Acts 5:38 Meaning and Explanation
“And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Gamaliel counsels restraint: leave these men alone, for if this purpose or work is of men, it will come to nothing.
What Does Acts 5:38 Mean?
From the council's most honored teacher comes advice of patience: 'refrain... let them alone.' His reasoning rests on a single dividing line, the only one that finally matters: a work is either of men or of God.
What men build by themselves does not need to be torn down; time dismantles it. 'Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it' (Psalm 127:1). Gamaliel's test invites every generation to watch what God sustains, and the gospel that this council tried to silence has outlived every power that opposed it.
Acts 5:38 in the Original Language
kataluo (καταλύω), 'come to nought' -- to be torn down, dissolved, undone.
Frequently Asked Questions About Acts 5:38
What does Acts 5:38 mean?
Gamaliel counsels restraint: leave these men alone, for if this purpose or work is of men, it will come to nothing.