“Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.”
At that very instant she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her - the parallelism is exact and merciless: Ananias hears judgment and dies; Sapphira hears judgment and dies. The 'very instant' (parachrēma, immediately) shows the causal connection is divine. No apostolic hand strikes; judgment comes through the Spirit itself. Luke's account is remarkably clinical, showing neither satisfaction nor sorrow, only the inexorable reality of lying to God.
Church Fathers on Acts 5:10
Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. Then Peter said to her, How is it that you have agreed together to tempt the Holy Ghost? Behold, the feet of them which have buried your husband are at the door, and shall carry you out. Then she fell down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost; and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. And great fear came upon all the Church, and…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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