Acts 3:5

Study note

Setting — Peter and John command a lame beggar at the temple gate to look at them, and the man turns his full attention to the pair. He anticipates a financial gift from the apostles at this moment of public encounter.

The words — The participle προσδοκῶν (prosdokōn) literally means “expecting” or “waiting for,” describing the man’s anticipation of receiving τι (ti, “something”) παρ᾽ αὐτῶν (par’ autōn, “from them”). His verb ἐπεῖχεν (epeichen, “he was giving heed”) indicates fixed, focused attention on the speakers.

The thread — The expectation of material provision from religious figures appears in Jesus’ teaching on earthly treasure (Matthew 6:19-20) and in the apostolic refusal of financial reward (Acts 8:20; Acts 20:33-35). The immediate narrative pivot occurs in Acts 3:6, where Peter explicitly denies possessing silver or gold.

Why it lands — The text records a literal expectation of money before Peter states he has none. It requires the reader to observe how divine authority interrupts human economic assumptions without validating them.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.