Charles Ellicott Commentary Acts 5:26

"Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them, [but] without violence; for they feared the people, lest they should be stoned." — Acts 5:26 (ASV)

Without violence . . .—The scene recalls that of John 7:45. Here, however, the Apostles set the example of unresisting acquiescence, even though the tide of feeling in their favour was so strong that they might have easily created an uproar in their favour. The signs that had been recently performed, perhaps also the lavish distribution of alms and the ideal community of goods among the disciples, were all likely, until counteracted by stronger influences, to secure popular favour.