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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
Was now come for was fully come, A.V.; all together for with one accord, A.V. and T.R. When the day of Pentecost was now come; literally, when the day of Pentecost—i.e., of the fiftieth day—was in the course of being completed. The fiftieth day (reckoned from the end of the 16th of Nisan, on which Jesus was crucified) was actually come, but was not ended (comp. Luk_9:11). All together; ὁμοῦ for ὁμοθυμαδόν : but ὁμοθυμαδόν —a favorite word in the Acts (Act_4:24, note)—seems preferable to ὁμοῦ , which occurs only in St. John. In one place (see Act_1:15, note). The purpose, doubtless, of their coming together was for prayer, as in Act_1:14; and the third hour (9 a.m., Act_1:15), the hour of offering the morning sacrifice, was close at hand (comp. Act_3:1 and Luk_1:10).
Act_2:2
From heaven a sound for a sound from heaven, A.V.; as of the rushing of a for as of a rushing, A.V. All the house; showing that it was in a private dwelling, not in the temple (as in Act_3:1) that they were assembled (see Act_2:46). Perhaps the word "church" ( ὁ κυριακὸς οἷκος ) derives its use from these early meetings of the disciples in a house, as distinguished from the temple ( τὸ ἱερὸν ).
Act_2:3
Tongues parting asunder for cloven tongues, A.V.; each one for each, A.V. There appeared. They had heard the sound, now they see the tongues of fire, and then they feel the Spirit working in them (see Act_2:34). Tongues parting asunder. The idea of the cloven tongue, i.e. a tongue parted into two, which is thought to have been the origin of the miter, is not suggested either by the Greek or by the circumstances, and is clearly a mistaken one. Διαμεριζόμεναι means distributing themselves or being distributed. From the central apparition, or rather place of sound, they saw issuing forth many several tongues, looking like small flames of fire, and one such tongue sat upon each one of the brethren or disciples present. Each one. That Chrysostom is right ('Hom.'4.) in interpreting the each one of this verse of the hundred and twenty, and not of the twelve, and the all in Act_2:4 of all present besides the apostles, may be demonstrated. For not only must the all of Act_2:1 refer to the same company as was described in the preceding chapter (Act_2:15-26), but it is quite clear in Act_2:15 of this chapter that Peter and the eleven (Act_2:14), standing up separate from the body of the disciples, say of them, "These are not drunken, as ye suppose;" which is a demonstration that those of whom they thus spoke had been speaking with tongues (see also Act_10:44). St. Augustine, too, says that the hundred and twenty all received the Holy Spirit. To the same effect Meyer, Wordsworth, Alford (who adds, "Not the hundred and twenty only, but all the believers in Christ then congregated at Jerusalem;" so also Lange). Farrar well remarks, "It was the consecration of a whole Church to be all of them a chosen generation, a royal priest- hood, a holy nation, a peculiar people" ('Life of St. Paul,' Act_5:1-42.). Lange says, "Not only the apostles, but all the disciples, were filled with the Holy Ghost. There is a universal priesthood of all believers, and the Holy Ghost is the anointing which consecrates and qualifies for this priesthood".
Act_2:4
Spirit for Ghost, A.V. Other tongues (1Co_14:21; Isa_28:11); the same as the "new tongues" of Mar_16:17. St. Paul speaks of them as "the tongues of men and of angels" (1Co_13:1), and as "kinds of tongues" (1Co_12:10). His habitual phrase is "speaking in [or with] a tongue [or tongues]" (1Co_14:2, 1Co_14:4-6, etc.), and the verb is always λαλεῖν , as here. What these tongues were on this occasion we are explicitly informed in Mar_16:6, Mar_16:8, and Mar_16:11. They were the tongues of the various nationalities present at the feast—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Phrygians, Arabians, etc. This is so clearly and so distinctly stated that it is astonishing that any one should deny it who accepts St. Luke's account as historical. The only room for doubt is whether the speakers spoke in these divers languages, or the hearers heard in them though the speakers spoke in only one tongue. But not to mention that this is far more difficult to imagine, and transfers the miracle from those who had the Holy Spirit to those who had it not, it is against the plain language of the text, which tells us that "they began to speak with other tongues," and that "every man heard them speaking in his own language." "Speaking," said they, "in our own tongues the mighty works of God." There may, indeed, have been something ecstatic besides in these utterances, but there is no reference to such made either by St. Luke or by the audience whose words he reports. The narrative before us does not hint at any after use of the gift of tongues for missionary purposes. In Act_10:46; Act_11:15-17; Act_19:6, as well as in the passages above referred to in the First Epistle to the Corinthians, the speaking with tongues is always spoken of—often in connection with prophecy—simply as a gift and a manifestation (1Co_12:7) of the power of the Holy Spirit. In this case and in Act_10:46 the subject-matter of the utterance is the greatness of God's works; τὰ μεγαλεῖα τοῦ Θεοῦ μεγαλυνόντων τὸν Θεὸν . In 1Co_14:2 it is" mysteries;" in 1Co_14:15, "prayers and psalms;" in 1Co_14:16 it is "blessing" and "thanksgiving" ( εὐλογία and εὐχαριστία ). But nowhere, either in Holy Scripture or in the Fathers of the three first centuries, is the gift of tongues spoken of in connection with preaching to foreign nations (see Alford's just remarks). Farrar takes the same view, but is much less distinct in his conception of what is meant here by speaking with tongues. He adheres to the view of Schneckenburger, that "the tongue was, from its own force and significance, intelligible equally to all who heard it;" he agrees with the dictum of