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The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Acts 5:5

On hearing these words, Ananias fell down and died. And great fear came over all who heard what had happened.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ananias;   Communism;   Death;   Falsehood;   Ghost;   Hypocrisy;   Land;   Miracles;   Peter;   Sapphira;   Vows;   Women;   Thompson Chain Reference - Bible Stories for Children;   Capital Punishment;   Children;   Death Penalty;   Home;   Miracles;   Penalty, Death;   Peter;   Pleasant Sunday Afternoons;   Punishment;   Religion;   Stories for Children;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Covetousness;   Death of the Wicked, the;   Hypocrites;   Judgments;   Lying;   Miracles Wrought through Servants of God;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Ananias;   Discerning of Spirits;   Miracle;   Peter;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Apostle;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Collection;   Discipline;   Disease;   Lie, Lying;   Money;   Punishment;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Covetousness;   Judgments of God;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Ananias;   Judgments of God;   Sapphira;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Discerning of Spirits;   Hymenaeus;   Pelatiah;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Acts;   Ananias;   Death;   Excommunication;   Ghost;   Holy;   Hypocrisy;   Peter;   Unity;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Mark, Gospel According to;   Miracles;   Peter;   Sadducees;   Scribes;   Spiritual Gifts;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Ananias ;   Discipline;   Evil (2);   Lazarus;   Miracles;   Peter;   Timothy and Titus Epistles to;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ananias ;   Ghost;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Ananias;   Chief parables and miracles in the bible;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Anani'as;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ananias (1);   Burial;   Covetousness;   Excommunication;   Ghost;   Lie;   Papyrus;   Peter, the First Epistle of;   Sapphira;   Text and Manuscripts of the New Testament;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Ananias;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Didascalia;  

Devotionals:

- Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life - Devotion for April 12;  

