Acts 5:38

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

36Remember what happened to Theudas a few years ago. That man told everyone, “I am a very important leader.” As a result, about 400 men joined his group. But then somebody killed him, and all his men went away. Nobody heard any more about them. 37Later, Judas from Galilee appeared at the time when the Romans were making a list of everyone's names. Many people also came to help him fight against the Romans. But somebody killed him. His men also ran away and nothing more happened. Now think about what is happening with these men. I tell you it would be better to leave them alone. Let them go free. If their message only comes from human ideas, all their work will fail. 39But perhaps what they are doing really does come from God himself. If that is true, then you cannot stop them. You might even find that you are fighting against God!’ 40The Jewish leaders agreed with Gamaliel. They told the apostles to come back into the room. They told the police to hit them with whips. Then they said to the apostles, ‘You must not use the authority of Jesus to teach the people.’ After that, they let the apostles go free.

Acts 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

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• nowνῦνnun · nowG3568
• I sayλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• unto youσύsu · youG4771
• Refrainἀφίστημιaphistēmi · to leaveG868
• fromἀπόapo · away fromG575
• theseοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• menἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
• letἐάωeaō · to allowG1439
• themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• forὅτιhoti · that/since: sinceG3754
• ifἐάνean · ifG1437
• counselβουλήboulē · planG1012
• orἤē · orG2228
• workἔργονergon · workG2041
• beεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• ofἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• it will come to noughtκαταλύωkataluō · to destroy/lodgeG2647

Cross-references for Acts 5:38

• Acts 5:35When they had gone, Gamaliel spoke to the group of leaders: ‘Men of Israel! Think carefully about what you want to do to these men.
• John 11:48If we let him do more things like this, everyone will believe in him. Then the Roman rulers will come and punish us. Their soldiers will destroy our temple and even destroy our whole country of Israel.’
• Nehemiah 4:15Our enemies realized that we knew what they had decided to do. God had stopped them from doing what they wanted. So each of us went back to our work on the wall.
• Job 5:12He stops the ideas of clever people. They cannot do what they want to do.
• Psalms 33:10Nations decide what they want to do, but the Lord causes their plans to be useless.
• Proverbs 21:30There is no wisdom, no knowledge and no advice that can win against the Lord.
• Isaiah 7:5The rulers of Syria and Ephraim, as well as Remaliah's son, have made plans to attack you.
• Isaiah 8:9You foreign nations must listen to this! Join together to fight. Shout as you go to battle. But you will never win! You people from countries that are far away, get ready for war. But you will be completely destroyed!
• Isaiah 14:25I will destroy the Assyrians who are in my land. I will knock them down on my mountains. They will no longer be cruel to my people. My people will not be their slaves any more.
• Lamentations 3:37The Lord causes things to happen. Nobody can cause things to happen without him.
• Matthew 15:13Jesus replied, ‘Those Pharisees are like plants that my Father God did not put in the ground. Like a farmer, he will completely pull all those plants out of the ground.
• 1 Corinthians 1:26Christian friends, remember the time when God called you to come to him. Think about what you were like. Not many of you were clever or powerful in the way that people think is good. Not many of you belonged to important families.
• 1 Corinthians 3:19People in this world think that some people are wise. But God thinks that those wise people are fools. It says in the Bible: ‘God causes the clever thoughts of wise people to confuse them.’

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

• Court
• Gamaliel
• Government
• Minister, Christian
• Persecution
• Peter
• Priest
• Prisoners

In the dictionaries

• Doctor
• Gamaliel
• Haply
• Keep
• Lie
• Privy
• Refrain
• Sanhedrim
• Scribes
• Somebody

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