Neander that "any foreign languages which were spoken on this occasion were only something accidental, and not the essential element of the language of the Spirit." He says, "The voice they uttered was awful in its range, in its tones, in its modulations, in its startling, penetrating, almost appalling power; the words they spoke were exalted, intense, passionate, full of mystic significance; the language they used was not their ordinary and familiar tongue, but was Hebrew, or Greek, or Latin, or Aramaic, or Persian, or Arabic, as some overpowering and unconscious impulse of the moment might direct … and among these strange sounds … there were some which none could interpret, which rang on the air like the voice of barbarous languages, and which … conveyed no definite significance beyond the fact that they were reverberations of one and the same ecstasy." The writer seems to suggest that when any real language was spoken it was one more or less known previously by the speaker, and that in other cases it was no language at all, only thrilling emotional sounds. Renan's view of the day of Pentecost is a carious specimen of rationalistic interpretation. "One day when the brethren were come together there was a tempest. A violent wind burst open the windows, and the sky was one sheet of fire. In that climate tempests are often accompanied by an extraordinary amount of electric light. The atmosphere is on all sides furrowed with jets of flame. On this occasion, whether the electric fluid actually passed through the room, or whether the faces of all present were suddenly lit up by an extremely bright flash of lightning, all were convinced that the Holy Spirit had entered their assembly, and had sat upon the head of each in the shape of a tongue of fire … In these moments of ecstasy, the disciple possessed by the Spirit uttered sounds 'inarticulate and incoherent, which the hearers fancied were the words of a strange language, and in their simplicity tried to interpret They listened eagerly to the medley of sounds, and explained them by their own extemporaneous thoughts. Each of them had recourse to his own native patois to supply some meaning to the unintelligible accents, and generally succeeded in affixing to them the thoughts that were uppermost in his own mind". Elsewhere he suggests that the whole conception of speaking with tongues arose from the anticipation on the part of the apostles that great difficulty would arise in propagating the gospel from the impossibility of learning to speak the necessary languages. The solution with some was that, under the ecstasy caused by the Holy Spirit, the hearers would be able to translate what they heard into their own tongue; others rather thought that by the same power the apostles would be able to speak any dialect they pleased at the moment. Hence the conception of the day of Pentecost as described by St. Luke! Meyer, again, fully admits, as "beyond all doubt," that St. Luke intended to narrate that the persons possessed by the Spirit spoke in foreign languages previously unknown by them; but adds that "the sudden communication of a facility of speaking foreign languages is neither logically possible nor psychologically and morally conceivable" (a pretty bold assertion); and therefore he sets down St. Luke's account of what occurred as "a later legendary formation," based upon the existing γλωσσολαλία . Zeller, traveling a little further on the same road, comes to the conclusion that "the narrative before us is not based on any definite fact". Leaving, however, these fanciful varieties of incredulous criticism, and interpreting the statements of this chapter by the later spiritual gifts as seen in the Church of Corinth, we conclude that the" tongues" were sometimes "tongues of men," foreign languages unknown to the speakers, and of course unintelligible to the hearers unless any were present, as was the case on the day of Pentecost, who knew the language; anti sometimes languages not of earth but of heaven, "tongues of angels." But there is no evidence whatever of their being mere gibberish as distinct from language, or being language coined at the moment by the Holy Ghost. All that St. Paul says to the Corinthians is fully applicable to any language spoken when there were none present who understood it. The significance of the miracle seems to be that it points to the time when all shall be one in Christ, and shall all speak and understand the same speech; and not only all men, but men and angels, "the whole family in heaven and earth," "things in the heavens and things upon the earth" all gathered together in one in Christ. It may also not improbably have been used occasionally, as it was on the day of Pentecost, to convey doctrine, knowledge, or exhortation, to foreign people; but there is no distinct evidence that this was the case.
Act_2:5
Now for and, A.V.; from for out of, A.V. Dwelling; either Jews come up for the feast, or perhaps rather domiciled at Jerusalem from motives of piety.
Act_2:6
And when this sound ( φωνή ) was heard for now when this was noised abroad A.V., which the words cannot mean; speaking for speak, A.V. This sound. The question still remains whether the sound ( φωνή ) refers to the sound ( ἤχος ) of the rushing mighty wind mentioned in Act_2:2, or to the voices of those who spake with tongues. If the last, we should rather have expected sounds or voices in the plural; and it is further in favor of the former that μενῆς τῆς φωνῆς ταύτης seems to take up the ἐγένετο ἤχος of Act_2:2. The word φωνή is applied to πνεῦμα in Joh_3:8. Nor is it likely, at first sight, that the disciples in the house where they were sitting should have spoken loud enough to attract the notice of people outside. Whereas the sound of a rushing mighty wind, sufficient (as in Act_3:1-26 :31) to shake the house, would naturally he heard by passers-by. On the other hand, however, φωνή seems to point decisively to the human voice (see its use, 1Co_14:7-10).
