At that point, the captain went with the officers and brought the apostles—but not by force, for fear the people would stone them.
Parallel translations
- WEB Then the captain went with the officers, and brought them without violence, for they were afraid that the people might stone them.
- KJV Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned.
- NKJV Then the captain went with the officers and brought them without violence, for they feared the people, lest they should be stoned.
- NASB Then the captain went along with the officers and proceeded to bring them back without violence (for they were afraid of the people, that they might be stoned).
- NLT The captain went with his Temple guards and arrested the apostles, but without violence, for they were afraid the people would stone them.
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
The captain brings the apostles without force, fearing the people might stone them. The leaders are restrained by their fear of the crowd.
Overview
The authorities' caution shows how highly the people now regarded the apostles. Their fear of public reaction, not respect for the apostles, governs their restraint. God uses even the leaders' political calculations to protect His witnesses from violence.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Acts 5:13Although the people regarded them highly, no one else dared to join them.
- Acts 4:21After further threats they let them go. They could not find a way to punish them, because all the people were glorifying God for what had happened.
- Matt 21:26But if we say, ‘From men,’ we are afraid of the people, for they all regard John as a prophet.”
- Acts 5:24When the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard this account, they were perplexed as to what was happening.
- Matt 14:5Although Herod wanted to kill John, he was afraid of the people, because they regarded John as a prophet.
- Luke 22:2and the chief priests and scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus to death; for they feared the people.
- Matt 26:5“But not during the feast,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”
- Luke 20:19When the scribes and chief priests realized that Jesus had spoken this parable against them, they sought to arrest Him that very hour. But they were afraid of the people.
- Luke 20:6But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 5:26 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.