Acts 5:28

Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(28) Did not we straitly command you . . .?—The Greek presents the same Hebrew idiom as in Acts 4:17, and suggests again that it is a translation of the Aramaic actually spoken.

Ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine.—Better, with your teaching, both to keep up the connection with the previous clause, and because the word is taken, as in Matthew 7:28, in its wider sense, and not in the modern sense which attaches to “doctrine” as meaning a formulated opinion.

To bring this man’s blood upon us.—There seems a touch, partly of scorn, partly, it may be, of fear, in the careful avoidance (as before, in “this name”) of the name of Jesus. The words that Peter had uttered, in Acts 2:36; Acts 3:13-14; Acts 4:10, gave some colour to the conscience-stricken priests for this charge; but it was a strange complaint to come from those who had at least stirred up the people to cry, “His blood be on us and on our children” (Matthew 27:25).

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

5:26-33 Many will do an evil thing with daring, yet cannot bear to hear of it afterward, or to have it charged upon them. We cannot expect to be redeemed and healed by Christ, unless we give up ourselves to be ruled by him. Faith takes the Saviour in all his offices, who came, not to save us in our sins, but to save us from our sins. Had Christ been exalted to give dominion to Israel, the chief priests would have welcomed him. But repentance and remission of sins are blessings they neither valued nor saw their need of; therefore they, by no means, admitted his doctrine. Wherever repentance is wrought, remission is granted without fail. None are freed from the guilt and punishment of sin, but those who are freed from the power and dominion of sin; who are turned from it, and turned against it. Christ gives repentance, by his Spirit working with the word, to awaken the conscience, to work sorrow for sin, and an effectual change in the heart and life. The giving of the Holy Ghost, is plain evidence that it is the will of God that Christ should be obeyed. And He will surely destroy those who will not have Him to reign over them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Straitly command you - Did we not command you with a "threat?" Acts 4:17-18, Acts 4:21.

In this name - In the name of Jesus.

Ye have filled Jerusalem - This, though not so desired, was an honorable tribute to the zeal and fidelity of the apostles. When Chastens are arraigned or persecuted, it is well if the only charge which their enemies can bring against them is that they have been distinguished for zeal and success in propagating their religion. See 1 Peter 4:16, "If any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glory God on this behalf"; also Acts 5:13-15.

Intend to bring this man's blood upon us - To bring "one's blood" upon another is a phrase signifying to hold or to prove him guilty of murdering the innocent. The expression here charges them with desiring to prove that they had put Jesus to death when he was innocent; to convince "the people" of this, and thus to enrage them against the Sanhedrin; and also to prove that they were guilty, and were exposed to the divine vengeance for having put the Messiah to death. Compare Acts 2:23, Acts 2:36; Acts 3:15; Acts 7:52. That the apostles "did" intend to charge them with being guilty of murder is clear; but it is observable that on "this occasion" they had said no thing of this, and it is further observable that they did not charge it on them "except in their presence." See the places just referred to. They took no pains to spread this among the people, "except as the people were accessory to the crime of the rulers," Acts 2:23, Acts 2:36. Their consciences were not at ease, and the remembrance of the death of Jesus would occur to them at once at the sight of the apostles.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

28. intend to bring this man's blood upon us—They avoid naming Him whom Peter gloried in holding up [Bengel]. In speaking thus, they seem to betray a disagreeable recollection of their own recent imprecation, His blood be upon us," &c. (Mt 27:25), and of the traitor's words as he threw down the money, "I have sinned in that I have betrayed innocent blood" (Mt 27:4).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Did not we straitly command you? As indeed they had, Acts 4:18; hence they aggravated the apostles’ crime, as done out of malice, and not out of ignorance.

This name, and this man’s blood, are odious reflections, full of contumely against our blessed Saviour, as if he had not been worthy the naming by them.

