1
Ἀνὴρ δέ τις Ἁνανίας ὀνόματι σὺν Σαπφίρῃ τῇ γυναικὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπώλησεν κτῆμα
But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a property,
2
καὶ ἐνοσφίσατο ἀπὸ τῆς τιμῆς, συνειδυίης καὶ τῆς ⸀γυναικός, καὶ ἐνέγκας μέρος τι παρὰ τοὺς πόδας τῶν ἀποστόλων ἔθηκεν.
and kept back part of the price for himself, his wife also knowing of it; and bringing a certain part, he placed it at the feet of the apostles.
Why this rendering
Acts.5.2 Observation
Syntactic observation
ἐνοσφίσατο, kept back for himself, is the word of the Septuagint at Joshua 7:1 — Achan, who kept back (ἐνοσφίσαντο) from the devoted things and brought disaster on Israel. In the New Testament it occurs only here, twice (vv.2, 3), and at Titus 2:10. Luke writes the first church's first sin with Achan's word. And 4:37 is the frame of this verse — Barnabas sold a field and brought the money and placed it at the feet of the apostles; Ananias sold a property … and bringing a certain part, placed it at the feet of the apostles: same verbs, same place. What differs is only μέρος τι, a certain part. The author's placing of the two stories side by side is itself the verdict.
Rendering options · 1
Adopted “kept back for himself”
Basis νοσφίζομαι in the middle voice is to pocket, to appropriate on the sly — neither hide (κρύπτω) nor steal (κλέπτω).
3
εἶπεν δὲ ⸀ὁ Πέτρος· Ἁνανία, διὰ τί ἐπλήρωσεν ὁ Σατανᾶς τὴν καρδίαν σου, ψεύσασθαί σε τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον καὶ ⸀νοσφίσασθαι ἀπὸ τῆς τιμῆς τοῦ χωρίου;
But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart, so that you lied to the Holy Spirit and kept back part of the price of the land?
first here Peter Πέτρος Petros
first here Satan Σατανᾶς Satanas
Why this rendering
Acts.5.3 Observation
Syntactic observation
ἐπλήρωσεν ὁ Σατανᾶς τὴν καρδίαν σου — Satan filled your heart. The same verb (πίμπλημι at 2:4, they were filled with the Holy Spirit; 4:31) had the Spirit as filler; the owner of the filled heart divides in two. Luke 22:3 had Satan enter Judas (εἰσῆλθεν); John 13:2 had him put it into the heart — here he fills. V.3 ψεύσασθαί σε τὸ πνεῦμα (lied to the Holy Spirit — accusative) and v.4 οὐκ ἐψεύσω ἀνθρώποις ἀλλὰ τῷ θεῷ (not to men but to God — dative) are two case-constructions of one verb ψεύδομαι. To lie to the Spirit = to lie to God: the equation between the two verses is the theology of the story. πειράσαι τὸ πνεῦμα κυρίου (v.9, to test the Spirit of the Lord) is the wilderness word (Luke 4:12, you shall not test the Lord your God).
Rendering options · 1
Adopted “filled” — for both πληρόω and πίμπλημι
Basis The two verbs mean the same and the author's use of πληρόω for Satan and πίμπλημι for the Spirit looks incidental; both are rendered filled, and the difference recorded as a loss.
Lost in translation
That πληρόω (Satan filling) and πίμπλημι (filled with the Spirit) are different verbs — one English filled hides the split.
this edition — none of the nine carries it (measured)
4
οὐχὶ μένον σοὶ ἔμενεν καὶ πραθὲν ἐν τῇ σῇ ἐξουσίᾳ ὑπῆρχεν; τί ὅτι ἔθου ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου τὸ πρᾶγμα τοῦτο; οὐκ ἐψεύσω ἀνθρώποις ἀλλὰ τῷ θεῷ.
While it remained, did it not remain yours? And when sold, was it not in your authority? Why is it that you set this thing in your heart? You did not lie to men but to God.”
5
ἀκούων δὲ ὁ Ἁνανίας τοὺς λόγους τούτους πεσὼν ἐξέψυξεν· καὶ ἐγένετο φόβος μέγας ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς ⸀ἀκούοντας.
And hearing these words Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came upon all who heard.