Act_2:7
Saying for saying one to another, A.V. and T.R. Amazed ( ἐξίσταντο ; see Act_8:9, note). Galilaeans; describing merely their nationality. The Galilaean accent was peculiar and well known.
Act_2:8
Language for tongue, A.V. Language ( διαλέκτῳ , as in Act_1:19). It only occurs in the New Testament in the Acts, and may mean either language or dialect. Here it is properly rendered language, and is synonymous with γλώσσαις in verse 11.
Act_2:9
In Judaea for and in Judaea, A.V. Parthians and Medes and Elamites. These would be the Israelites of the first dispersion, the descendants of those of the ten tribes who were deported by the Assyrians, and of whom the Afghans are perhaps a remnant, and of the first Babylonian captivity. Mesopotamia and Babylon were at this time in possession of the Parthians. Babylon was a great Jewish colony, the seat of "the princes of the Captivity," and of one of the great rabbinical schools. Judaea. The mention of Judaea here is very odd, and can scarcely be right, both from its situation between Mesopotamia and Cappadocia, and because Jews (Judaeans) are mentioned again in Act_2:10 (where, however, see note). India, which seems to have been in Chrysostom's Codex ('Hem.'4., end of [3]), Idumaea, Bithynia, and Armenia, have all been suggested as conjectural emendations. One might have expected Galatia, with its different Celtic dialect, and which goes with Pontus, Cappadocia, and Asia in 1Pe_1:1; a passage, by the way, which shows that there were many Jews in those provinces: Aquila, too, was a Jew from Pontus (Act_18:2). ΛΨΔΙΑ , Lydia, would be very like ΙΟΥΔΑΙΑ ; but all manuscripts read Judaea.
Act_2:10
In Phrygia for Phrygia, A.V.; the parts for in the parts, A.V.; sojourners from for strangers of, A.V.; both Jews for Jews, A.V. Asia; i.e. "the western coast region of Asia Minor, including Caria, Lydia, and Mysia" (Meyer). "Ionia and Lydia, of which Ephesus was the capital, called Proconsular Asia" (Wordsworth and 'Speaker's Commentary.' See Act_20:16, Act_20:18; Rev_1:4, etc.). Egypt, etc. These represent the third great dispersion, that effected by Ptolemy Lagus. Some of this part of the dispersion are mentioned as very hostile to Stephen (Act_6:9). "Two-fifths of the population of Alexandria were Jews." "Jews formed one quarter of the population of Cyrene" ('Speaker's Commentary.') See Mat_27:32 and Act_13:1). And sojourners from Rome, both Jews and proselytes. The copula and couples the οἱ ἐπιδημοῦντες Ῥωμαῖοι with the οἱ κατοικοῦντες τὴν Μεσοποταμίαν , etc., of Act_13:9. It is literally, those of us who are Roman sojourners at Jerusalem, whether Jews by race or proselytes. They were equally Roman sojourners, whether they were Jews whose home was at Rome or whether they were proselytes; and it is an interesting fact that there were such proselytes in the great capital of the heathen world. Sojourners, as in Act_17:21, the strangers sojourning at Athens. Many good commentators—Alford, Meyer, Lechler (in Lange, 'Bibel Works'), etc.—take the words "Jews and proselytes" as applying to the whole preceding list, not to the Roman sojourners only; but in that case one would not expect Cretans and Arabians to follow.
Act_2:11
Cretans for Cretes, A.V.; speaking for speak, A.V.; mighty for wonderful, A.V. ( τὰ μεγαλεῖα ).
Act_2:12
Perplexed for in doubt, A.V. and T.R.
Act_2:13
But others for others, A.V.; they are filled with for these men are full of, A.V. New wine; more literally, sweet wine. These mockers, men incapable of serious and devout appreciation of the work of the Holy Spirit, attributed the tension of feeling which they saw, and the unintelligible words which they heard, to the effect of wine. So Festus said," Paul, thou art mad." So the unbelieving Jews of Pontus and Asia thought it strange that the Christians should live holily, and spake evil of them in consequence (1Pe_4:4, 1Pe_4:14). So Ishmael mocked Isaac (Gen_21:9); and so in all times "they that are born after the flesh do persecute them that are born after the Spirit" (Gal_4:29).
Act_2:14-16
Spake forth for said, A.V.; give ear unto for hearken to, A.V.; hath been spoken for was spoken, A.V. But Peter, etc. Peter stands up before the eleven as their primate, foremost in the authority of action as in precedence of place; and the apostles stand up before the multitude of believers, as those to whom Christ committed the government of his Church (see Act_1:15). Spake forth ( ἀπεφθέγξατο , the same word as in Act_2:4, "utterance "); implying the utterance of a loud and grave oration. In 1Ch_26:1-32. it is the phrase of the LXX. for those who prophesied with harps. From it is derived the word apophthegm, "a remarkable saying" (Johnson's Dictionary). Ye that dwell at Jerusalem; the same as those described in 1Ch_26:5. They were foreign Jews who, either for the feast or for other causes, had taken up their abode at Jerusalem, and are distinguished from the men of Judea, the Jews who were natives of Judaea. Give ear ( ἐνωτίζεσθε ); found only here in the New Testament, but frequent in the LXX. as the rendering of the Hebrew ðéæÄàÆäÆ (Gen_4:23; Job_33:1; Isa_1:2). It is not classical Greek, and seems to have been coined by the LXX., as the equivalent of the above-named Hebrew word. It seems to be a rhetorical phrase. The thing to be known unto them was that they saw the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy in what had happened; for it was quite a mistake to attribute it to drunkenness. By the prophet ( διὰ , not ὑπὸ ); spoken by God through the prophet. The full phrase occurs in Mat_1:22; Mat_2:5, Mat_2:15. And so it is added in Mat_2:17, "saith God."
