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?

ACTS 5:3KJV
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Acts 5:3 (KJV)

What does Acts 5:3 mean?

Acts 5:3 describes Peter confronting Ananias for lying to the Holy Spirit and secretly keeping part of the money from the sale of his land. Peter points out that Satan has influenced Ananias’s heart to deceive, making the act not just a lie to people but to God.

Peter is speaking directly to Ananias in front of the early Christian community. The situation is tense: Ananias had sold property and pretended to give all the proceeds to the apostles, but secretly held some back. Peter’s words highlight the seriousness of lying about one’s actions, especially in matters of faith and honesty within the community.

The Greek behind Acts 5:3

  • "filled" (ἐπλήρωσεν, plērōsen): This word means to fill up completely or to take over. Peter is saying that Satan has completely taken over Ananias’s heart, showing the depth of the deception.
  • "lie" (ψεύσασθαι, pseusasthai): This Greek word means to intentionally deceive. Peter’s accusation is not about a mistake but a deliberate act of dishonesty.
  • "Holy" (ἅγιον, hagion) and "Ghost" (πνεῦμα, pneuma): Together, these words refer to the Holy Spirit. Peter’s statement makes clear that the lie is not just against people but against God’s own Spirit.

Why Acts 5:3 matters

  • Acts 5:3 clarifies that the issue is not about the amount of money given, but about honesty and integrity before God and the community.
  • The verse shows that spiritual deception is taken seriously in the early church, and that actions done in secret are still known to God.
  • This confrontation sets the stage for understanding the seriousness of hypocrisy and the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the early believers.

Where else these words appear

“back” Greek G3557 · used in 3 verses

  • Acts 5:2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.
  • Titus 2:10 Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.

“land” Greek G5564 · used in 9 verses

  • Matthew 26:36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
  • John 4:5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
  • Acts 4:34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,

“Ananias” Greek G367 · used in 10 verses

  • Acts 5:1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,
  • Acts 9:12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.
  • Acts 22:12 And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there,

“lie” Greek G5574 · used in 12 verses

  • Matthew 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
  • 2 Corinthians 11:31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.
  • Hebrews 6:18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: