1. Acts 5:28 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

What does it mean to bring a man's blood upon someone?

Acts 5:28 (ESV)

28 saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”

To bring a man's blood on someone (or to be guilty of someone’s blood) is to be responsible for their death when they were innocent and undeserving of death. The high priest is claiming that the apostles are acting out of revenge for the death of Jesus, seeking to avenge his blood (cf. Genesis 4:10; Deuteronomy 19:10; Hebrews 12:24; Revelation 6:10).1 They say that the apostles are blaming them for the death of Jesus (cf. Acts 2:23; Acts 3:15–16; Acts 4:10–11)2 and they suspect the apostles of turning the people against them.3 Previously the Jewish leaders were convinced that Jesus was guilty of blasphemy and that he deserved death. They were so confident of their decision they even said that his blood may come upon them and their children (Matthew 27:25).4