Act_2:17
Be for come to pass, A.V.; pour forth for pour out, A.V. In the last days. This does not agree with either the Hebrew or the LXX. in the existing texts, where we read merely afterwards
. This follows the Hebrew and the Codex Alexandrinus. The Vatican Codex has, They will show or give ( δώσωσι ). In the heavens above … on the earth beneath. Above and beneath are not in the Hebrew or the LXX. With these exceptions, the text of the LXX. is followed.
Act_2:20
The day of the Lord come, that great and notable day for that great and notable day of the Lord come, A.V. and T.R.
Act_2:21
Be for come to pass, A.V.
Act_2:22
Unto you for among you, A.V.; mighty works for miracles, A.V.; even as ye yourselves know for as ye yourselves also know, A.V. Ye men of Israel. This title includes both the Jews of Judaea and all those of the dispersion, to whatever tribe they belonged. Approved of God. Observe the distinct reference to the miracles of Christ, as the proofs that he came from God, the authenticating evidences of his Divine mission. So St. Peter again, in his address to Cornelius, declares how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power, who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him (Act_10:38). The miracles of the gospel are, and were intended to be, a demonstration of the truth of Christianity, and it is at their peril that Christians allow themselves to give up this argument at the bidding of the skeptic. Mighty works and wonders and signs. Δυναμεῖς are powers, acts of healing and such like, done by the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit (see the above reference to Act_10:38); τέρατα are wonders or portents, such as are spoken of by the Prophet Joel, "wonders in heaven above," the darkening of the sun, the discoloration or the moon, or any ether wonder considered only with reference to its portentous character; σημεῖα are signs, not necessarily miraculous, but things which are proofs, either by their miraculous character or from the time or mode of their occurrence, of the truth of the things spoken. "Miracles, wonders, and signs" occur together in 2Co_12:12. The three seem to include every kind of miracle, or, as Meyer says, miracles viewed
(1) according to their nature,
(2) according to their appearance,
(3) according to their destination or proposed end.
Which God did by him. So we read Heb_1:2, "Through [or 'by'] whom also he made the worlds." And so our Lord said of himself, "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work;" and "The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do" (Joh_5:17, Joh_5:19; comp. Mat_28:18). On the other hand, our Lord often speaks of his own power, as Joh_2:19; Joh_10:18 (comp. Joh_2:11). As Mediator, Christ did all things by his Father's appointment, and for his Father's glory, Even as ye yours, elves know. Mark the confidence with which Peter appeals to their personal knowledge of the miracles of Christ. This was a fitting preparation for the announcement of that mighty power, wonder, and sign which he was now about to proclaim to them—the resurrection of the Lord Jesus from the dead.
Act_2:23
Delivered up for delivered, A.V.; by the hand of lawless men did crucify and slay for have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain, A.V. and T.R. The determinate counsel. God's counsel, that Christ should suffer for sins, was not a vague, indistinct purpose, leaving much to accident and the fluctuating will of man; it was determinate and defined in respect of time and manner and the instruments used for carrying it out. Foreknowledge is coupled with counsel or will, perhaps in order to show us that the counsel or will of God, as far as it comprehends the action of free agents, is indissolubly connected with his foreknowledge, and does not involve any force put upon the will of man. (Compare, with Chrysostom, the saying of Joseph to his brethren, "Be not angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life" (Gen_45:5); also Jdg_14:4; 1Ki_12:15, etc. Delivered up ( ἔκδοτον , only found here) is by many understood of the action of Judas in betraying Jesus into the hands of his enemies (Joh_19:11)— ἔκδοτον being taken as equivalent to what πρόδοτον would mean if it were in use. But it may with equal propriety be applied to the action of the chief priests and elders in delivering Jesus to Pontius Pilate (Mat_27:2)to be crucified (Mat_27:26). Our Lord himself alludes to Pilate's power as circumscribed by the will of God (Joh_19:11, ὁ παραδιδούς μέ σοι : comp. Mat_26:45). By the hand of lawless men. "By the hand of" is the common Hebrew phrase øéÇáÀ , by means of, through the agency of. The Jewish nation ( ἄνδρες Ἰουδαῖοι ) had crucified the Lord of glory by the hand of the heathen Romans. Lawless, equivalent to the sinners of Mat_26:45 (comp., for the special application of the term to the heathen, Gal_2:15; Gal_1:1-24 Cos. 9:21).
Act_2:24
Raised for hath raised, A.V.; pangs for pains, A.V. Pangs. St. Luke follows the LXX., who render the úåÆíÈ or éìÅáÀçÆ of Psa_18:5, Psa_18:6; Psa_116:3, by ὠδῖνες θανάτου , as if the Hebrew word were ìáÆçÅ , the pains or pangs of a woman in childbirth, whereas it really is ìáÆçÆ , a cord, as it is rendered in the margin of Psa_18:5, meaning the snare of the fowler. The variation is very similar to that of the "fruit of our lips" in Heb_13:15, compared with the "calves of our lips" of Hos_14:2. It is manifest that "loosed" applies better to cords than to pangs. It was not possible. Why, not possible?
