Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property.
Parallel translations
- WEB But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira, his wife, sold a possession,
- KJV But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,
- NKJV But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession.
- NASB But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,
- NLT But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property.
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
Ananias and his wife Sapphira also sold a piece of property. Their story begins as a contrast to the sincere giving just described.
Overview
The word 'but' signals a sharp contrast with Barnabas's genuine generosity. Ananias and Sapphira appear to imitate the church's sacrificial giving, yet their hearts harbor deceit. Their account serves as a sober warning that God sees beyond outward acts to inner motives. The episode reveals that sin and hypocrisy can intrude even into a Spirit-filled community, and that God takes such deceit seriously.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Lev 10:1–3Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense, and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to His command.
- 2 Tim 2:20A large house contains not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay. Some indeed are for honorable use, but others are for common use.
- Matt 13:47–48Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea and caught all kinds of fish.
- John 6:37Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never drive away.
- Josh 6:1Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 5:1 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.