Acts 5:7

And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. AND IT WAS ABOUT THE SPACE OF THREE HOURS AFTER. Since the Jewish hours of prayer were at intervals of three hours from each other (see ; ; ), it has been remarked, as not improbable, that the meetings of the Christians were so also, and that Sapphira must have been now coming in, as her husband before had done, to attend one of the stated public assemblies of the Christians. WHEN HIS WIFE, NOT KNOWING WHAT WAS DONE, CAME IN....

7.That punishment wherewith the Lord punished Sapphira containeth no new thing, save only that the example was the more confirmed thereby. And it came to pass by the certain providence of God, that the Church should see apart the obstinate wickedness and treacherous mind of them both. Seeing their faults were alike, they might have been known together; but this was more fit and profitable for the Church, that they might severally bewray their own wickedness. Neither was Sapphira provoked by the sight of her husband to dissemble, (as it falleth out oftentimes,) that the fault could be ascribed to shamefacedness, but of her own accord, and being pricked forward by no other means, she seemeth to be no better than her husband. Moreover, their wickedness in lying was like, forasmuch as she may see by Peter’s interrogation that their guile was found out....

1-11 The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was, that they were ambitious of being thought eminent disciples, when they were not true disciples. Hypocrites may deny themselves, may forego their worldly advantage in one instance, with a prospect of finding their account in something else. They were covetous of the wealth of the world, and distrustful of God and his providence. They thought they might serve both God and mammon. They thought to deceive the apostles. The Spirit of God in Peter discerned the principle of unbelief reigning in the heart of Ananias. But whatever Satan might suggest, he could not have filled the heart of Ananias with this wickedness had he not been consenting. The falsehood was an attempt to deceive the Spirit of truth, who so manifestly spoke and acted by the apostles. The crime of Ananias was not his retaining part of the price of the land; he might have kept it all,...

AND IT WAS ABOUT THE SPACE ... - As Sapphira had been no less guilty than her husband, so it was ordered in the providence of God that the same judgment should tome upon both....

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 IT WAS ABOUT THE SPACE OF THREE HOURS AFTER,.... The death of Ananias. So much time was taken up in burying of him; and in less time it could not well be, since the burying places of the Jews were without the city, as before observed: and if they were as distant from other cities, as they were from the cities of the Levites, they were, as Dr. Lightfoot shows from Maimonides g, above a mile and half off: though there is a Jewish canon which runs thus h; "they put carcasses, graves, and tanners, fifty cubits from a city.'' So that to go thither, open the grave, inter the dead, and return, must take up so much time; and so much time his wife had to reflect upon what she and her husband had done, but seems not to have had any thought about it, at least not any remorse of conscience for it: WHEN HIS WIFE, NOT KNOWING WHAT WAS DONE; she knew that her husband kept back part of the price...

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

ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA. Barnabas-' unworthy counterpart is Ananias, who, in league with his wife, was unwilling to part with all his property, but anxious to appear to have done so. Their crime was that they tried to deceive the Church and God by keeping back part of what was dedicated and belonged to God, and so insulting and wronging the Church. Peter feels the attack as directed against the Spirit, therefore a monstrous one which could only proceed from Satan, the first liar. No compulsion, he says, was applied to anyone to part with his property, nor, when it was sold, with the price of it; this shows the statements of Acts 2:45; Acts 4:32 to be exaggerated; but to pretend to dedicate a property to the community and to keep back part of the price, that was to lie to God who dwelt in the community. The death of Ananias

A man called Ananias, together with his wife Sapphire, sold a bit of ground he had, and surreptitiously kept back part of the price, and his wife knew about it. He brought some part of the price and laid it at the feet of the apostles. Peter said to him, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart so that you have deceived the Holy Spirit and kept back part of the price of your ground? While it remained yours did it not remain your own, and after it had been sold was it not entirely at your disposal? Why did you put this business into your heart? It is not to men you have lied but to God." As Ananias listened to these words, he collapsed and breathed his life out. Great awe came upon all who heard it. The young men rose and bound him up and carried him out and buried him. After an interval of about three hours his wife came in and she was not aware of what had happened. Peter said to her,...

ABOUT THE SPACE. AFTER. as it were an interval. Greek. _dia_ stema. Only here.. medical word. WHEN. and. not. App-105. KNOWING. App-132....