1. Because of the union of the Godhead and manhood in the one Person of Christ.
2. Because of God's character, which makes it impossible that one who trusts in him should be forsaken, or that God's Holy One should see corruption.
3. Because the Scripture, which cannot be broken, declared the resurrection of Christ.
Act_2:25
Saith for speaketh, A.V.; he held for foresaw, A.V. The sixteenth psalm is ascribed to David in the title prefixed to it in the Hebrew and the LXX. Without pronouncing the titles to be infallible, we must confess that they carry great weight with them in the absence of any strong internal evidence against them. Meyer speaks of the psalm as "certainly later than David," and Ewald and others ascribe it to the time of the Captivity; but Hitzig thinks the internal evidence is in favor of its belonging to the time before David ascended the throne ('Speaker's Commentary'). We may safely rest on the authority of St. Peter hero and St. Paul (Act_13:35, Act_13:36), and be satisfied that it is really David's. The manner in which it is quoted by the two apostles is also very strong evidence that by the Jews of that day it was generally admitted to be a Messianic psalm. The following quotation is verbatim from the LXX.
Act_2:26
My heart was glad for did my heart rejoice, A.V.; rejoiced for was glad, A.V.; my flesh also for also my flesh, A.V.; dwell for rest, A.V.
Act_2:27
Hades for hell, A.V.; give thy Holy One for suffer thine Holy One, A.V., surely not so good a rendering. Hades. The "hell" of the A.V. is the exact English representative of ᾅδης . The article in the Creed, "He descended into hell," is based upon this text especially, the other two alleged in support of it (Eph_4:9; 1Pe_3:18, 1Pe_3:19) being less conclusive (see Pearson on the Creed, art. 5.). It is a pity to lose the word "hell" in its true meaning. Corruption; Greek διαφθρόραν , Hebrew úçÇùÑÇ . The Hebrew word always means a pit (from çÇåÌùÑ ); but the LXX. here render it διαφθορά , as if from úçÇùÑÈ (in Pihel, to destroy, waste; in Hophal and Niphal, to be corrupted, spoilt, to rot). In the A.V. it is rendered corruption, here and in Job_17:14, where it answers to "the worms," in the parallel clause. It is very probable that the LXX. are right. Nothing is more common than for Hebrew verbs to take the meaning of verbs with similar radicals. Holy One. So the LXX. and the Keri of the Hebrew text. But the Cethib has Holy Ones in the plural. It is obvious that the singular, Holy One, agrees far better with the singulars which precede and follow it—my heart, my glory, my flesh, my soul, thou wilt show me—than the plural, which is entirely out of place. The two clauses taken together show the full liberation of Christ from the dominion of death—that of his human soul from bell, and that of his body from the grave before it saw corruption (comp. Act_13:34-37).
Act_2:28
Madest for hast made, A.V.; unto for to, A.V.; gladness for joy, A.V.
Act_2:29
Brethren for men and brethren, A.V.; I may say unto you freely for let me freely speak unto you, A.V.; both died and was buried for is both dead and buried, A.V.; tomb for sepulcher, A.V. Brethren; literally, men who are my brethren. Observe how gentle and conciliatory the apostle's language is; how exactly in accordance with his own precept (1Pe_3:8, 1Pe_3:9), "Not rendering railing for railing," etc. In addressing them as brethren, he silently claims the good will and fairness due to one who was a brother in blood and in the faith of the God of Israel. The patriarch David. The term patriarch is elsewhere in Scripture applied only to Abraham and the twelve sons of Jacob (Heb_7:4; Act_7:8, Act_7:9). It is a title of dignity, signifying the head of a house. It seems to be here applied to David, because he is spoken of as head of the family from which Christ sprang. Abraham was the head of the whole Hebrew race: "Abraham our father." The twelve patriarchs were the heads of their respective tribes. The LXX. use the word πατριάρχης as the rendering of úåÉáàÈäÈ ùÑåÉàøÉ "chief of the fathers' houses" (1Ch_24:31; 2Ch_19:8; 2Ch_26:12); which they elsewhere render by ἄρχων , or ἀρχὴ πατριᾶς (Exo_6:25, etc.). In common parlance, the term is also applied to those chief persons who lived before the time of Moses, and have their record in his books. His tomb is with us, etc. Josephus speaks of David's tomb (calling it, as St. Peter here does, his μνῆμα ) as consisting of several chambers, and relates how one of these chambers was opened by the high priest Hyrcanus, who took from it three thousand talents of gold to give to Antiochus Pins, who was at that time laying siege to Jerusalem. He adds that another chamber was opened later by King Herod, who abstracted a great quantity of golden ornaments from it; but that neither of them penetrated to the vaults where the bodies of David and Solomon were deposited, because the entrance to them was so carefully concealed. He further mentions that Herod, having been terrified by the bursting out of flames, which stopped his further progress, built a most costly marble monument at the entrance of the tomb ('Jud. Ant.,' 7. Act_15:3; Act_13:1-52. Act_8:4; Act_16:1-40. Act_7:1). For the sense, supply "and therefore he could not be speaking of himself." The explanation follows that he was a prophet, etc.