To bring this man’s blood upon us; they shunned not the sin of murder, but are afraid or ashamed of the imputation of it: as many scruple not to commit that wickedness which they would be loth to be thought guilty of, Blood; the punishment of his bloodshedding.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Saying, did not we straitly command you,.... Or give you strict orders, with severe threatenings,

that you should not teach in this name? the Ethiopic version reads, "in the name of Jesus"; which is what is meant, but was not expressed by the sanhedrim; see Acts 4:17

and behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine; they disregarded the council, and its orders, its commands and threatenings, and preached the doctrines of the Gospel; and particularly that concerning the resurrection of Christ, and through him the resurrection of all the dead; and with such success, that great part of the inhabitants of Jerusalem received it; at least there were great numbers in all parts of the city which attended to it, and embraced it: and this they represent as a novel doctrine, devised by the apostles, and peculiarly theirs; and which Moses, and the prophets, were strangers to:

and intend to bring this man's blood upon us; by charging us with the murder of him, and representing us as guilty of shedding innocent blood, and so stirring up the people, and the Romans against us, to take vengeance on us for it: this, as if they should say, seems to be the intention and design of your ministry, particularly in asserting, that Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified, is now risen from the dead, and was a holy, innocent, and righteous person, as his resurrection shows; and therefore, as we have been guilty in shedding his blood, the punishment of it will, one day or other, be inflicted on us; as it accordingly was, and as they themselves imprecated in Matthew 27:25. It is to be observed, that they do not mention the name of Jesus, only by way of contempt, call him "this man", as it is usual with the Jews to do, when they speak of him. So a commentator (q) on Genesis 27:39 says of some,

"they believed in a man whom they set up for God; and Rome believed, in the days of Constantine, who renewed all that religion, and put upon his banner the form , "of that man":''

and so another of their writers (r) uses the phrase several times in a few words. Judah ben Tabai fled to Alexandria,

"that they might not make him president, and in the way, with one disciple; as it happened to Joshua ben Perachiah, with , "that man"; and ye may receive it for a truth, that "that man" was his disciple--and the truth is, that "that man" was born in the fourth year of the kingdom of Jannai the Second.''

So an heretic is said to be one that confesses "that man"; and heretics are the disciples of "that man", who turned to evil the words of the living God (s). Thus blasphemously and contemptuously do they speak of Christ.

(q) Aben Ezra, Vid. ib. in Dan. xi. 14. (r) Juchasin, fol. 16. 2.((s) Migdal Oz & Hagehot Maimoniot. in Maimon. Teshuba, c. 3. sect. 7.

Geneva Study Bible

{9} Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend {k} to bring this man's blood upon us.

(9) It is the characteristic of tyrants to set down their own commandments as right and proper, be they ever so wicked.

(k) Make us guilty of murdering that man whom yet they will not condescend to name.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament

Acts 5:28. παραγγελίᾳ παρηγγείλαμεν: for the Hebraism cf. Acts 4:17, “we straitly,” etc., R.V. (and A.V.), expressing intensity—“commanding, we commanded you,” Wycliffe. The T.R. makes the clause a question, commencing with οὐ, but the evidence is too strong against it, evidently it was occasioned by the ἐπηρώτησεν, but St. Chrysostom adopts it, see Hom., xiii., 1. Bengel remarks on παραγγελίᾳ, “pudet dicere minando, Acts 4:17, nam non poterant punire” But St. Chrysostom rightly notes that they ought to have asked πῶς ἐξήλθετε, i.e., from the prison, but they ask as if nothing had happened.—ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τούτῳ, Acts 4:17, here as there the Council do not mention the name of Jesus, perhaps because they disdained it; in sharp contrast stands not only St. Peter’s mention of the name, but his glorying in it, Acts 5:30-31.—τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ: fem. here and elsewhere, cf. Galatians 4:25, Revelation 3:12, so in Matthew 2:3, Blass, Grammatik des N. G., p. 32; Winer-Schmiedel, p. 153.—διδαχῆς, “teaching,” R.V., cf. Matthew 7:28.—βούλεσθε: the charge was untrue—the wish was their own, not that of the Apostles, cf. Matthew 27:25. St. Peter’s earnest desire was that they should be saved.—ἐπαγαγεῖν, Acts 18:6, Acts 22:20, and 2 Samuel 1:16, cf. 2 Peter 2:1; 2 Peter 2:5; nowhere else in N.T.—ἐφʼ ἡμᾶς: to bring His blood upon us, i.e., the vengeance of the people for His murder, αἷμα pro φόνον, Hebraistic—no thought of divine punishment from their point of view; cf. LXX. Genesis 20:9, Exodus 32:34, Jdg 9:24, and cf. Joshua 23:15 (in N.T., Matthew 23:35, Revelation 18:24).