6
ἀναστάντες δὲ οἱ νεώτεροι συνέστειλαν αὐτὸν καὶ ἐξενέγκαντες ἔθαψαν.
And the young men rose, wrapped him up, and carrying him out they buried him.
7
Ἐγένετο δὲ ὡς ὡρῶν τριῶν διάστημα καὶ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ μὴ εἰδυῖα τὸ γεγονὸς εἰσῆλθεν.
And it came to pass, after an interval of about three hours, that his wife, not knowing what had happened, came in.
8
ἀπεκρίθη δὲ ⸂πρὸς αὐτὴν⸃ ⸀Πέτρος· Εἰπέ μοι, εἰ τοσούτου τὸ χωρίον ἀπέδοσθε; ἡ δὲ εἶπεν· Ναί, τοσούτου.
And Peter answered her, “Tell me, did you sell the land for so much?” And she said, “Yes, for so much.”
9
ὁ δὲ ⸀Πέτρος πρὸς αὐτήν· Τί ὅτι συνεφωνήθη ὑμῖν πειράσαι τὸ πνεῦμα κυρίου; ἰδοὺ οἱ πόδες τῶν θαψάντων τὸν ἄνδρα σου ἐπὶ τῇ θύρᾳ καὶ ἐξοίσουσίν σε.
But Peter said to her, “Why is it that you agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”
10
ἔπεσεν δὲ παραχρῆμα ⸀πρὸς τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐξέψυξεν· εἰσελθόντες δὲ οἱ νεανίσκοι εὗρον αὐτὴν νεκράν, καὶ ἐξενέγκαντες ἔθαψαν πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα αὐτῆς.
And she fell at once at his feet and breathed her last; and the young men, coming in, found her dead, and carrying her out they buried her beside her husband.
11
καὶ ἐγένετο φόβος μέγας ἐφ’ ὅλην τὴν ἐκκλησίαν καὶ ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς ἀκούοντας ταῦτα.
And great fear came upon the whole assembly and upon all who heard these things.
Why this rendering
Acts.5.11 Observation
Syntactic observation
ἐκκλησία appears in Acts for the first time. This edition fixed the word as assembly at Matt 16:18 and 18:17 — so as not to read a later institutional name, church, back into the text. Acts uses it twenty-three times, and at 19:32, 39, 41 it is the riotous assembly of Ephesus, a civic gathering — the same word naming the Christian gathering and the city meeting, so one rendering must serve both for the overlap to show. φόβος μέγας, great fear, repeated at v.5 and v.11, binds the two deaths in one frame — the pattern of Luke 1:65 and 7:16, fear came upon. The first summary's fear upon every life (2:43) narrows here to the whole assembly.
Rendering options · 2
Adopted “assembly” — as fixed at Matt 16:18
Basis It must be the same word as the Ephesian gathering of Acts 19. Church cannot be used there, so it is not used here.
“church”
Basis The rendering of every traditional version.
Rejected An institutional name. It cannot serve the civic riot of 19:32, and splitting one word into two renderings hides that the author used one.
12
Διὰ δὲ τῶν χειρῶν τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐγίνετο σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα ⸂πολλὰ ἐν τῷ λαῷ⸃· καὶ ἦσαν ὁμοθυμαδὸν ⸀ἅπαντες ἐν τῇ Στοᾷ Σολομῶντος·
And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were happening among the people; and they were all with one mind in Solomon’s Portico.
13
τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν οὐδεὶς ἐτόλμα κολλᾶσθαι αὐτοῖς, ἀλλ’ ἐμεγάλυνεν αὐτοὺς ὁ λαός,
But of the rest no one dared to be joined to them; yet the people magnified them,
14
μᾶλλον δὲ προσετίθεντο πιστεύοντες τῷ κυρίῳ πλήθη ἀνδρῶν τε καὶ γυναικῶν·
and all the more were believers in the Lord added, multitudes both of men and of women,
15
ὥστε ⸂καὶ εἰς⸃ τὰς πλατείας ἐκφέρειν τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς καὶ τιθέναι ἐπὶ ⸀κλιναρίων καὶ κραβάττων, ἵνα ἐρχομένου Πέτρου κἂν ἡ σκιὰ ⸀ἐπισκιάσῃ τινὶ αὐτῶν.
so that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on small beds and mats, so that as Peter came by even his shadow might overshadow some of them.