Act_2:30
Being therefore for therefore being, A.V.; that of the fruit of his loins he would set one upon for that of the fruit of his loins according to the flesh he would raise up Christ to sit on, A.V. and T.R. Had sworn, etc. The first record of God's promise to David is in 2Sa_7:11-16 : "The Lord telleth thee that he will make thee an house. And … I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and will establish his kingdom …. Thy throne shall be established forever;" and in 2Sa_7:28, David speaks of it as God's promise: "Thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant." But there is no mention there of an oath. But in Psa_89:1-52, great stress is laid upon God having sworn to David: "I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations" (Psa_89:3, Psa_89:4); and again, Psa_89:35, "Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David" 1Sa_7:1-17 and Psa_89:1-52, should be read through carefully (comp. also Isa_4:3; Act_13:23). (For the phrase, "I have sworn by my holiness," see Amo_4:2.)
Act_2:31
Foreseeing this for seeing this before, A.V.; neither was he left in Hades for his soul was not left in hell, A.V. and T.R.; nor did his flesh for neither his flesh did, A.V.
Act_2:32
Did God raise up for hath God raised up, A.V. Are witnesses (see Act_1:22, note).
Act_2:33
Being therefore for therefore being, A.V.; poured for shed, A.V.; see for now see, A.V. By the right hand, etc. Some render it," Being exalted to the right hand," etc.; or, "Being at the right hand of God exalted." It is very questionable whether the Greek will bear the first rendering; and it would have been more natural to express the second by εἰς τὴν δεξιάν . It is best, therefore, to take it as the A.V. and the R.V. do. Tile phrase is equivalent to that in Psa_98:1, "His right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory," and numerous other passages. The promise of the Holy Ghost (see Act_1:4, note).
Act_2:34
Ascended not for is not ascended, A.V. For David, etc. The ascension of Christ is inferred from the previous prophecy, "Thou wilt show me the path of life," etc.; and is there distinctly proved from Psa_110:1, which Peter (remembering, probably, our Lord's application of it as recorded in Mat_22:42-45, which he had doubtless heard) shows could not apply to David himself, but only to David's Lord.
Act_2:35
Till for until, A.V.; thine enemies for thy foes, A.V.; the footstool of thy feet for thy footstool, A.V.
Act_2:36
Let all the house of Israel therefore for therefore let all the house of Israel, A.V.; him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified for that same Jesus whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ, A.V., a change very much for the worse, inasmuch as the R.V. is not an English phrase, and adds nothing to the sense.
Act_2:37
The rest for to the rest, A.V.; brethren for men and brethren, A.V. Pricked in their heart ( κατενύγησαν ). The LXX. rendering of Psa_109:16 (15, Prayer-book), "broken," or "vexed at the heart." Gen_34:7 it is rendered "grieved." Unto Peter and the rest of the apostles. It is important to note from the beginning the relative position of Peter and the other apostles; a certain primacy and precedence, both in place and in action, he has undoubtedly. He is always named first, and he acts first, in preaching both to Jews and Gentiles. The keys are in his hands, and the door is first opened as he turns the lock. But it is equally clear that he is but one of the apostles; he is not set over them, but acts with them; he is not their superior, but their fellow; they are not eclipsed by his presence, but only animated by his example; inquirers after salvation do not ask at his mouth only, but of the whole college of the apostles. Brethren (see Gen_34:29). The Jews and Israelites now hold out the right hand of brotherhood to those whom before they reviled (Gen_34:13). What shall we do? It is a sign of the working of God's Spirit in the heart, renewing it to repentance, when men feel the need of changing their old course of thought and action, and inquire anxiously what they must do to inherit eternal life.
Act_2:38
And for then, A.V.; said (in italics) for said, A.V. and T.R.; repent ye for repent, A.V.; unto for for, A.V.; your sins for sins, A.V. Repent, etc. We have in this short verse the summary of Christian doctrine as regards man and God. Repentance and faith on the part of man; forgiveness of sins, or justification, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, or sanctification, on the part of God. And both these are expressed in the sacrament of baptism, which as it were ties the act of man to the promise of God. For the sacrament expresses man's faith and repentance on one side, and God's forgiveness and gift on the other.
Act_2:39
To you is the promise for the promise is unto you, A.V.; shall call unto him for shall call. To you is the promise (see Act_1:4; Act_2:33). There is also a reference to the prophecy in Joel, quoted in verses 17-21. To all that are afar off; i.e. the Gentiles, as appears clearly from Eph_2:17, where the same phrase is applied to the Ephesian Christians, and the Jewish Christians are spoken of as "those that were nigh." The fulfilment to the Gentiles is specially recorded (Act_10:45; Act_11:15, Act_11:18, etc.). Shall call unto him (comp. Rom_1:6; Rom_8:28, Rom_8:30; Rom_9:24; 1Co_1:2; Gal_1:6 (etc.), which confirm the application of the "afar off" to the Gentiles.
