CHAPTER V.—Ver. 1. ᾽Ανὴρ δέ τις: in striking contrast to the unreserved self-sacrifice of Barnabas, St. Luke places the selfishness and hypocrisy of Ananias and Sapphira, It is in itself no small proof of the truth of the narrative, that the writer should not hesitate to introduce this episode side by side with his picture of the still unbroken love and fellowship of the Church. He makes no apology for the facts, but narrates them simply and without comment. —’Avavias — written in W.H. (so Blass) “Α., prob. Hebrew
PWIA = Hananiah=to whom Fchovah
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V. 1. ᾽Ανὴρ δέ τις ᾽Ανανίας ] ὀνόματι, σὺν Σαπφείρῃ τῇ γυναικὶ
αὐτοῦ, ἐπώλησε κτῆμα, 2. καὶ ἐνοσφίσατο ἀπὸ τῆς τιμῆς, συνειδυίας
καὶ τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐνέγκας µέρος τι παρὰ τοὺς πόδας τῶν
ἀποστόλων ἔθηκεν.
3. εἶπε δὲ ” Πέτρος, ᾽Ανανία, διατί ἐπλήρωσεν ὁ
Σατανᾶς τὴν καρδίαν σου, ψεύσασθαί σε τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ "Άγιον, καὶ
, 9 a me A , 5. 4 \ » νοσφίσασθαι ἀπὸ τῆς τιμῆς τοῦ χωρίου; 4. οὐχὶ µένον gol έμενε,
8 \ > ~ ahs / ς ial ΄ 9ο ” > ~ / καὶ πραθὲν ἐν τῇ σῇ ἐξουσίᾳ ὑπῆρχε; τί ὅτι ἔθου ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου
1 Αν. ονοµατι 3 ΒΕΕΡ, so Tisch., W.H., Weiss, Winer-Schmiedel, p. 256; ον. Αν. AD, Vulg., Chrys. Σαπφειρῃ AP, so Tisch., W.H., so Blass in B; Σαπφειρα B, so Weiss. Many variations: py Σαμφιρῃ, D σαφφυρα, corr. Σαφφιρᾳ (so Hilg.); E has.
Σαφφιρῃ; see comment.
1 Πετρος DP; but 6 Π. SABE, Chrys., so Tisch., W.H., Wendt, Weiss.
has been gracious (the Hebrew name of Shadrach, Dan. i. 6, LXX, Jer. xxviii. 1, Tob.v. 12,(Song ofthe Three Children, ver. 66) (Lumby, but see also Wendt, note, 7 loco).—Zamdeipy, so also W.H.., either from σάπφειρος (σάµφ., so here Σαμφ.,
$§*, Blass), a sapphire, or from the Aramaic NYSW, beautiful. The latter
derivation is adopted by Blass (Gram- matik des N. α., 8), and Winer- Schmiedel, p. 76. It is declined like σπεῖρα, µάχαιρα, Acts x. I, xii. 2, etc., in N.T., and so makes dative y, Winer- Schmiedel, pp. 80, 93, and Blass, wu. 5. ---κτῆμα = χωρίον, ver. 3: but may mean property of any kind, It is used in the singular several times in the LXX, as a possession, heritage, etc., Job xx. 29, Prov. xii. 27, xxxi. 16, Wisdom viii. 5, Ecclus. xxxvi. 30, li. 21, etc.
Ver. 2. ἐνοσφίσατο: may merely mean from its derivation, to set apart γόσφι. But both in LXX and N.T. it is used in a bad sense of appropriating for one’s own benefit, purloining, Josh. vii. 1, of Achan, 2 Macc. iv. 32, so here and in ver. 3, and Tit. ii. το, cf. also a similar use of the word in Jos., Ant., iv., 8, 29 (so in Greek authors, Xen., Polyb., Plut.). —dmé: the same combination in Josh. vii. α (cf. ii. 17 above, ἐκχεῶ ἀπό, cf. Hebrew 19. See Bengel’s note, zm loco,
on the sin of Achan and Ananias).— συνειδυίης: it was thus a deliberate and aggravated offence. On the irregular form, instead of -νιας, cf. the LXX, Exod. Vili. 21, 24, 1 Sam. xxv. 20; and see also Winer-Schmiedel, p. 81, note, and Blass on instances from the papyri, in loco.— παρὰ τοὺς πόδας: a further aggravation (iv. 35), since the money was brought ostentatiously to gain a reputation for the
donors. Blass well comments: “in con- ventu ecclesiz hoc liberalitatis documen- tum editum”’; cf. Calvin, who in marking the ambition of Ananias to gain a repu- tation for liberality adds: ‘ita fit ut pedes Apostolorum magis honoret quam Dei oculos’’.
Ver.3. διὰ τί: not simply “why ?” but “how is it that?” R.V., cf. Luke ii. 49; the force of the Greek seems to emphasise the fact that Ananias had it in his power to have prevented such a result, cf. James iv. 7, 1 Peter v. ϱ.--ἐπλήρωσεν, occupavit (cf. John xvi. 6), so that there is room for no other influence, Eccles. ix. 3. On the Vulgate, tentavit, which does not express the meaning here, see Felten’s ποίε. --- ψεύσασθαι, sc., ὥστε, often omitted; cf. Luke i. 54, the infinitive of conceived result, see Burton, N. T. Moods and Tenses, pp. 148, 154. The verb with the accusative of the person only here in N.T., but in LXX, Deut. xxxili. 29, Psalm Ixv. 3, Isa. Ivii. 11, Hos. ix. 2, 4 Macc. v. 34, etc., and frequently in classical writers.