And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.
Parallel translations
- WEB Great fear came on the whole assembly, and on all who heard these things.
- BSB And great fear came over the whole church and all who heard about these events.
- NKJV So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things.
- NASB And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard about these things.
- NLT Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Great fear spreads through the whole church and all who hear. A holy reverence for God marks the community.
Overview
This is the first time Luke calls the believers 'the assembly' (the church) in Acts, framing this fear as formative for its life. The fear is not terror that drives people away but reverent awe that takes God seriously. Such fear is the proper response to a holy God who is genuinely present among His people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Acts 5:5And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
- 1 Cor 10:11–12Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
- Heb 4:1Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
- Acts 19:17And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
- Phil 2:12Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
- Ps 89:7God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.
- Heb 12:15Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
- Heb 12:28Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
- Jer 32:40And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.
- Heb 11:7By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
- Rev 15:4Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.
- 1 Pet 1:17And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:
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Christ at the center
Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.
How Acts 5:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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