Parallel Translations

Simplified Cowboy Version
When Ananias heard what Pete said, he collapsed and died. Everyone who heard about what happened was scared to death.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it.
Legacy Standard Bible
And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard.
Bible in Basic English
And at these words, Ananias went down on the earth, and his life went from him: and great fear came on all who were present.
Darby Translation
And Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and expired. And great fear came upon all who heard [it].
New King James Version
Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things.
Christian Standard Bible®
When he heard these words, Ananias dropped dead, and a great fear came on all who heard.
World English Bible
Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and died. Great fear came on all who heard these things.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And Ananias hearing these words, fell down and expired; and great fear came on all that heard these things.
Weymouth's New Testament
Upon hearing these words Ananias fell down dead, and all who heard the words were awe-struck.
King James Version (1611)
And Ananias hearing these words, fell downe, and gaue vp the ghost: and great feare came on all them that heard these things.
Literal Translation
And hearing these words, Ananias fell down and expired. And great fear came on all those hearing these things.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Whan Ananias herde these wordes, he fell downe, & gaue vp the goost. And there came a greate feare vpon all the that herde of this.
Mace New Testament (1729)
at these words Ananias fell down dead upon the spot: which struck the minds of all that heard of it with great dread.
THE MESSAGE
Ananias, when he heard those words, fell down dead. That put the fear of God into everyone who heard of it. The younger men went right to work and wrapped him up, then carried him out and buried him.
Amplified Bible
And hearing these words, Ananias fell down suddenly and died; and great fear and awe gripped those who heard of it.
American Standard Version
And Ananias hearing these words fell down and gave up the ghost: and great fear came upon all that heard it.
Revised Standard Version
When Anani'as heard these words, he fell down and died. And great fear came upon all who heard of it.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
When Ananias herde these wordes. he fell doune and gave vp the goost. And great feare came on all the that these thinges hearde.
Update Bible Version
And Ananias hearing these words fell down and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all that heard it.
Webster's Bible Translation
And Ananias hearing these words, fell down, and expired. And great fear came on all them that heard these things.
Young's Literal Translation
and Ananias hearing these words, having fallen down, did expire, and great fear came upon all who heard these things,
New Century Version
When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. Some young men came in, wrapped up his body, carried it out, and buried it. And everyone who heard about this was filled with fear.
New English Translation
When Ananias heard these words he collapsed and died, and great fear gripped all who heard about it.
Contemporary English Version
As soon as Ananias heard this, he dropped dead, and everyone who heard about it was frightened.
Complete Jewish Bible
On hearing these words, Hananyah fell down dead; and everyone who heard about it was terrified.
English Standard Version
When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Now when Ananias heard these wordes, he fell downe, and gaue vp the ghost. Then great feare came on all them that heard these things.
George Lamsa Translation
And when An-a-ni''as heard these words, he fell down and died; and great fear came upon all of those who heard these things.
Hebrew Names Version
Hananyah, hearing these words, fell down and died. Great fear came on all who heard these things.
International Standard Version
When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died. And great fear seized everyone who heard about it.Acts 5:10-11;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
And when Hanania heard these words he fell and died. And there was great fear upon all those who heard.
Murdock Translation
And when Ananias heard these words, he fell down, and died. And great fear was upon all them that heard [fn] .
New Living Translation
As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified.
New Life Bible
When Ananias heard these words, he fell down dead. Much fear came on all those who heard what was done.
English Revised Version
And Ananias hearing these words fell down and gave up the ghost: and great fear came upon all that heard it.
New Revised Standard
Now when Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard of it.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, as Ananias heard these words, he fell, and expired. And there came great fear upon all that heard;
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and gave up the ghost. And there came great fear upon all that heard it.
King James Version
And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
Lexham English Bible
And when Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died. And great fear came on all those who heard about it.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
When Ananias hearde these wordes, he fell downe, and gaue vp the ghost. And great feare came on all them that hearde these thynges.
Easy-to-Read Version
When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. Some young men came and wrapped his body. They carried it out and buried it. And everyone who heard about this was filled with fear.
New American Standard Bible
And as he heard these words, Ananias collapsed and died; and great fear came over all who heard about it.
Good News Translation
As soon as Ananias heard this, he fell down dead; and all who heard about it were terrified.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Anany herde these wordis, and felde doun, and was deed. And greet drede was maad on alle that herden.

Contextual Overview

1Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2With his wife's full knowledge, he kept back some of the proceeds for himself, but brought a portion and laid it at the apostles' feet. 3Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and withhold some of the proceeds from the land? 4Did it not belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? How could you conceive such a deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God!" 5On hearing these words, Ananias fell down and died. And great fear came over all who heard what had happened.6Then the young men stepped forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. 7About three hours later his wife also came in, unaware of what had happened. 8"Tell me," said Peter, "is this the price you and your husband got for the land?" "Yes," she answered, "that is the price." 9"How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord?" Peter replied. "Look, the feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also." 10At that instant she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and found her dead. So they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

hearing: Acts 5:10, Acts 5:11, Acts 13:11, Numbers 16:26-33, 2 Kings 1:10-14, 2 Kings 2:24, Jeremiah 5:14, 1 Corinthians 4:21, 2 Corinthians 10:2-6, 2 Corinthians 13:2, 2 Corinthians 13:10, Revelation 11:5

great: Acts 5:11, Acts 5:13, Acts 2:43, Leviticus 10:3, Numbers 16:34, Numbers 17:12, Numbers 17:13, Deuteronomy 13:11, Deuteronomy 21:21, Joshua 22:20, 1 Samuel 6:19-21, 1 Chronicles 13:12, 1 Chronicles 15:13, Psalms 64:9, Psalms 119:120, 2 Corinthians 7:11, Revelation 11:13

Reciprocal: Genesis 25:8 - gave Exodus 19:22 - break Exodus 30:20 - die not Leviticus 10:2 - they died 1 Samuel 28:19 - and to morrow 2 Kings 5:27 - leprosy Proverbs 21:11 - the scorner Ecclesiastes 7:17 - why Ezekiel 11:13 - when Luke 1:65 - fear Luke 7:16 - a fear Acts 19:17 - and fear Galatians 5:12 - cut 1 Timothy 5:20 - that others 1 Timothy 6:9 - which Revelation 11:11 - great

