Darby Bible
Acts 5:38
38And now I say to you, Withdraw from these men and let them alone, for if this counsel or this work have its origin from men, it will be destroyed;
Acts 5:38 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:
- New International Version (NIV)Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.
- English Standard Version (ESV)So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail;
- New King James Version (NKJV)And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing;
Context of Acts 5:38
36for before these days Theudas rose up, alleging himself to be somebody, to whom a number of men, about four hundred, were joined; who was slain, and all, as many as obeyed him, were dispersed and came to nothing. 37After him rose Judas the Galilean in the days of the census, and drew away [a number of] people after him; and he perished, and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered abroad. And now I say to you, Withdraw from these men and let them alone, for if this counsel or this work have its origin from men, it will be destroyed; 39but if it be from God, ye will not be able to put them down, lest ye be found also fighters against God. 40And they listened to his advice; and having called the apostles, they beat them, and enjoined them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and dismissed them.
Read all of Acts 5Acts 5:38 word by word
καὶ τὰ νῦν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἀπόστητε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τούτων καὶ ἄφετε αὐτούς, ὅτι ἐὰν ᾖ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἡ βουλὴ αὕτη ἢ τὸ ἔργον τοῦτο, καταλυθήσεται·Read the interlinear
Cross-references for Acts 5:38
- Acts 5:35and said to them, Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves as regards these men what ye are going to do;
- John 11:48If we let him thus alone, all will believe on him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.
- Nehemiah 4:15And it came to pass that when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had defeated their counsel, we returned all of us to the wall, every one to his work.
- Job 5:12He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, and their hands carry not out the enterprise.
- Psalms 33:10Jehovah frustrateth the counsel of the nations; he maketh the thoughts of the peoples of none effect.
- Proverbs 21:30There is no wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel against Jehovah.
- Isaiah 7:5Inasmuch as Syria hath taken evil counsel against thee, Ephraim [also] and the son of Remaliah, saying,
- Isaiah 8:9Rage, ye peoples, and be broken in pieces! And give ear, all ye distant parts of the earth: Gird yourselves, and be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and be broken in pieces!
- Isaiah 14:25to break the Assyrian in my land; and upon my mountains will I tread him under foot; and his yoke shall depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.
- Lamentations 3:37Who is he that saith, and there cometh to pass, what the Lord hath not commanded?
- Matthew 15:13But he answering said, Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted shall be rooted up.
- 1 Corinthians 1:26For consider your calling, brethren, that [there are] not many wise according to flesh, not many powerful, not many high-born.
- 1 Corinthians 3:19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God; for it is written, He who takes the wise in their craftiness.
Commentaries on Acts 5:38
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 38Refrain 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.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 38Refrain from these men - Cease to oppose them or to threaten them. The “reason” why he advised this he immediately adds, that if it were of human origin, it would come to nothing; if of God, they could not overthrow it. This counsel or this work be of men - This plan or purpose. If the apostles had originated it for the purposes of imposture. It will come to nought - Gamaliel “inferred” that from the two instances which he specified. They had been…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 34-42Verses 34-42 The Lord still has all hearts in his hands, and sometimes directs the prudence of the worldly wise, so as to restrain the persecutors. Common sense tells us to be cautious, while experience and observation show that the success of frauds in matters of religion has been very short. Reproach for Christ is true preferment, as it makes us conformable to his pattern, and serviceable to his interest. They rejoiced in it. If we suffer ill for doing…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 33-40God once again stopped the plans of the Jewish leaders to silence the apostles. This time, he did so through the advice of Gamaliel.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 35-3935-39. Theudas--not the same with a deceiver of that name whom Josephus mentions as heading an insurrection some twelve years after this [Antiquities, 20.5.1], but some other of whom he makes no mention. Such insurrections were frequent.Read the comment
Topics related to Acts 5:38
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Acts 5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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