What Does Acts 5:11 Mean?
And great fear came upon the whole assembly, and upon all who heard these things.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.THE KEY
The fear does not stop with the assembly that witnesses the event; it reaches everyone who hears about it.
THE MEANING
Awe and alarm move through the whole assembly and reach people who encounter the event only through hearing. You are inside that widening circle: what becomes visible within a community can reach you through a report alone.
THE ROOT
φόβος
phobos
GROWS FROM
φοβ-
phob-
Fear, alarm, or awe before what carries weight.
The Greek word names a response that overtakes the whole assembly, not just a private feeling. Its word family spans being afraid and what inspires fear, holding alarm and awe together.
ALSO GROWS
phobeō: to fear or be afraid
φοβέω
This verb shows fear as a response that can seize a person.
phoberos: fearful or awe-inspiring
φοβερός
This branch names what evokes the response, keeping the event’s weight in view.
ἐκκλησία
ekklēsia
GROWS FROM
κλη-/καλέω (klē-/kaleō)
Call or summon; the word is formed with ἐκ (ek) and καλέω (kaleō), while its sense here is assembly.
The Greek names the gathered assembly itself, not a building. The verse then widens the circle beyond that gathered body to everyone who hears.
ALSO GROWS
kaleō: to call or summon
καλέω
This verbal family helps show the assembly as a gathered body.
klētos: called or invited
κλητός
This related form echoes the language of calling within the word family.
THE PATTERN
When hidden power becomes visible, fear spreads from witnesses into the wider community.
And Israel saw the great hand that the LORD did upon the Egyptians, and the people stood in awe of the LORD, and they leaned their weight on the LORD and on his servant Moses.And awe seized them all, and they gave weight to God, saying, A great prophet has been roused among us, and God has looked in upon his people.And awe came upon every living soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the sent ones.THE THREAD
And awe came upon every living soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the sent ones.Acts 2:43 uses the same Greek word, φόβος (phobos), and says fear “came upon” every soul. Together, the verses show fear spreading across a community and outward to everyone who hears.
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