Bible Strands
Acts 5:3
Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and withhold some of the proceeds from the land?
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Peter addresses Ananias immediately after the man and his wife sold property, retained part of the proceeds with full knowledge, and presented the remainder to the apostles. The confrontation occurs within the gathered early church community as the transaction is completed.
The words — The verb ἐπλήρωσεν (eplērōsen) literally means “has filled” and directly describes Satan’s influence over Ananias’s inner disposition. Peter uses this term to mark the transition from private intention to public action.
The thread — The motif of concealed thoughts exposed by God runs through Jeremiah 23:24 and Isaiah 29:15, which state that no one can hide plans or works from the Lord. John 13:2 parallels this pattern by recording the devil placing a deceptive thought into Judas’s heart prior to his betrayal.
Why it lands — The text states that lying to the Holy Spirit is equivalent to lying to God, establishing that spiritual deception carries divine weight. It requires readers to align their outward actions with their inner motives rather than treating faith as a transactional display.
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.
The Greek words
King James Version
But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 23:24 “Can a man hide in secret places where I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD.
- Isaiah 29:15 Woe to those who dig deep to hide their plans from the LORD. In darkness they do their works and say, “Who sees us, and who will know?”
- John 13:2 The evening meal was underway, and the devil had already put into the heart of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.
- John 13:27 And when Judas had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to Judas, “What you are about to do, do quickly.”
- Acts 5:9 “How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord?” Peter replied. “Look, the feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”
- 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
- Job 22:13 Yet you say: ‘What does God know? Does He judge through thick darkness?
- Ecclesiastes 5:4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, because He takes no pleasure in fools. Fulfill your vow.
- Ephesians 6:11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes.
- James 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.