Acts 5:18

And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison. AND LAID [THEIR] HANDS ON THE APOSTLES, [ autoon (G846) is an ill-supported addition to the text], "and put them in the common prison....

17-25 There is no prison so dark, so strong, but God can visit his people in it, and, if he pleases, fetch them out. Recoveries from sickness, releases out of trouble, are granted, not that we may enjoy the comforts of life, but that God may be honoured with the services of our life. It is not for the preachers of Christ's gospel to retire into corners, as long as they can have any opportunity of preaching in the great congregation. They must preach to the lowest, whose souls are as precious to Christ as the souls of the greatest. Speak to all, for all are concerned. Speak as those who resolve to stand to it, to live and die by it. Speak all the words of this heavenly, divine life, in comparison with which the present earthly life does not deserve the name. These words of life, which the Holy Ghost puts into your mouth. The words of the gospel are the words of life; words whereby we may...

Verse Acts 5:18. _PUT THEM IN THE COMMON PRISON._] It being too late in the evening to bring them to a hearing. To this verse the _Codex_ _Bezae_ adds, και επορευθη εἱς ἑκαστος εις τα ιδια, _And each of them_ _went to his own house_....

THE COMMON PRISON - The public prison; or the prison for the keeping of common and notorious offenders....

EXPOSITION ACTS 5:1 ANANIAS (Ἀνανίας) In Nehemiah 3:23 the Hebrew name היָנְנַעֲ (God covers or protects) is thus rendered in the LXX. But the name occurs nowhere else. The very common name היָנְנַהֲ_, Hananiah _(God is gracious), is also rendered in the LXX. Ananias (Ἀνανίας), and is doubtless the name meant here and in Acts 9:10; Acts 23:2, etc. SAPPHIRA does not occur elsewhere. It is either derived from the Aramean הרָיפָשַׁ, beautiful, or from the Hebrew ריפִסַ, a sapphire. A POSSESSION (see...

AND LAID THEIR HANDS ON THE APOSTLES,.... That is, laid hold on them, and took them, and carried them away; at least their servants did so, by their orders: AND PUT THEM IN THE COMMON PRISON; where malefactors were put; and this both for greater security, and for greater disgrace....

ACTS 5:18 dhmosi,a| Codex Bezae adds, with typical circumstantial detail, kai. evporeu,qh ei-j e[kastoj eivj ta. i;dia (“and each one went to his own home”). A similar sentence appears in the _pericope de adultera,_ [Jn] John 7:53, evporeu,qhsan (D evporeu,qh) e[kastoj eivj to.n oi=kon auvtou/. The phrase eivj ta. i;dia is characteristic of John, but it is also found in Acts 21:6....

CHAPTER 5 _ 1. Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1)._ 2. Signs and wonders by the Apostles (Acts 5:11). 3. The second arrest of the Apostles and their Deliverance (Acts 5:17). 4. Before the Council (Acts 5:26). 5. Gamaliel's Advice (Acts 5:34). 6. The Apostles beaten and dismissed (Acts 5:40). With this chapter the scene changes. Beautiful is the ending of the previous chapter, Barnabas having sold his land, laid the money at the feet of the Apostles. He

A HOSTILE ENCOUNTER WITH THE JEWISH AUTHORITIES. This account closely resembles that in ch. 4; the imprisonment is at the hands of the same men, extends over one night, and Peter's two declarations (Acts 4:19; Acts 5:29) are very similar. In spite of a few added touches, Gamaliel and his historical reminiscences, we cannot but feel the paucity of materials that were at the author's disposal for this part of his history. As in Acts 4, the attack comes from the Sadducees. If so the motive could only be political. The Resurrection is not mentioned to explain their action; they were filled with jealousy. They could not wish the new sect to become important; a real Messiah would be the end of their power. Here, as in Acts 4, no ground is given for the arrest. Not only Peter and John are arrested but the apostles generally. Th

TROUBLE IN THE CHURCH (Acts 5:1-11)...