Cross-References

Genesis 3:19
By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground-because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return."
Genesis 5:7
And after he had become the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:8
So Seth lived a total of 912 years, and then he died.
Genesis 5:10
And after he had become the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:11
So Enosh lived a total of 905 years, and then he died.
Genesis 5:12
When Kenan was 70 years old, he became the father of Mahalaleel.
Genesis 5:14
So Kenan lived a total of 910 years, and then he died.
Genesis 5:21
When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah.
Genesis 5:22
And after he had become the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:32
After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Ananias hearing these words,.... Of Peter's; by which he found his sin was detected, and by which he was convicted of it: and which set forth the evil nature of it, with its aggravated circumstances; and such power went along with them, and they cut so deep, as that immediately

he fell down and gave up the ghost; which is an instance of what the Jews call death by the hand of heaven: and this was done either by an angel; or rather by an extraordinary gift bestowed on Peter, being such an one as the Apostle Paul had, and used, when he smote Elymas the sorcerer with blindness, and delivered the incestuous person, and Alexander and Hymeneus to Satan.

And great fear came upon all them that heard these things; both upon the members of the church, and so was of service to make them careful of their words and actions, and cautious and circumspect in their lives and conversations; and upon those that were without, and might be a means of making them fearful of speaking against them, or mocking at them, or of joining themselves to them, without being thoroughly satistied that they should, and had a right, and were meet for it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And Ananias, hearing these words ... - Seeing that his guilt was known, and being charged with the enormous crime of attempting to deceive God. He had not expected to be thus exposed; and it is clear that the exposure and the charge came upon him unexpectedly and terribly, like a bolt of thunder.

Fell down - Greek: Having fallen down.

Gave up the ghost - This is an unhappy translation. The original means simply “he expired,” or “he died.” Compare the notes on Matthew 27:50. This remarkable fact may be accounted for in this way:

  1. It is evidently to be regarded as a “judgment” of God for the sin of Ananias and his wife. It was not the act of Peter, but of God, and was clearly designed to show his abhorrence of this sin. See remarks on Acts 5:11.

(2)Though it was the act of God, yet it does not follow that it was not in connection with the usual laws by which he governs people, or that he did not make use of natural means to do it. The sin was one of great aggravation. It was suddenly and unexpectedly detected. The fast that it was known, and the solemn charge that he had “lied unto God,” struck him with horror. His conscience would reprove him for the enormity of his crime, and overwhelm him at the memory of his wickedness. These circumstances may be sufficient to account for this remarkable event. It has occurred in other cases that the consciousness of crime, or the fact of being suddenly detected, has given such a shock to the frame that it has never recovered from it. The effect “commonly” is that the memory of guilt preys secretly and silently upon the frame, until, worn out with the lack of rest and peace, it sinks exhausted into the grave. But there have not been missing instances where the shock has been so great as to destroy the vital powers at once, and plunge the wretched man, like Ananias, into eternity. It is not at all improbable that the shock in the case of Ananias was so great as at once to take his life.

Great fear came ... - Such a striking and awful judgment on insincerity and hypocrisy was suited to excite awful emotions among the people. Sudden death always does it; but sudden death in immediate connection with crime is suited much more deeply to affect the mind.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Acts 5:5. Fell down, and gave up the ghost — πεσων εξεψυξε, Falling down, he expired, breathed his last: "Gave up the ghost" is a very improper translation here. Genesis 25:8, and Matthew 27:50. Two things may be remarked here:

1. That the sin of this person was of no ordinary magnitude, else God would not have visited it with so signal a punishment.

2. That Peter must have had the power to discern the state of the heart, else he had not known the perfidy of Ananias. This power, commonly called the discernment of spirits, the apostles had as a particular gift, not probably always but at select times, when God saw it necessary for the good of his Church.


 
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