincere obedience to) the only true God is the sure way to eternal life. And accordingly the words of this life are the sum of this Christian doctrine, which being obeyed will bring any man to life eternal; and so it is all one with St. Peter’s expression to Christ, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life, the word ταύτης, this, being here emphatical, and denoting that more valuable, spiritual, and eternal life.

Acts 5:21

And in obedience to that direction, they betook themselves early in the morning to the temple, and there expounded the scripture, and taught the doctrine of Christ out of it. But they of the sanhedrim thinking they had still been in hold, went into the court, and sent sergeants to the prison to have them brought before them.

• and a guard of soldiers without, watching the doors of the prison; but when we entered, none of these prisoners were within.

Acts 5:24

And when the sanhedrim of the Jews, as also the captain of that band of soldiers who had set the guard upon the prison, ver. 23, (see ch. iv. 1, and note [f] Luke xxii.,) had this word brought to them, they were much perplexed, and wondered how it could come to pass, that the prison being shut, and the watch at the doors, yet none of the prisoners should be within, and conceived that this did abode some strange matter.

• anger, zeal, ζῆλον. * concerning them, what this was, or, would be, γειρὶ ἀντῶν, τί

Acts 5:26

And the captain that guarded the temple, (see note [f] Luke xxii.,) together with his soldiers, went to the temple, and apprehended them without—

brought them before the court, and the high priest examined them,

not to publish this doctrine of Christ! and ye contrariwise have published it in the temple to all the city, and done your best, by laying his blood to our charge, to raise up the people against us, as against murderers.

Acts 5:29

And the apostles answered, as before they had done, ch. iv. 19. We were commanded by God to publish it, and then your interdict was not to have any force. Though magistrates are to be obeyed in all their lawful commands, and their punishments to be endured without resistance, (as they were by us, vv. 18. 26,) yet when God fetches us out of prison, and commands us to go into the temple and preach the faith of Christ, (as he did by his angel, ver. 20,) we are to render obedience to him, and not to your contrary interdicts.

30, 31. The God of Israel, acknowledged by us all, hath sent the Messias into the world, furnished with his special commission, and when ye crucified him as a malefactor, raised him from death, took him into heaven, and instated him in his regal power, (that he might be a spiritual prince, reigning in men’s hearts,) at his Father’s right hand, from thence to send the Spirit of his Father, (who was not to descend till he was ascended,) and by that means to give you Jews place of repentance, that if ye yet come in and repent, and believe on him, ye may have pardon of sin.

Acts 5:31

[e] a Prince and a Saviour] These two words ἀρχηγός, captain, and σωτήρ, saviour, in the style of the Old Testament signify such an one as Joshua and the judges were (see note [c] Rom. xiii.) expressed here, ch. vii. 27, by ἄρχων καὶ δικαστής, a ruler and a judge, by διδόναι σωτηρίαν, ver. 25, giving deliverance, bringing them out of their slavery in Egypt; and therefore, ver. 35, (in setting down the Israelites’ mistake, when they asked Moses who appointed him ἄρχοντα καὶ δικαστὴν, a ruler and a judge?) St. Stephen tells them, God had by the hand of an angel sent Moses, ἄρχοντα καὶ λυτρωτὴν, a captain and deliverer, by λυτρωτὴν, deliverer, meaning the same that by σωτηρία, deliverance, ver. 25, and by σωτήρ, saviour here, one that leads and rules them, manages their military affairs to the avenging them of their enemies, and pre-

Acts 5:32

The truth of this we testify, and so doth the Holy Ghost, that came down upon us, and upon the rest that have come in, and consorted with us, ch. iv. 31, and by us is communicated to all that come in and believe, and yield obedience to him.

Acts 5:33

And the apostles confirmed with many miracles their preaching of Christ’s resurrection, and accounted it as a debt which they ought Christ for his great dignations among them; and there were great instances of liberality and frankness among them that received the faith, all the believers bringing in plentiful contributions to the apostles’ hands, who received it of them for the public use of the believers.

And upon this answer of theirs, they fell into you would bring, Βούλασθε ἕναγ. to his right hand, τῇ δεξιᾷ αὐτοῦ.

you would bring, Βούλασθε ἕναγ.

