Acts 5:2

Acts 5:2 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
• New International Version (NIV)With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.
• English Standard Version (ESV)and with his wife's knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Context of Acts 5:2

1But there was a man called Ananias among the group of believers. His wife was called Sapphira. Together they sold one of their fields. Ananias gave part of the money that he received to the apostles. But he kept part of the money for himself. Sapphira knew all about what Ananias had done. 3Peter said to Ananias, ‘Ananias, Satan wanted you to tell a lie and you have obeyed him. You have told a lie to the Holy Spirit. That is a bad thing to do! You sold your field, but you did not give us all the money. You kept part of it for yourselves. 4Before you sold the field, it belonged to you. And after you sold the field, the money was yours. You could choose what to do with it. But you chose to do a very bad thing. You did not only tell a lie to us men. You have told a lie to God.’

Acts 5:2 word by word

καὶ ἐνοσφίσατο ἀπὸ τῆς τιμῆς, συνειδυίης καὶ τῆς γυναικός καὶ ἐνέγκας μέρος τι παρὰ τοὺς πόδας τῶν ἀποστόλων ἔθηκεν.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• kept backνοσφίζωnosphizomai · to embezzleG3557
• ofἀπόapo · away fromG575
• the priceὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the priceτιμήtimē · honorG5092
• hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• wifeγυνήgunē · woman: wifeG1135
• being privyσυνείδωsuneidō · be awareG4894
• broughtφέρωpherō̄ · to bear/leadG5342
• a certainτιςtis · oneG5100
• partμέροςmeros · partG3313
• and laidτίθημιtithēmi · to placeG5087
• atπαράpara · from/with/besideG3844
• the apostles’ἀπόστολοςapostolos · apostleG652
• feetπούςpous · footG4228

Cross-references for Acts 5:2

• Joshua 7:11Israel has done a bad thing. They have not obeyed the command of the covenant that I made with them. That have taken for themselves some of the valuable things that belong to me. They have taken them and they have tried to deceive me. They have hidden them among their own things.
• 2 Kings 5:21So Gehazi ran quickly after Naaman before he had gone very far. Naaman saw that a man was running after him. So he got down from his chariot to meet him. Naaman asked Gehazi, ‘Is everything well?’
• Malachi 1:14‘You may promise to offer to me a valuable male animal from among your sheep. But then you change your mind. Instead, you offer to me an animal that has no value. I will surely punish you when you cheat me like that. Remember that I am a great king. People of all nations in the world respect my name with fear.’ That is what the Lord Almighty says.
• Malachi 3:8I say to you, “A man should not rob God. But you are robbing me.” But you ask, “How do we rob you?” I say, “You do not give to me the tithes and the offerings that you should give.”
• John 12:6He did not say this because he really wanted to help the poor people. No, he said it because he wanted the money himself. He kept the bag of money and sometimes he took money from it for himself.
• 1 Timothy 6:10When people like to have lots of money, it causes all kinds of bad things to happen. Some people have stopped believing the message about Christ because they want to get more money. As a result, they have caused themselves to become sad with many troubles.
• 2 Peter 2:14All the time, they are looking for women who will have sex with them. They never stop doing wicked things. They teach people who have weak minds to believe wrong things. They just want more and more things to make themselves happy. God will certainly punish these people, because they are so bad.
• Acts 5:9Peter said to her, ‘It was wrong for you and your husband to do this bad thing. You agreed together to tell a lie to the Holy Spirit of the Lord God. Listen! The men who have just buried your husband are at the door again now. They will carry your body out too.’
• Acts 4:34Everyone had as much as they needed. Some believers had land or houses, which belonged to them. They sold those things and then they took the money to the apostles.
• Matthew 6:2When you give something to a poor person, do not tell anyone about it. The hypocrites do this in their meeting places. They also do it in the busy streets of the town. They do this so that other people will praise them. I tell you this. They have already received their gift. God will not give them anything more.
• Matthew 23:5The Pharisees do things only so that people will see them. They wear little boxes with words from the Bible in them, but they make them really big. They also make the tassels on their clothes very long.
• Philippians 2:3In the way that you live, do not just try to help yourself. Do not be proud. Instead, respect other people. Think about other people as more important than yourself.

Commentaries on Acts 5:2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2Kept 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, , (of what kind we know not), which they had sold. A part of this price, however, they kept back, not being willing to trust entirely to the bounty of Providence…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2And kept back - The word used here means properly “to separate, to part:” and then it means to “separate surreptitiously or clandestinely for our own use” a part of public property, as taxes, etc. It is used but three times in the New Testament, Acts 5:3, and in Titus 2:10, where it is rendered “purloining.” Here it means that they “secretly” kept back a part, while “professedly” devoting all to God. His wife also being privy to it - His wife “knowing…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-11Luke likes to balance a positive example with a negative one. He just shared the remarkable and positive story of Barnabas (4:36–37). Now, Luke shows the opposite behavior of Ananias and Sapphira. This couple desired to earn status in the community and for others to admire them. Ananias did not have to sell his property or give away the money. Their sin was pretending and dishonesty.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-11"The first trace of a shade upon the bright form of the young Church. Probably among the new Christians a kind of holy rivalry had sprung up, every one eager to place his means at the disposal of the apostles" [Olshausen]. Thus might the new-born zeal of some outrun their abiding principle, while others might be tempted to seek credit for a liberality which was not in their character. 2. kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it--The…Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 5:2

• Ananias
• Communism
• Falsehood
• Hypocrisy
• Land
• Peter
• Sapphira
• Vows
• Women

In the dictionaries

• Doctor
• Haply
• Judgments of God
• Keep
• Lie
• Privy
• Refrain
• Sapphira
• Somebody
• Acts of the Apostles

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