Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 5:6
And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried [him] out, and buried [him.]
6. And the young men arose ] (Lit. the younger.) Some have suggested that these were persons connected with the Church whose business it was to take charge of funerals. But it seems unlikely that, at a time when assistance had not been provided to relieve the Apostles from “serving tables” and distributing the funds to those who needed (Act 6:1-4), there should already have been an organization for this less pressing necessity. The Greek word used here is not the same as in Act 5:10, and this variation seems to shew that “the young men” were not in any official position, but were only the most able physically to perform such an office as is here described. On the way in which the Jews looked on attention to funeral rites see note on Act 8:2.
wound him up ] wrapped the dead body about with the robe which he was wearing at the time.
and carried him out, and buried him ] We know from what took place after the Crucifixion that graves were made ready beforehand, and in the caves where the dead were deposited, as we can see from the account of the raising of Lazarus, there (Joh 11:43) needed little preparation, and they were closed by the simple means of a stone placed at the cave’s mouth. So that it would not need much time to complete the whole work of burial. In hot climates burial must needs follow quickly after death. Cp. the brief time which Jehu allowed to pass after Jezebel’s death (2Ki 9:34) before he gave orders for her burial.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And the young men – The youth of the congregation; very probably young men who were in attendance as servants, or those whose business it was to attend on the congregation, and perform various offices when Christians celebrated their worship (Mosheim). The word used here sometimes denotes a servant. It is used also, Act 5:10, to denote soldiers, as they were commonly enlisted of the vigorous and young. The fact that they took up Ananias voluntarily implies that they were accustomed to perform offices of servitude to the congregation.
Wound him up – It was the usual custom with the Jews to wind the body in many folds of linen before it was buried; commonly also with spices, to preserve it from putrefaction. See the notes on Joh 11:44. It may be asked why he was so soon buried; and especially why he was hurried away without giving information to his wife. In reply to this, it may be remarked:
1. That it does not appear from the narrative that it was known that Sapphira was privy to the transaction, or was near at hand, or even that he had a wife. Ananias came himself and offered the money, and the judgment fell at once on him.
2. It was customary among the ancient Persians to bury the body almost immediately after death (Jahn); and it seems probable that the Jews, when the body was not embalmed, imitated the custom. It would also appear that this was an ancient custom among the Jews. See Gen 23:19; Gen 25:9; Gen 35:29; Gen 48:7; 1Ki 13:30. Different nations differ in their customs in burying the dead; and there is no impropriety in committing a body soon after death to the tomb.
3. There might have been some danger of an excitement and tumult in regard to this scene if the corpse had not soon been removed; and as no valuable purpose could be answered by delaying the burial, the body was decently committed to the dust.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 6. The young men arose] Some of the stout young men belonging to the disciples then present, who were the fittest to undertake a work of this kind, which required considerable bodily exertion.
Buried him.] This was on the same day in which he died. It was a clear case that he was dead, and dead by a judgment of God that would not be revoked. As therefore it was no case of suspended animation, there was no reason to delay the burial.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The young men; such as were present at that time, and fittest for that employ.
Wound him up; according as they were wont to do to such as they intended to prepare the sepulture. Read what was done to the body of our Saviour, Mar 15:46.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6. the young mensome of theyounger and more active members of the church, not as office-bearers,nor coming forward now for the first time, but who probably hadalready volunteered their services in making subordinatearrangements. In every thriving Christian community such volunteersmay be expected, and will be found eminently useful.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the young men arose,…. The younger brethren of the church, who were robust, and strong, and fit for the following service: these rose up from their seats at once, not willing that such an awful spectacle should lie long before them:
and wound him up; in linen clothes, as was the manner of the Jews:
and carried him out: of the house where they were, and out of the city; for the burying places of the Jews were without the city:
and buried him; which was all done in a very short time, as appears by what follows.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The young men ( ). Literally the younger men (contrast with , the elder men). Same as in verse 10 and so no order in the young church. Perhaps these young men were acting as ushers or actual pallbearers.
