Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge, he kept back some of the proceeds for himself, but brought a portion and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 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? Did it not belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? How could you conceive such a deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God!” On hearing these words, Ananias fell down and died. And great fear came over all who heard what had happened. Then the young men stepped forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. About three hours later his wife also came in, unaware of what had happened. “Tell me,” said Peter, “is this the price you and your husband got for the land?” “Yes,” she answered, “that is the price.” “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.” At that instant she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And great fear came over the whole church and all who heard about these events.
The Israelites, however, acted unfaithfully regarding the things devoted to destruction. Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of what was set apart. So the anger of the LORD burned against the Israelites.
Walk the Square · a single-voice walk of this pair around the Clowney square13:47
Significance
The Ananias and Sapphira episode in Acts 5:1-11 structurally parallels the Achan episode in Josh 7:1-26 in multiple precise ways. The same Greek verb nosphizō ("to set aside for oneself, pilfer") used in Acts 5:2-3 for Ananias is used in the LXX of Josh 7:1 for Achan's act (nosphisanto). In both cases: property is taken from what belongs wholly to God (devoted things / communal Spirit-led offering), the act is described as lying to God (Acts 5:4; Josh 7:11 "Israel has sinned"), death falls as immediate divine judgment, and great fear falls on the community (Acts 5:11; Josh 7:5). The analogical correspondence suggests that the early church's communal sharing is functioning as a kind of holy-war dedication — the spoils of God's eschatological conquest — and any withholding repeats Achan's covenant violation. Luke's deliberate reuse of nosphizō in both texts confirms the intentional Achan parallel: a recurring pattern of divine judgment on sacrilege within the holy community, guarding the reverence in which God's people must hold His presence.
Found via
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type
Allusion
Connection Method(s)
Analogy
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