Act_2:40
He testified, and exhorted for did he testify and exhort, A.V.; crooked for untoward, A.V. Save yourselves, etc. The idea is that the crooked generation which denied and crucified the Lord is hurrying on to their destruction. Those who would not perish with them must come out from amongst them and be separate from them (2Co_6:1-18 :19), and seek safely in the ark of Christ's Church (1Pe_3:21), as Noah did in the ark, and as Lot did in Zoar. So the jailer at Philippi, seeking to be saved, was baptized straightway (Act_16:30-33). This was the drift and end of all St. Peter's exhortations.
Act_2:41
They then for then they, A.V.; received for gladly received, A.V. and T.R.; there were added unto them in that day for the same day there were added unto them, A.V. Gladly received. The best manuscripts omit ἀσμενως , which, indeed, is superfluous, as the word ἀποδέχομαι contains in itself the idea of a kind reception—a welcome (Luk_8:40; Act_15:4; Act_24:3).
Act_2:42
Teaching for doctrine, A.V.; in the breaking for and in breaking, A.V. and T.R.; the prayers for in prayer, A.V. And fellowship; better, as in the margin, in fellowship; not meaning the apostles' fellowship, but the fellowship of the Church—that common life of close brotherhood in which all that they did was done in common, and all that they possessed was possessed in common, so that there seemed to be but one heart and one mind amongst them all. Breaking of bread; in the Holy Eucharist. The prayers; the common prayers of the Church.
Act_2:43
Fear came, etc. This seems to be spoken of the awe which fell upon the whole people, and restrained them from interfering with the disciples. Just as at the first settlement of Israel in the land of Canaan God laid the fear of them and the dread of them upon all the hind (Deu_11:25), so now the fear engendered by the events on the day of Pentecost, by the signs and wonders which followed and by the wonderful unity and holiness of the newborn Church, so wrought upon every soul at Jerusalem that all enmity was paralyzed, and the disciples had time to multiply and to consolidate and establish themselves before the storm of persecution fell upon them.
Act_2:44
Were together ( ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό ; see Act_1:15, note, and above, verse 42). Had all things common. Just as the Transfiguration gave a passing glimpse of the state of glory, so here we have a specimen of what Christian love and unity in its perfection, and unchecked by contact with the world without, would, and perhaps some day will, produce. But even at Jerusalem this bright vision of a paradise on earth was soon troubled by the earthly dissensions recorded in Act_6:1-15.; and the Christian community received a timely lesson that things good in themselves are not always practicable in an evil world, where sluggish virtues require the stimulants of bodily wants to draw them out and strengthen them, and where hypocrisy often claims the kindly offices which are due only to disciples indeed.
Act_2:45
They sold for sold, A.V.; all for all men, A.V.; according as any for as every, A.V.
Act_2:46
Day by day continuing steadfastly for they continuing daily, A.V.; at home for from house to house, A.V.; they did take their food for did eat their meat, A.V. In the temple. It is very remarkable that at this early age of the Church's existence Christians did not deem themselves separated from their Jewish brethren, or from the Old Testament institutions. Christianity was but Judaism perfected; the gospel the full blossoming of the Law. The first Christian Jews, therefore, did not conceive of themselves as quitting the religion of their fathers, but rather hoped that their whole nation would in a short time acknowledge Jesus to be the Christ. Christian institutions, therefore—the prayers, the breaking of bread, the prophesyings and speaking with tongues, and the apostolic teachings—were supplemental to the temple service, not antagonistic to it; and the church took the place rather of the synagogue than of the temple (see 'Dict. of Bible:' "Synagogue"). At home. This version hardly represents the true idea of the original; κατ οἶκον represents the private Christian place of meeting, as contrasted with the temple. The meaning is not that every disciple broke bread in his own house, but that they broke bread at the house where the Christian assemblies were held, whether one or more. We have already seen the Church gathered together "in an upper room" (Act_1:13), in "one place," in "a house" (Act_2:1, Act_2:2), and "together" (Act_2:44; see too Act_4:31); and we know that as the synagogue was called äìÌÈôÌÄúÀ úéáÌÅ , house of prayer, or úñÆðÆëÌÀäÇ úéáÌÅ , the house of assemblage, so the Christian place of meeting was called ὁ Κυριακὸς οἷκος ; the Lord's house, whence the word "church." (For breaking bread, see above, Act_2:42.) They did take their food. The link of connection is the ἀγάπη or love-feast, which formed an important part of the κοινωνία , or common life, of the early Christians. The whole description is a beautiful picture of Christian unity, piety, love, and joy.
Act_2:47
To them day by day for to the Church daily, A.V. and T.R.; those that were being sated for such as should be saved, A.V. Added to them day by day. The R.T. has instead of τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ the words ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό , which in Act_2:1 are properly rendered "in one place," but do not seem to be rendered at all in the R.V. of this verse. In fact, they have no sense unless you construe them with τοὺς σωζομένους , "those who escaped to the same place," i.e. to the Church. But it seems most probable that the words ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό do really belong to Act_3:1, where they are found in the T.R. If τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ does not properly belong to the text (it is wanting in A, B, C, à , and many versions), then προσετίθει must be taken absolutely, as προσετέθησαν is in verse 41, the Church, or the disciples, being understood. Those that were being saved. The exhortation in verse 40 was "Save yourselves from this crooked generation." Those who were added to the Church were those who complied with the exhortation, and escaped from complicity with their unbelieving countrymen. They were the remnant that escaped. (See the use of οἱ σωζόμενοι in the LXX. (2Ch_20:25, etc.), and see Mar_16:16.)
