King James Version

What Does Acts 5:28 Mean?

“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.”

Context

Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned.

And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,

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.

Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.

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Commentary

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).

Charles John Ellicott (1819–1905). Public Domain.

Historical Context

This verse is found in the book of Acts. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.

Theological Significance

Acts 5:28 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.