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

28. Did not we straitly command you] The best authorities have here an affirmative sentence, We straitly charged you. The charge had been given only to Peter and John, but the council assume that it would have been by them conveyed to the rest of the twelve.

that you should not teach in this name] They go at once to that which is the great offence in their eyes. The name of Jesus of Nazareth, whom they knew to have been crucified, but who was proclaimed to be alive again, and whose followers manifested such mighty works, was the object against which their power was directed.

and behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine] A testimony from the mouth of enemies that the Apostles had laboured diligently and successfully to fulfil the first portion of Christ’s command, that their preaching begin at Jerusalem.

and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us] Better, and ye wish to brings &c. It is a marvellous spectacle to see the judges take the place of culprits, and deprecate accusation where they would naturally be dealing out penalties. But the invocation of the people before Christ’s crucifixion, “His blood be upon us and upon our children” (Matthew 27:25), was felt by the council to be likely to be brought to fulfilment.

Bengel's Gnomen

Acts 5:28. Παραγγελίᾳ, with injunction) He is ashamed to say, with threatening: with which comp. ch. Acts 4:17; for they were not able to punish them (Acts 4:16).—παρηγγείλαμεν, we enjoined) See the coarse cunning of the enemies of the Gospel! They, according to their own pleasure, both make and wrest aside and invent edicts, laws, and prohibitions, which cannot but be broken by the witnesses who obey the GOD of truth, in order that the innocent may be punished as if they were guilty. O the injustice of such men!—τούτῳ—τούτου, in this name—of this man) He avoids using the name Jesus. Peter uses the name, and does it honour; Acts 5:30-31.—τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, Jerusalem) in which, say they, we keep watch.—βούλεσθε, ye wish) An invidious word. The apostles did not wish that; but they taught according to the truth, that Jesus was impiously murdered by the Jews, and at the same time they showed a way whereby the latter might experience the power (virtue) of Jesus’ blood in imparting grace and salvation.—ἐπαγαγεῖν) So Jdg 9:24, ἐπαγαγεῖν τὴν ἀδικίαν—καὶ τὸ αἷμα αὐτῶν ἐπιθεῖναι ἐπὶ Ἀβιμέλεκ.—ἐφʼ ἡμᾶς, upon us) They themselves had a little before taken upon themselves the blood of the Just One in words, Matthew 27:25; and in actual deed, presently after, Acts 5:30, “they took the reed and smote Him on the head.” [This is the custom of adversaries. Having obtained their opportunity, they show themselves fierce, mad, and unrelenting: then, when the victory inclines to the opposite side, they are unwilling to admit that they have sinned either in deed or intention.]

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 28. - We straitly charged for did not we straitly command? A.V. and T.R.; not to for that ye should not, A.V.; teaching for doctrine, A.V. We straitly charged, etc.; ἐπερωτάω seems to require a question to follow. Your teaching (for the command, see Acts 4:18). Intend to bring, etc. Here the secret of the persecution comes out, The guilty conscience winced at every word which spake of Jesus Christ as living. The high priest, too, would not so much as name the name of Jesus. It was "this name," "this man;" as in the Talmud, Jesus is most frequently spoken of as Teloni, i.e. "such a one," in Spanish and Portuguese Fulano, or still more contemptuously as "that man" (Farrar, 'Life of St. Paul,' vol. 1. p. 108). This terror of blood-guiltiness is a striking comment on the saying recorded in Matthew 27:25. Acts 5:28

Vincent's Word Studies

Did not

The best texts omit οὐ, not, and the question.

We straitly charged

So Rev. (παραγγελίᾳ παρηγγείλαμεν). Lit., we charged you with a charge. See on Luke 22:15, with desire I have desired.

Intend (βούλεσθε)

Or ye want. See on willing, Matthew 1:19.

This man's

The phrase is remarkable as furnishing the first instance of that avoidance of the name of Christ which makes the Talmud, in the very same terms, refer to him most frequently as Peloni equals , "so and so."