Wrapped him round (). First aorist active indicative of , old verb, to draw together, or contract (1Co 7:29), to roll together, to wrap with bandages, to enshroud as here. Nowhere else in the N.T. Frequent in medical writers. They may have used their own mantles. The time for burial was short in Jerusalem for sanitary reasons and to avoid ceremonial defilement.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Wound him up [] . Better, as Rev., wrapped him round. The verb means to draw together, or draw in; hence used for shortening sail, reducing expenses, lowering or humbling a person. In 1Co 7:29, it occurs in the phrase, “the time is short (sunestalmenov Rev., properly, shortened);” i e., drawn together, contracted. In the sense of wrapping up it is found in Aristophanes, of wrapping cloaks or garments about one; also of tucking up the garments about the loins, as a preparation for service. In the sense of shrouding for burial, it occurs in Euripides (” Troades, “382) :” They were not shrouded [] by the hands of a wife. ” In medical language, of bandaging a limb; of the contraction of tumors, and of organs of the body, etc. Some, however, as Meyer, refer the word here to the pressing together of the dead man’s limbs.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And the young men arose,” (anastantes de hoi neoteroi) “And the young men rising up,” or arose to the occasion, to meet the need. The term “young men” seems to refer to those recently reached their manhood, maturity, not to any official position in the church. Beyond this the scriptures seem to disclose no further information.
2) “Wound him up,” (sunesteilan auton) “Wound or wrapped him up,” by winding his clothes, similar to formal burial of the times,” though they likely used only the clothes he was then wearing, in which to bury him. This body was wound in a less formal way than was given honorable burials of the day, such as Nicodemus and Joseph of Aramithea gave our Lord, Joh 19:40.
3) “And carried him out and buried him,” (kai eksenegkantes ethapsan) “And carrying him forth (out of the presence of the apostles) they buried him,” outside the city wall, the usual place for burial. Only kings and prophets had their graves in the city. This was for both sanitary purposes and to avoid defilement that the burial was made almost immediately, as often done, Num 19:11; Num 19:14; Deu 21:23.
PARENTAL FALSEHOOD
Father tells wrong stories; don’t he, Emery? Didn’t you hear him say to Mr. Ballard, yesterday morning, that he paid two hundred dollars fir the new horse, when he told mother the night before that it only cost him one hundred and twenty five? And don’t you know he told him, too, he should be obliged to ask him sixty dollars an acre for that farm land, which was just what it cost him a year ago; when I saw father pay money for it, and know it was only forty? And then to shut us up here because I told him we came directly from school, when he happened to see us stopping by the way side. Oh! didn’t he look stern when he said he would not have any lying boys about him? I wanted to ask him why he told Mr. Wells, this morning, he was such a faithful friend to him and would do anything to favor him, and then turn right around, the moment he was gone, and say he despised the man, and would not do him a good turn to save his life; when mother remonstrated a little, he said, “Oh! policy, my dear; Mr. Wells is a man of influence.”
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(6) And the young men arose.Literally, the younger men, implying the existence of a distinct body as contrasted with the elders of the Church. So in Luk. 20:26 we find the same word answering in the parallel clause to him that serveth, and opposed to elders, where the latter word seems used in a half official sense rather than of age only. We find here, accordingly, rather than in Acts 6, the germ of the later diaconate as a body of men set apart for the subordinate services of the community. The special work here done by them was afterwards assigned to the Fossarii, the sextons, or grave-diggers of the Church.
Wound him up.The word in this sense is found here only in the New Testament. It implies the hurried wrapping in a winding-sheet. It was followed by the immediate interment outside the walls of the city. Custom, resting partly on the necessities of climate, partly on the idea of ceremonial defilement, as caused by contact with a corpse (Num. 19:11-16), required burial to follow quickly on death, unless there was a more or less elaborate embalmment. In the act itself we note something like a compassionate respect. There is a reverence for humanity, as such, perhaps for the body that had once been the temple of the Spirit (1Co. 6:19), that will not permit men to do as the heathen did, and to inflict dishonour on the lifeless corpse. The narrative implies that the new society had already a burial-place to which they had free right of access. Was it in the Potters Field that had been bought to bury strangers in? (Mat. 27:7.) Did the body of Ananias rest in the same cemetery with that of Judas? (See Note on Mat. 27:8.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
6. Young men It does not appear that these were in any proper sense churchly officers. Their corporeal strength as young men occasioned their being the natural doers of the heavy work of the Church.
Wound him up In extemporized funereal wrappings, in apparently awful haste, probably by the apostle’s orders, unknown even to his wife! But on account of the heat of the climate in the East burials are usually on the day of death; in Jerusalem within three or four hours. Connected with the same fact, doubtless, was that ceremonial uncleanness of touching a corpse, (Num 19:11,) which also induced rapid interment.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And the young men arose and wrapped him round, and they carried him out and buried him.’
