What Does Acts 5:13 Mean?
Of the rest, no one dared to cling to them, but the people made them great.
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 of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them.THE KEY
People can magnify a presence from a distance while no one dares attach themselves to it.
THE MEANING
You can be held in public regard while others still hesitate to draw near. The verse places admiration beside distance: recognition can grow while close attachment remains frightening.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The lie is that public admiration guarantees personal closeness; here, the people magnify the group while no one dares join it.
THE ROOT
κολλᾶσθαι
kollasthai
GROWS FROM
κολλ-
koll-
Glue, stick, adhere closely.
“cling” in this verse is kollasthai. The Greek verb carries the image of sticking or gluing oneself to someone. English “join” can sound casual, but this word points to close attachment, the very closeness no one dares enter.
ALSO GROWS
kólla: Glue.
κόλλα
This related word makes the image behind “join himself” concrete: attachment as something stuck fast.
proskollaō: Cleave or join closely.
προσκολλάω
This compound uses the same root for a binding, intimate attachment, showing the closeness withheld in Acts.
ἐμεγάλυνεν
emegalynen
GROWS FROM
μεγαλ- (megal-), from μέγας
Great; to make great or enlarge.
“made great” in this verse is emegalynen. The people are making the apostles great in public regard even as no one attaches themselves to them. Their standing grows while their circle stays at a distance.
ALSO GROWS
mégas: Great or large.
μέγας
This is the basic sense behind “magnified”: the people regard the apostles as great.
megaleios: Magnificent or remarkable.
μεγαλεῖος
This related word carries the sense of greatness made visible, echoing the public esteem in the verse.
THE PATTERN
A presence can command public honor and still make people afraid to draw near.
And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face sent out horns, and they feared to draw near him.And they were all gripped and beside themselves, and they gave weight to God and were filled with awe, saying, We have seen things beyond all weight today.THE THREAD
For this cause a human will leave his father and mother, and cling to his wife;The Greek verb behind “cleave” is προσκολλάω, formed from the same κολλ- root as “join himself” in Acts. There the root names close, binding attachment; Acts holds that closeness beside the public regard people keep at a distance.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us