Acts 5:5Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and died. Great fear came on all who heard these things.
The setting
Jerusalem, ~33 AD. Solomon's Portico. Ananias collapses before hundreds of believers who had just heard his sin exposed...
The emotion here: stunned and recording with trembling hands what he witnessed
The original word
phobos (φόβος) — reverential terror, the kind of fear that recognizes divine holiness
Why it matters
This happened in the same portico where Jesus had driven out money changers — a place associated with God's judgment on dishonesty
Read with care
What most readers miss in Acts 5:5
The 'great fear' wasn't just shock at death — it was recognition that God was actively present in their community
Common misconceptionPeople think this proves God is vindictive, but Luke records this to show God's holiness was protecting the purity of the early church during its vulnerable formation.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Acts 5:5
Bible Genome reading
Acts 5:5 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Acts 5:5 comes from the book of Acts, written during the early_church period. These words are attributed to Luke. The dominant emotion in this verse is anxious, with a comfort power of 15% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include divine judgment, consequences. Notable phrases: fell down and died; great fear came.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same anxious
“And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.”
— 2 Corinthians 11:14
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
— 2 Timothy 3:12
“The evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?"”
— Acts 19:15
“I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'”
— Acts 22:7
“When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is har…”
— Acts 26:14
Your reflection
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