Charles Ellicott Commentary Acts 5:11

"And great fear came upon the whole church, and upon all that heard these things." — Acts 5:11 (ASV)

And great fear came upon all the church.—With the exception of the doubtful reading in Acts 2:47, this is the first occurrence of the word ecclesia since the two instances in which our Lord had used it, as it were, by anticipation (see Notes on Matthew 16:18; Matthew 18:17). Its frequent use in the LXX version for the “assembly,” or “congregation,” of Israel (Deuteronomy 18:16; Deuteronomy 23:1; Psalms 26:12; Psalms 68:26), and its associations with the political life of Greece as applied to the assemblies (in which every member was a full citizen), made it a natural and fitting word for the new society; furthermore, the use by our Lord of either the actual Greek word or the corresponding Aramaic term stamped it with His sanction.

Its occurrence here is, perhaps, an indication of the increase of the Hellenistic element among the disciples. The sudden, startling death of Ananias and his wife naturally tended to give a new prominence to the society, whose rulers were seen to be clothed with supernatural powers; and the fear that fell upon all who heard of these things led them in part to draw near with reverence, in part to shrink back in awe.