The young men then came forward, wrapped his body in a shroud, and took it away and buried it. In the hot weather of the Middle East quick burial was advisable, but in Jerusalem, the holy city it was essential. No corpse should be left until the morning. No doubt they ensured that any official requirements as regards a sudden death were observed, although there were sufficient witnesses who could testify as to what had happened. And that is the whole history of Ananias, the man who lied to God. So quickly was he disposed of, and clearly no one wept for him. He had been just a blip in the ongoing forward movement of God’s people. What a contrast with the future of Barnabas, the shining star who would go on to greater and greater things.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Act 5:6. And the young men arose, &c. They were persons of an inferior rank, who were usually employed in this office. They stripped, swathed him, , and afterwards carried him to his grave. The Jews now inter their dead within twenty-four hours at farthest from the time of their death, and generally much sooner.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him .
Ver. 6. And the young men arose ] Decent burial this hypocrite had, though he deserved it not. Temporaries enjoy many outward privileges per consortium through prossessions.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
6 .] Were a class in the congregation accustomed to perform such services, or merely the younger men, from whom they would naturally be expected? Meyer and Olshausen (also Mosh. and Kuin.) maintain the former; Neander and De W. the latter. We can hardly assume, as yet, any such official distinctions in the congregation as would mark off from , which latter are first officially mentioned ch. Act 11:30 . Besides which, we have no such ecclesiastical class as . And the use of in Act 5:10 , as applying to these same persons, seems to decide that they were merely the younger members of the church, acting perhaps in accordance with Jewish custom, perhaps also on some hint given by Peter.
] So , Eze 29:5 ; Tob 12:13 ; Sir 38:16 , wrapped the body up , probably in their own mantles, taken off in preparing to curry him out. The context will not permit any more careful enfolding of the body to be understood.
The speedy burial of the dead, practised among the later Jews, was unknown in earlier times, see Gen 23 . It was grounded on Num 19:11 ff. The practice was to bury before sunset of the same day. The immediate burial in this case adds to the probability that the young men obeyed an intimation from the Apostle.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Act 5:6 . , see on Act 2:14 . : the fact that they are called simply in Act 5:10 seems decisive against the view that reference is made to any definite order in the Church. Nor is it certain that we can see in the fulfilment of such duties by the the beginnings of the diaconate, although on the natural distinction between and it may well have been that official duties in the Church were afterwards based, cf. 1Ti 5:1 , Tit 2:1-6 , 1Pe 5:5 , Clem. Rom., i. 3; iii. 3; xxi. 6; Polycarp, Epist. , v., 3 ( cf. Luk 22:26 ). In comparatively early days it belonged to the duties of the deacons to provide for the burial of the strangers and the poor, but it seems hardly probable that were appointed as a separate body to bury the dead, before any attempt had been made to relieve the Apostles of the more pressing duty of distributing the public funds, Act 6:1 . On the other hand it is possible that the company of public “buriers” whom the prophet saw in vision, Eze 39:12-16 , may have become quite customary in N.T. days. R.V. margin renders simply “the younger men”. , “wrapped him round,” R.V., probably in their own mantles (for no formal laying-out in robes can be supposed by the context), for which would be the usual word, cf. Eur., Troad. , 378 (see Grimm, Blass, Weiss). But Meyer on the other hand is against the parallel, and argues, following Grotius, that the word should be rendered “placed him together,” i.e. , laid out or composed his limbs, so that he might be carried out more conveniently (so too Overbeck, Holtzmann, Zckler). Vulgate, amoverunt , followed by Luther, Erasmus, Beza, cannot be said to be supported by any parallel use of the word (Par. 2 also same verb as Vulg.). The word is frequently used by medical writers in various senses, one of which, to bandage, to compress by bandaging, is that which seems to afford a possible parallel to its use here, Hobart, Medical Language , etc., pp. 37, 38. The use of the word by Josephus, Ant. , xviii., 3; xix., 4, is not sufficient to justify us in taking it here to express all the preparations for burial. : outside the walls of the city, the usual place for graves only prophets and kings had their graves in the city Hamburger, Real-Encyclopdie des Judentums , i., 4, 475, “Grab”; Edersheim, Jewish Social Life , p. 169, cf. the use of and in classical Greek, Latin, efferre . : partly for sanitary reasons, partly to avoid defilement; the interval between death and burial was very brief, especially in Jerusalem (Num 19:11 , Deu 21:23 ; Hamburger, u. s. , i., 2, 161, “Beerdigung,” with reference to this passage, Edersheim, u. s. , p. 168; for the existing custom in Jerusalem of speedy burial, see Hackett, in loco , and Schneller, Kennst du das Land? (eighth edition), p. 188).
