Acts 5:17

Further Trouble for the Apostles

5:17 Now the high priest rose up, and all those with him (that is, the religious party of the Sadducees ¹ ), ²  and they were filled with jealousy. ³ 

Acts 5:33

5:33 Now when they heard this, they became furious ⁴  and wanted to execute them. ⁵ 

[5:17]  ¹ sn See the note on Sadducees in 4:1.

[5:17]  ² sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[5:17]  ³ sn Filled with jealousy. In Acts, the term “jealousy” (ζήλος, zhlos) occurs only here and in Acts 13:45. It is a key term in Judaism for religiously motivated rage (1 Macc 2:24; 1QH 14:13-15; m. Sanhedrin 9:5). It was a zeal motivated by a desire to maintain the purity of the faith.

[5:33]  ⁴ sn The only other use of this verb for anger (furious) is Acts 7:54 after Stephen’s speech.

[5:33]  ⁵ sn Wanted to execute them. The charge would surely be capital insubordination (Exod 22:28).