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Tuesday, October 8th, 2024
the Week of Proper 22 / Ordinary 27
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The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Acts 5:38

So in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone. Let them go! For if their purpose or endeavor is of human origin, it will fail.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Court;   Gamaliel;   Government;   Minister, Christian;   Persecution;   Peter;   Priest;   Prisoners;   Scofield Reference Index - Satan;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Courts of Justice;   Prudence;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Gamaliel;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Pharisees;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Covetousness;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Gamaliel;   Sanhedrim;   Scribes;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Paul;   Simeon;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Acts;   Apostles;   Crimes and Punishments;   Hebrews;   Persecution in the Bible;   Sanhedrin;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Gamaliel;   Mark, Gospel According to;   Peter;   Sadducees;   Sanhedrin;   Scribes;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Forgiveness;   Gamaliel ;   Heaven ;   Samaria, Samaritans;   Will;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Sanhedrin or Sanhedrim;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Pharisees;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Gamaliel;   Nought;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Pharisees;  

Parallel Translations

Simplified Cowboy Version
So this is what I'm saying, leave these cowboys be. Just leave them alone. If they are charlatans, their human efforts will fail.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown;
Legacy Standard Bible
So in the present case, I also say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown;
Bible in Basic English
And now I say to you, Do nothing to these men, but let them be: for if this teaching or this work is of men, it will come to nothing:
Darby Translation
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;
New King James Version
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;
Christian Standard Bible®
And now, I tell you, stay away from these men and leave them alone. For if this plan or this work is of men, it will be overthrown;
World English Bible
Now I tell you, refrain from these men, and leave them alone. For if this counsel or this work is of men, it will be overthrown.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And now I say to you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone; for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought.
Weymouth's New Testament
And now I tell you to hold aloof from these men and leave them alone--for if this scheme or work is of human origin, it will come to nothing.
King James Version (1611)
And now I say vnto you, refraine from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsell or this worke be of men, it will come to nought.
Literal Translation
And now I say to you, draw away from these men and permit them; because if this counsel is of men, or this work, it will be destroyed.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And now I saye vnto you: refrayne yor selues fro these men, and let the go. Yf this councell or worke be of me, it wil come to naught:
Mace New Testament (1729)
my opinion therefore is, not to meddle with these men, but to let them go on: for if the design be a human project, it will fall of it self. but if it be from God,
THE MESSAGE
"So I am telling you: Hands off these men! Let them alone. If this program or this work is merely human, it will fall apart, but if it is of God, there is nothing you can do about it—and you better not be found fighting against God!"
Amplified Bible
"So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men [merely human in origin], it will fail and be destroyed;
American Standard Version
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 be overthrown:
Revised Standard Version
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 men, it will fail;
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And now I saye vnto you: refrayne youre selves from these men let them alone. For yf ye cousell or this worke be of men it will come to nought.
Update Bible Version
And now I say to you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work is of men, it will be overthrown:
Webster's Bible Translation
And now I say to you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work is from men, it will come to naught:
Young's Literal Translation
and now I say to you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone, because if this counsel or this work may be of men, it will be overthrown,
New Century Version
And so now I tell you: Stay away from these men, and leave them alone. If their plan comes from human authority, it will fail.
New English Translation
So in this case I say to you, stay away from these men and leave them alone, because if this plan or this undertaking originates with people, it will come to nothing,
Contemporary English Version
So I advise you to stay away from these men. Leave them alone. If what they are planning is something of their own doing, it will fail.
Complete Jewish Bible
So in the present case, my advice to you is not to interfere with these people, but to leave them alone. For if this idea or this movement has a human origin, it will collapse.
English Standard Version
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;
Geneva Bible (1587)
And nowe I say vnto you, Refraine your selues from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsell, or this worke be of men, it will come to nought:
George Lamsa Translation
So now I tell you, Keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this thought and this work is of men, it will fail and pass away.
Hebrew Names Version
Now I tell you, refrain from these men, and leave them alone. For if this counsel or this work is of men, it will be overthrown.
International Standard Version
"I'm telling you to keep away from these men for now. Leave them alone, because if this plan or movement is of human origin, it will fail.Proverbs 21:30; Isaiah 8:10; Matthew 15:13;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
And now I say to you, keep aloof from these men, and dismiss them; for if from men be this imagination [fn] and this work, it will be dissolved and end;
Murdock Translation
And now, I say to you: Desist from these men, and let them lone. For if this device and this work originate from men, they will dissolve and come to nothing.
New Living Translation
"So my advice is, leave these men alone. Let them go. If they are planning and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown.
New Life Bible
I say to you now, stay away from these men and leave them alone. If this teaching and work is from men, it will come to nothing.
English Revised Version
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 be overthrown:
New Revised Standard
So in the present case, I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone; because if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail;
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Now, therefore, I say unto you - stand aloof from these men, and let them alone; because if, of men, be this project or this work, it will be overthrown, -
Douay-Rheims Bible
And now, therefore, I say to you: Refrain from these men and let them alone. For if this council or this work be of men, it will come to nought:
King James Version
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:
Lexham English Bible
And now I tell you, keep away from these men, and leave them alone, because if this plan or this matter is from people, it will be overthrown.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And nowe I saye vnto you, refrayne your selues fro these men, and let them alone: For yf this counsell or this worke be of men, it wyll come to naught.
Easy-to-Read Version
And so now I tell you, stay away from these men. Leave them alone. If their plan is something they thought up, it will fail.
New American Standard Bible
"And so in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and leave them alone, for if the source of this plan or movement is men, it will be overthrown;
Good News Translation
And so in this case, I tell you, do not take any action against these men. Leave them alone! If what they have planned and done is of human origin, it will disappear,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And now therfor Y seie to you, departe ye fro these men, and suffre ye hem; for if this counsel ether werk is of men, it schal be vndon;

