ä½¿å¾’è¡Œä¼ 5:4

Chinese NCV (Simplified)

田地還沒有賣，不是你自己的嗎？既然賣了，所得的錢不是由你作主嗎？你為甚麼存心這樣作呢？你這不是欺騙人，而是欺騙　神。”

Parallel Translations

Chinese Union (Simplified)
田 地 还 没 有 卖 ， 不 是 你 自 己 的 麽 ？ 既 卖 了 ， 价 银 不 是 你 作 主 麽 ？ 你 怎 麽 心 里 起 这 意 念 呢 ？ 你 不 是 欺 哄 人 ， 是 欺 哄 神 了 。

Contextual Overview

¹ But a man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold some land. ² He kept back part of the money for himself; his wife knew about this and agreed to it. But he brought the rest of the money and gave it to the apostles. ³ Peter said, "Ananias, why did you let Satan rule your thoughts to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep for yourself part of the money you received for the land? ⁴ Before you sold the land, it belonged to you. And even after you sold it, you could have used the money any way you wanted. Why did you think of doing this? You lied to God, not to us!" ⁵When 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. ⁷ About three hours later his wife came in, but she did not know what had happened. ⁸ Peter said to her, "Tell me, was the money you got for your field this much?" Sapphira answered, "Yes, that was the price." ⁹ Peter said to her, "Why did you and your husband agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out." ¹⁰ At that moment Sapphira fell down by his feet and died. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. ¹¹ The whole church and all the others who heard about these things were filled with fear.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

was it not thine: Exodus 35:21, Exodus 35:22, Exodus 35:29, 1 Chronicles 29:3, 1 Chronicles 29:5, 1 Chronicles 29:9, 1 Chronicles 29:17, 1 Corinthians 8:8, 1 Corinthians 9:5-17, Philemon 1:14

why: Acts 8:21, Acts 8:22, Joshua 7:25, Joshua 7:26, Job 15:35, Psalms 7:14, Isaiah 59:4, Ezekiel 38:10, *marg. James 1:15

thou hast: Acts 5:3, Exodus 16:8, Numbers 16:11, 1 Samuel 8:7, 2 Kings 5:25-27, Psalms 139:4, Luke 10:16, 1 Thessalonians 4:8

Reciprocal: Genesis 4:9 - I know Exodus 8:29 - deal Exodus 20:17 - is thy neighbour's Leviticus 6:2 - lie Leviticus 19:11 - lie one Leviticus 27:16 - of a field 1 Kings 22:22 - a lying spirit 2 Kings 5:22 - My master 2 Chronicles 1:11 - this was Job 15:12 - thine heart Psalms 139:3 - and art acquainted Ecclesiastes 5:5 - General Isaiah 32:6 - and his heart Isaiah 33:11 - conceive Isaiah 59:13 - lying Matthew 9:4 - Wherefore Matthew 26:72 - with Mark 7:21 - out Acts 2:44 - had Acts 5:9 - to tempt Ephesians 4:25 - putting 1 Timothy 6:9 - which

Cross-References

Genesis 1:28
God blessed them and said, "Have many children and grow in number. Fill the earth and be its master. Rule over the fish in the sea and over the birds in the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

Genesis 5:1
This is the family history of Adam. When God created human beings, he made them in his own likeness.

Genesis 5:3
When Adam was 130 years old, he became the father of another son in his likeness and image, and Adam named him Seth.

Genesis 5:7
After Enosh was born, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:10
After Kenan was born, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:13
After Mahalalel was born, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:19
After Enoch was born, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:22
After Methuselah was born, Enoch walked with God 300 years more and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:26
After Lamech was born, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:30
After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Whiles it remained, was it not thine own,.... Before it was sold, it was his own proper estate; he had the sole propriety in it, and could have kept it, or disposed of it as he pleased: he was not obliged to sell it, he might have kept it as his own property; for selling of possessions at this time was a voluntary thing; it was what no man was forced to; it was a pure act of liberality, and what was not enjoined by the apostles; every man was left to his liberty.

And after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? that is, the price for which it was sold: before he had declared that he sold it, in order to give the whole of it to the church, had brought it to the apostles as the whole; it was in his own power to dispose of, as he pleased, whether to give the whole, or a part of it, or it. He might have kept it all if he had thought fit, or have given what portion he pleased.

Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? for though Satan had an hand in it, and greatly solicited him to it, and spirited him up to do it, yet in conjunction with his own heart; and perhaps it began there, which Satan helped forward. It was not so of Satan as to excuse the wickedness of his heart. It was owing partly to the sin of covetousness, which reigned in him, and partly to a desire of vain glory, and being thought a very religious man, that he acted such a part, and was so notoriously guilty of lying and hypocrisy.

Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God; that is, not to men only, for he had lied to the apostles; but to God also, to the Holy Ghost, who is truly and properly God, of which this passage is a full proof; and it was owing to his omniscience, which is a peculiar attribute of deity, that this wicked man, and this fraud of his, were discovered.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Whiles it remained - As long as it remained unsold. This place proves that there was no “obligation” imposed on the disciples to sell their property. They who did it, did it voluntarily; and it does not appear that it was done by all, or expected to be done by all.

And after it was sold ... - Even after the property was sold, and Ananias had the money, still there was no obligation on him to devote it in this way. He had the disposal of it still. The apostle mentions this to show him that his offence was especially aggravated. He was not “compelled” to sell his property - he had not even the poor pretence that he was “obliged” to dispose of it, and was “tempted” to withhold it for his own use. It was “all” his, and might have been retained if he had chosen.

Thou hast not lied unto men - Unto people “only,” or, it is not your “main” and “chief” offence that you have attempted to deceive people. It is true that Ananias “had” attempted to deceive the apostles, and it is true, also, that this was a crime; but still, the principal magnitude of the offence was that he had attempted to deceive “God.” So small was his crime as committed against “men” that it was lost sight of by the apostles, and the great, crowning sin of attempting to deceive “God” was brought fully into view. Thus, David also saw his sin as committed against “God” to be so enormous that he lost sight of it as an offence to man, and said, “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight,” Psalms 51:4.

But unto God - It has been “particularly” and “eminently” against God. This is true, because:

1. He had professedly “devoted” it to God. The act, therefore, had express and direct reference to him.

(2)It was an attempt to deceive him. It implied the belief of Ananias that God would not detect the crime, or see the motives of the heart.

(3)It is the prerogative of God to judge of sincerity and hypocrisy; and this was a case, therefore, which came under his special notice. Compare Psalms 139:1-4. The word “God” here is evidently used in its plain and obvious sense as denoting the “supreme divinity,” and the use of the word here shows that the Holy Spirit is “divine.” The whole passage demonstrates, therefore, one of the important doctrines of the Christian religion, that the Holy Spirit is distinct from the Father and the Son, and yet is divine.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Acts 5:4. Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? — Acts 5:2; Acts 5:2, and Acts 2:44; Acts 2:44.