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
young men = younger (men).
arose. App-178.
wound . . . up. Greek. sustello. Only here and 1Co 7:29.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
6.] Were a class in the congregation accustomed to perform such services,-or merely the younger men, from whom they would naturally be expected? Meyer and Olshausen (also Mosh. and Kuin.) maintain the former; Neander and De W. the latter. We can hardly assume, as yet, any such official distinctions in the congregation as would mark off from , which latter are first officially mentioned ch. Act 11:30. Besides which, we have no such ecclesiastical class as . And the use of in Act 5:10, as applying to these same persons, seems to decide that they were merely the younger members of the church, acting perhaps in accordance with Jewish custom,-perhaps also on some hint given by Peter.
] So , Eze 29:5; Tob 12:13; Sir 38:16, wrapped the body up,-probably in their own mantles, taken off in preparing to curry him out. The context will not permit any more careful enfolding of the body to be understood.
The speedy burial of the dead, practised among the later Jews, was unknown in earlier times, see Genesis 23. It was grounded on Num 19:11 ff. The practice was to bury before sunset of the same day. The immediate burial in this case adds to the probability that the young men obeyed an intimation from the Apostle.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Act 5:6. , the young men) Peter directed these to do this office.-) wound him up for burial.-, buried) at once. For there was no need of delay.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Lev 10:4-6, Deu 21:23, 2Sa 18:17, Joh 19:40
Reciprocal: Act 5:9 – the feet
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
6
Act 5:6. Wound him up means the young men drew his garments up close around him, which was the only burial shroud that was given this unworthy character. He was taken out for immediate burial, as it was sometimes the custom anyway to bury on the day of death.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Act 5:6. And the young men arose. These young men probably occupied in the Church some authorized official position. As yet to look for a definite organization in the little community, would be of course premature; yet it is in the highest degree probable that the earliest Christian worship was modelled upon the synagogue, with such modifications as the position held by the apostles and perhaps the seventy would require. The place the apostles evidently occupied at these meetings of the brethren (see note on chap. Act 4:35), the strong probability that definite forms of prayer were already introduced as a part at least of their worship, the prompt and orderly acts which followed immediately upon the terrible event just discussedall point to a simple order and discipline reigning from the first among the new congregations.
wrapped him round. This seems the best and most accurate rendering. The officials whose duty it was to arrange the details of these meetings of the believers, reverently took up the poor body, and hastily,as is ever the custom in the East in the case of death,but reverentially, wrapped round each limb with the linen cloths used in the burying of the dead, sprinkling spices between each fold of the linen. Other translations have been proposed, the best of which renders placed together, laid outthat is, that the stiffening limbs were composed (Meyer); the Vulgate reads amoverunt, which the older English Versions appear to have followed in their renderings, moved away (Wickliffe); put apart (Tyndale, Cranmer); removed (Rheims).
And carried him out. The Jews did not bury, except in special cases, within the walls of their cities. This accounts for the long interval of time (three hours) which elapsed before the young men who had carried Ananias to his grave without the city, returned.
And buried him. In the East the usual custom is only to allow a few hours interval between death and burial. In the Jerusalem of our day we read it is the practice not to defer burial as a general rule more than three or four hours after decease.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
6. The scene was too awful for lamentation, or for needless funeral services. As when Nadab and Abihu fell dead at the door of the tabernacle with strange fire in their censers, there was no weeping nor delay. All were stricken with horror, as they saw the curse of God fall upon the wretch. (6) “And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.”
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
Verse 6
Wound him up; in preparation for burial.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
Immediate burial was common in Palestine at this time, as the burial of Jesus illustrates. Evidently some of the younger and stronger believers disposed of Ananias’ corpse by preparing it for burial. [Note: Barrett, p. 269.] Many people were buried in caves or holes in the ground that had been previously prepared for this purpose, as we see in the burials of Lazarus and Jesus.
"Burial in such a climate necessarily followed quickly after death, and such legal formalities as medical certification were not required." [Note: Bruce, Commentary on . . ., p. 114.]
". . . when a man had been struck down by the hand of Heaven (as Joshua specifically says was the case with Achan: Jos 7:25) his corpse must surely be consigned rapidly and silently to the grave. No one should mourn him. The suicide, the rebel against society, the excommunicate, tha apostate, and the criminal condemned to death by the Jewish court would be buried . . . in haste and without ceremonial, and no one might (or need) observe the usual lengthy and troublesome rituals of mourning for him." [Note: J. D. M. Derrett, "Ananias, Sapphira, and the Right of Property," in Studies in the New Testament Volume One, pp. 198.]