Contextual Overview

26At that point, the captain went with the officers and brought the apostles-but not by force, for fear the people would stone them. 27They brought them in and made them stand before the Sanhedrin, where the high priest interrogated them. 28"We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name," he said. "Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us responsible for this man's blood." 29But Peter and the other apostles replied, "We must obey God rather than men. 30The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging Him on a tree. 31God exalted Him to His right hand as Prince and Savior, in order to grant repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. 32We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him." 33When the Council members heard this, they were enraged and wanted to put the apostles to death. 34But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a short time. 35"Men of Israel," he said, "consider carefully what you are about to do to these men.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Refrain: Acts 5:35, John 11:48

for: Nehemiah 4:15, Job 5:12-14, Psalms 33:10, Psalms 33:11, Proverbs 21:30, Isaiah 7:5-7, Isaiah 8:9, Isaiah 8:10, Isaiah 14:25, Lamentations 3:37, Matthew 15:13, 1 Corinthians 1:26-28, 1 Corinthians 3:19

Reciprocal: Genesis 31:29 - Take 1 Samuel 17:36 - seeing Ezra 6:7 - Let the work Ezra 6:12 - destroy Nehemiah 6:16 - for they perceived Psalms 65:8 - afraid Proverbs 19:21 - nevertheless Matthew 7:20 - General John 9:33 - were

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And now I say unto you,.... This is the sum of my advice upon the observation of these and other instances:

refrain from these men, and let them alone; keep your hands off of them, do not attempt to take away their lives, but dismiss them quietly, nor go about to hinder them, in what they are concerned:

for if this counsel, or this work be of men; if the doctrine these men preach is an human device; or this business they are engaged in is only an human affair, projected by men, and carried on upon selfish principles, and worldly views, seeking only themselves, and their secular interests, and not the glory of God:

it will come to nought; as did the designs of Theudas and Judas.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Refrain 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 suppressed without the interference of the Sanhedrin; and he inferred that “this” would also die away if it was a human device. It will be remembered that this is the mere advice of Gamaliel, who was not inspired, and that this opinion should not be adduced to guide us, except as it was an instance of great shrewdness and prudence. It is doubtless right to oppose error in the proper way and with the proper temper, not with arms, or vituperation, or with the civil power, but with argument and kind entreaty. But the sentiment of Gamaliel is full of wisdom in regard to error. For:

(1) The very way to exalt error into notice, and to confirm people in it, is to oppose it in a harsh, authoritative, and unkind manner.

(2) Error, if left alone, will often die away itself. The interest of people in it will often cease as soon as it ceases to be opposed; and, having nothing to fan the flame, it will expire. It is not so with truth.

(3) In this respect the remark may be applied to the Christian religion. It has stood too long, and in too many circumstances of prosperity and adversity, to be of human origin. It has been subjected to all trials from its pretended friends and real foes; and it still lives as vigorous and flourishing as ever. Kingdoms have changed; empires have risen and fallen since Gamaliel spoke this; systems of opinion and belief have had their day, and expired; but the preservation of the Christian religion, unchanged through so many revolutions, and in so many fiery trials, shows that it is not of men, but of God. The argument for the divine origin of the Christian religion from its perpetuity is one that can be applied to no other system that has been, or that now exists. For Christianity has been opposed in every form. It confers no temporal conquests, and appeals to no base and strong native passions. The Muslim faith is supported by the sword and the state; paganism relies on the arm of the civil power and the terrors of superstition, and is sustained by all the corrupt passions of people; atheism and infidelity have been short-lived, varying in their forms, dying today, and tomorrow starting up in a new form; never organized, consolidated, or pure; and never tending to promote the peace or happiness of people. Christianity, without arms or human power, has lived, keeping on its steady and triumphant movement among people, regardless alike of the opposition of its foes, and of the treachery of its pretended friends. If the opinion of Gamaliel was just, it is from God; and the Jews particularly should regard as important an argument derived from the opinion of one of the wisest of their ancient rabbis.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 38. Refrain 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 honour, and avenge himself.


 
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