Why this rendering
Acts.5.15 Observation
Syntactic observation
κλιναρίων καὶ κραβάττων — small beds and mats. κλινάριον, small bed, is unique in the New Testament, a diminutive of κλίνη, bed; κράβαττος, mat, is the paralytic's mat of Mark 2 and John 5. This edition kept κλίνη, κλινίδιον and κράβαττος apart in the Gospels as bed, small couch and mat, and here a fourth word joins them. The noun σκιά, shadow, stands in one verse with its cognate verb ἐπισκιάζω, to overshadow — Luke 1:35 (the power of the Most High will overshadow you) and 9:34 (the cloud overshadowed them): the verb of Peter's shadow is the verb of the Spirit and the cloud.
Rendering options · 1
Adopted “small beds and mats”
Basis κράβαττος = mat, as fixed. κλινάριον, diminutive of κλίνη, is small bed; Luke's κλινίδιον was small couch, so the two diminutives stay distinct.
Lost in translation
That σκιά, shadow, and ἐπισκιάζω, overshadow, share a root — English keeps it: shadow / overshadow.
Survives in · this edition — 1 of the nine carry it (this language among them)
16
συνήρχετο δὲ καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν πέριξ ⸀πόλεων Ἰερουσαλήμ, φέροντες ἀσθενεῖς καὶ ὀχλουμένους ὑπὸ πνευμάτων ἀκαθάρτων, οἵτινες ἐθεραπεύοντο ἅπαντες.
And the multitude from the cities around Jerusalem also came together, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.
first here Jerusalem Ἰερουσαλήμ Ierousalēm
17
Ἀναστὰς δὲ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς καὶ πάντες οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ, ἡ οὖσα αἵρεσις τῶν Σαδδουκαίων, ἐπλήσθησαν ζήλου
But the high priest rose up, and all those with him — that is, the sect of the Sadducees — and they were filled with jealousy,
first here Sadducees Σαδδουκαῖος Saddoukaios
18
καὶ ἐπέβαλον τὰς ⸀χεῖρας ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀποστόλους καὶ ἔθεντο αὐτοὺς ἐν τηρήσει δημοσίᾳ.
and they laid hands on the apostles and put them in public custody.
19
ἄγγελος δὲ κυρίου ⸀διὰ νυκτὸς ⸀ἤνοιξε τὰς θύρας τῆς φυλακῆς ἐξαγαγών τε αὐτοὺς εἶπεν·
But an angel of the Lord during the night opened the doors of the prison, and leading them out said,
20
Πορεύεσθε καὶ σταθέντες λαλεῖτε ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ τῷ λαῷ πάντα τὰ ῥήματα τῆς ζωῆς ταύτης.
“Go, and standing in the temple speak to the people all the words of this life.”
21
ἀκούσαντες δὲ εἰσῆλθον ὑπὸ τὸν ὄρθρον εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν καὶ ἐδίδασκον. Παραγενόμενος δὲ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ συνεκάλεσαν τὸ συνέδριον καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γερουσίαν τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ, καὶ ἀπέστειλαν εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἀχθῆναι αὐτούς.
And having heard, they entered the temple at dawn and were teaching. Now when the high priest arrived, and those with him, they called together the council and all the senate of the sons of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.
first here Israel Ἰσραήλ Israēl
22
οἱ δὲ ⸂παραγενόμενοι ὑπηρέται⸃ οὐχ εὗρον αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ, ἀναστρέψαντες δὲ ἀπήγγειλαν
But the officers who arrived did not find them in the prison, and returning they reported,
23
λέγοντες ὅτι ⸀Τὸ δεσμωτήριον εὕρομεν κεκλεισμένον ἐν πάσῃ ἀσφαλείᾳ καὶ τοὺς φύλακας ἑστῶτας ⸀ἐπὶ τῶν θυρῶν, ἀνοίξαντες δὲ ἔσω οὐδένα εὕρομεν.
saying, “We found the prison locked in all security and the guards standing at the doors, but on opening it we found no one inside.”