[c] gave the apostles witness] Ἀπεδίδων is by Theophylact observed to have some energy in it, καθάπερ ἐγχειρισθέντος αὐτοὺς τι δείκνυσι, καὶ ὡς περὶ ὀφλήματος λέγει, “he signifies somewhat to be intrusted with them as a depositum, which they were to restore, and so speaks as of a debt.” Accordingly the vulgar Latin duly reads reddebant testimonium, “they rendered testimony.”

[f] cut to the heart] What διπρόνοτο here signifies will be best resolved from Hesychius’s rendering of the word; the ordinary copy hath it διαπρίεται, διαγοράζει, μαίνεται. But that is a mistake; it should certainly be read ἀγριάζει or διαγριάζει, grows wild or angry, for that is all one with μαίνεται, is mad, which follows, but διαγοράζει is quite another matter, and would rather belong to διαπρίεται, (which might be the cause of this mistake by the nearness of the words,) as πριάμενος and ἀγοράσας are all one. By this then the word appears to signify rage or vehement displeasure, (as ἀγριάζει is ὀργίζεται,) such as is in bears and other wild beasts, when it makes them tear in pieces those that are next to them, or against whom it is conceived; as here it follows, they consulted to put them to death.

Acts 5:34

So that there was a competent provision for all: and this was thus raised and managed: as many as had possessions— " and the apostles distributed unto every man—

Acts 5:36

For we have examples of men that have gathered followers, and raised seditions among the people, and come to nothing: as for instance, Theudas, that undertook to be a general, boasting that he was sent by God to that purpose, and so got four hundred men to follow him, but soon miscarried, and was himself killed, and all put to flight that adhered to him; and so his design was utterly frustrated. ¹ Dismiss these men, and make not such haste to proceed against them; (for the doctrine which they preach is either from God or no; if it be not from God, then our experience tells us, that false prophets, though they thrive a while, yet without our opposition they generally come to nought:

[g] Theudas] A story there is of one Theudas which Josephus mentions, Ant. lib. 20. c. 5, and Eusebius Hist. lib. 2. c. a, who undertook to be a prophet, and promised that he would divide Jordan, &c. But that was in Claudius’s time, in the time of Fadus’s prefecture, who destroyed him and his followers. And so that cannot be the person here mentioned, for this here was before Judas Galilæus, ver. 37, and he was in the time of Cyrenius’s being governor of Syria, (see note [h]). This Theudas here then must needs be some other person whom they had recorded in their writings, and from thence Gamaliel here recites the story, though we have not other record of it.

Acts 5:37

Having a piece of land of his own (not part of the Levites’ portion, which he might not alienate, but probably somewhat which belonged to him in Cyprus, where he was born, ver. 36.) made sale of it, and brought the full price of it, and put it wholly in the apostles’ power to dispose of or distribute it. # CHAP. V.

[h] Judas of Galilee] Of this Judas of Galilee, and of this enrolling, Josephus’s testimony is most clear, a Antiq. l. 18. c. 1. “Cyrenius,” saith he, “came to Syria, sent from Cæsar, (or under him,) δικαιοδότης τοῦ ἴθνος, καὶ τιμητὴς τῶν οὐσιῶν γνησόμενος, as judge of the nation, and to take the valuation of their estates.” Upon this, “Judas Gaulonita ἠπείγετο ἐπὶ ἀποστάσει, rebelled, or made defection, and Saddochus with him, τὴν ἀποτίμησιν οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἢ ἀντικρὺς δουλείαν ἐπιφέρειν λέγοντες, saying that this valuation of their estates” (the enrolling here) “brought in direct servitude upon them, καὶ τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἐπ’ ἀντιλήψει παρακολοῦντες τὸ ἴθνος, and therefore called the whole nation to follow them, and vindicate their liberties.” So again De Bell. Jud. lib. 2.

a See Euseb. Hist. Eccl. l. 1. c. v.

Acts 5:39

But if it be from God, then ye may be sure you shall not prevail against it,) lest ye be found to be a kind of Babel-builders, (like those giants there, that went about to fortify themselves against heaven,)

⁹ wore mad against them. ⁹ touching these men, what you go about to do, διὶ τοῦ ἀν-

θρώπους τούτοις τί μιλλίτε πράσιον. ¹⁰ enrolling, ἀπογραφῇ; see note [b] Luke ii. ¹¹ for

the present, τὰ νῦν. ¹² deprist, ἀπόστητε. ¹³ be overthrown, καταλυθήσεται.