24
ὡς δὲ ἤκουσαν τοὺς λόγους τούτους ὅ ⸀τε στρατηγὸς τοῦ ἱεροῦ καὶ οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς, διηπόρουν περὶ αὐτῶν τί ἂν γένοιτο τοῦτο.
Now when the officer of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were at a loss about them, what this might come to.
25
παραγενόμενος δέ τις ἀπήγγειλεν αὐτοῖς ὅτι Ἰδοὺ οἱ ἄνδρες οὓς ἔθεσθε ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ εἰσὶν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ ἑστῶτες καὶ διδάσκοντες τὸν λαόν.
But someone arrived and reported to them, “Behold, the men whom you put in the prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.”
26
τότε ἀπελθὼν ὁ στρατηγὸς σὺν τοῖς ὑπηρέταις ⸀ἤγαγεν αὐτούς, οὐ μετὰ βίας, ἐφοβοῦντο γὰρ τὸν λαόν, ⸀μὴ λιθασθῶσιν.
Then the officer went with the officers and brought them, not with violence, for they feared the people, lest they be stoned.
27
Ἀγαγόντες δὲ αὐτοὺς ἔστησαν ἐν τῷ συνεδρίῳ. καὶ ἐπηρώτησεν αὐτοὺς ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς
And having brought them, they set them in the council. And the high priest questioned them,
28
⸀λέγων· Παραγγελίᾳ παρηγγείλαμεν ὑμῖν μὴ διδάσκειν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τούτῳ, καὶ ἰδοὺ πεπληρώκατε τὴν Ἰερουσαλὴμ τῆς διδαχῆς ὑμῶν, καὶ βούλεσθε ἐπαγαγεῖν ἐφ’ ἡμᾶς τὸ αἷμα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τούτου.
saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, and behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood on us.”
29
ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ Πέτρος καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι εἶπαν· Πειθαρχεῖν δεῖ θεῷ μᾶλλον ἢ ἀνθρώποις.
But Peter and the apostles answered and said, “We must obey God rather than men.
30
ὁ θεὸς τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν ἤγειρεν Ἰησοῦν, ὃν ὑμεῖς διεχειρίσασθε κρεμάσαντες ἐπὶ ξύλου·
The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you did away with by hanging him on a tree.
first here Jesus Ἰησοῦς Iēsous
Why this rendering
Acts.5.30 Observation
Syntactic observation
κρεμάσαντες ἐπὶ ξύλου — hanging him on a tree. Not σταυρός, cross, but ξύλον, tree — the word of Deuteronomy 21:22-23 (cursed is everyone hanged on a tree), which Acts repeats at 10:39 and 13:29 and Galatians 3:13 and 1 Peter 2:24 take up. In Luke's Gospel ξύλον was the green and dry wood of 23:31 and the clubs of 22:52. διεχειρίσασθε, did away with — laid hands on to destroy — occurs only here and at 26:21. V.31 ἀρχηγὸν καὶ σωτῆρα, originator and saviour — the originator of life of 3:15 returns paired with saviour, the word of Luke 1:47 and 2:11.
Rendering options · 1
Adopted “hanging him on a tree”
Basis The base text says tree, not cross, to summon Deuteronomy. Crucified would silence the summons.
31
τοῦτον ὁ θεὸς ἀρχηγὸν καὶ σωτῆρα ὕψωσεν τῇ δεξιᾷ αὐτοῦ, ⸀τοῦ δοῦναι μετάνοιαν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν·
This one God exalted at his right hand as originator and saviour, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
32
καὶ ἡμεῖς ⸀ἐσμεν μάρτυρες τῶν ῥημάτων τούτων, καὶ τὸ ⸀πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ὃ ἔδωκεν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς πειθαρχοῦσιν αὐτῷ.
And we are witnesses of these words, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God gave to those who obey him.”
33
Οἱ δὲ ⸀ἀκούσαντες διεπρίοντο καὶ ἐβούλοντο ἀνελεῖν αὐτούς.
But when they heard this they were cut to the quick and wanted to do away with them.
34
ἀναστὰς δέ τις ἐν τῷ συνεδρίῳ Φαρισαῖος ὀνόματι Γαμαλιήλ, νομοδιδάσκαλος τίμιος παντὶ τῷ λαῷ, ἐκέλευσεν ἔξω ⸀βραχὺ τοὺς ⸀ἀνθρώπους ποιῆσαι,
But a certain Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law honoured by all the people, rose up and ordered the men to be put outside for a short while,
first here Pharisee Φαρισαῖος Pharisaios
35
εἶπέν τε πρὸς αὐτούς· Ἄνδρες Ἰσραηλῖται, προσέχετε ἑαυτοῖς ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τούτοις τί μέλλετε πράσσειν.
and said to them, “Men, Israelites, take heed to yourselves about these men, what you are about to do.
first here Israelite Ἰσραηλίτης Israēlitēs
36
πρὸ γὰρ τούτων τῶν ἡμερῶν ἀνέστη Θευδᾶς, λέγων εἶναί τινα ἑαυτόν, ᾧ ⸀προσεκλίθη ⸂ἀνδρῶν ἀριθμὸς ὡς⸃ τετρακοσίων· ὃς ἀνῃρέθη, καὶ πάντες ὅσοι ἐπείθοντο αὐτῷ διελύθησαν καὶ ἐγένοντο εἰς οὐδέν.
For before these days Theudas rose up, saying that he himself was somebody, to whom a number of men, about four hundred, attached themselves; he was done away with, and all who were persuaded by him were dispersed and came to nothing.
37
μετὰ τοῦτον ἀνέστη Ἰούδας ὁ Γαλιλαῖος ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τῆς ἀπογραφῆς καὶ ἀπέστησε ⸀λαὸν ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ· κἀκεῖνος ἀπώλετο καὶ πάντες ὅσοι ἐπείθοντο αὐτῷ διεσκορπίσθησαν.
After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away people after him; he too perished, and all who were persuaded by him were scattered.
first here Judas Ἰούδας Ioudas
first here Galileans Γαλιλαῖος Galilaios
38
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,
And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them be; for if this counsel or this work is of men, it will be overthrown,
39
εἰ δὲ ἐκ θεοῦ ἐστιν, οὐ ⸀δυνήσεσθε καταλῦσαι ⸀αὐτούς·) μήποτε καὶ θεομάχοι εὑρεθῆτε. ἐπείσθησαν δὲ αὐτῷ,
but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them — lest you even be found fighting against God.” And they were persuaded by him,
40
καὶ προσκαλεσάμενοι τοὺς ἀποστόλους δείραντες παρήγγειλαν μὴ λαλεῖν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Ἰησοῦ καὶ ⸀ἀπέλυσαν.
and having called the apostles in, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and released them.
41
οἱ μὲν οὖν ἐπορεύοντο χαίροντες ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ συνεδρίου ὅτι ⸂κατηξιώθησαν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος⸃ ἀτιμασθῆναι·
So they went on from the presence of the council rejoicing that they had been counted worthy to be dishonoured for the name.
Why this rendering
Acts.5.41 Observation
Syntactic observation
κατηξιώθησαν … ἀτιμασθῆναι — counted worthy to be dishonoured. The two verbs invert each other: καταξιόω, to count worthy (Luke 20:35, those counted worthy of that age), and ἀτιμάζω, to dishonour (Luke 20:11, the vineyard servant dishonoured). Worthiness (the ἄξιος family) and dishonour (the absence of τιμή) interlock in one sentence, showing in words that the scale of honour has been turned over. ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος — for the name, article without a name: what was this name (v.28) and the name of Jesus (v.40) all through the chapter ends as the bare the name. V.42 εὐαγγελιζόμενοι τὸν χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν — an order that reads as the Christ is Jesus (not preaching Christ Jesus, but preaching the Christ as Jesus).
Rendering options · 1
Adopted “counted worthy to be dishonoured”
Basis Both fixings kept (Luke 20:35 counted worthy · Luke 20:11 dishonour) so that the inversion stands in the words.
42
πᾶσάν τε ἡμέραν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ καὶ κατ’ οἶκον οὐκ ἐπαύοντο διδάσκοντες καὶ εὐαγγελιζόμενοι ⸂τὸν χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν⸃.
And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and proclaiming the good news that the Christ is Jesus.
first here Christ Χριστός Christos