I. There is first THE LOCAL UNITY OF THE CHURCH. They were all together in one place. Many in number, but all of that many come together; drawn by one common impulse to merge their separate existences, their various pursuits, their divergent vocations, their several movements, their independent actions, in one common action, and by that action to come together to one place. All the different reasons and motives which would have kept them separate, and which would have attracted them to different places, were overcome by the common reason and motive which drew them to one place. Nor must we overlook some of the aspects of this local unity. It reveals to us that there was something in the heart of each one of the assembly which felt the need of contact with the others, because there was known to be in those others a like nature and a like spirit and a like yearning to their own. No one felt himself sufficient to himself; there was an outlook in each breast for that which should make up the complement of its own wants, and that complement could only be found in the love of the brethren. It reveals also that sense which each had of mutual support and encouragement, that expectation of strength and countenance to be derived from the presence and the communion of the rest. The Christian instinct told each one, "It is not good to be alone;" faith, love, courage, holy enthusiasm, heavenly zeal, power to act for Christ and his kingdom, wisdom to know, and boldness to execute, counsel before the time of action comes, and decision when it is come,—all are increased and perfected "by that which every joint supplieth." And then, again, this local unity had its immense importance considered in regard to its outward aspect—the aspect which it presented to the world. The individual Simon, or John, or James, might be thrust aside with contempt as an ignorant enthusiast or an eccentric fanatic; but the compact body of the twelve, with the hundred and twenty firmly attached to them, already presented a front to the world imposing from its compactness and the close coherence of all its parts. And, in like manner, a little thought will reveal other aspects of this local unity. The one temple at Jerusalem had contributed not a little to the unity of the twelve tribes, who looked upon it as their common center, and who met together periodically at that one center for the offices of their common faith. And so this local unity of the Church, to whom the upper chamber—consecrated, perhaps, by the Lord's presence at the Paschal feast, and endeared by the hours of prayer and waiting passed in it between Easter and Pentecost-was the common place of meeting, was a material prop and buttress to that spiritual unity of which the Lord Jesus Christ was the true Center.
II. But mark next what we may call THE OBJECTIVE UNITY OF THE CHURCH as contemplated by the Holy Ghost. It is not only that the disciples felt their unity, and displayed it in the local unity of which we have spoken, but God the Holy Ghost looked upon them as one, and treated them as one. We read in verse 3 that "it sat upon each one of them;" not upon the apostles only, not upon certain favored persons, but upon each one of the assembled saints. It was the one Spirit filling the one body (see Exposition, verse 3). It is added with emphasis," They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." Here, then, we have clearly and most impressively set before us the unity of the Church in the sight of God; its unity in respect of privilege and covenanted possession. It is an exposition in practice of St. Paul's saying, "If any man hath net the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his" (Rom_8:1-39. 9), which is here laid before us. It is the baptism with the Holy Ghost, promised by Christ to all his disciples. Here there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither male nor female. Sons and daughters alike, bond and free, apostles and children, are all partakers of that one Spirit, because all have been baptized into one body. The invisible bands which tie together in one bundle of spiritual life each particular member of the mystical Body of Christ are seemed by the Holy Ghost.
III. But thirdly, what we may call THE WILFUL UNITY OF THE CHURCH stands out prominently in the passage before us: the unity i.e. of will and purpose, resulting from the common possession and indwelling of one and the same Spirit, and the fixed desire to act together. Their voices were many, but their theme was one—"the mighty works of God." Their voices were many, but they had one end and aim—to proclaim God's glory, to praise God's works, and to draw all men, however diverse, to his blessed worship and service. The grand design of uniting all mankind in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, of bringing men of all creeds and all colors, of all nations and all languages, into one close unity and fellowship, was present to all their minds and influenced their common action. It was the work they had to do together. The end was dear to each single heart among them, but it was to be accomplished by united effort. And what wonders can be accomplished by united effort! Where one spirit runs through anti moves many wills in one direction with an unbroken movement, and those many wills run willingly, harmoniously, and unitedly in their onward course, realizing their union with the Divine will, and rejoicing in the harmony of their own several wills,—what can withstand them? It is the waste of force in the antagonistic movement of the several wills which hinders and checks progress; when one thwarts another, and subtracts his own motive power from that of his brother, instead of adding it thereto. Hence the slow progress of Christianity in our own day compared with that of the apostolic age; hence the weakness of the Church, its feebler victories over sin, its almost defeats by the spirit of infidelity, its apparent inability to cope with the powers of this world. Surely the contemplation of the unity of the Spirit, as seen on the day of Pentecost, should kindle in every Christian breast a longing for a like unity among ourselves.
IV. We may notice lastly, THE PROSPECTIVE UNITY OF THE CHURCH in its completeness. The long list of nationalities detailed by the historian, when he enumerates Parthians and Medea and Elamites, and so many other nations of Europe, Asia, and Africa, as all hearing in their own several languages the mighty works of God; the striking narrative of the Holy Spirit of God lighting upon the heads of the Galilaean disciples, and, by enabling them to speak with other tongues, removing the barrier of separation between man and man caused by the confusion of tongues; the exhibition of Jerusalem as the Christian metropolis, the birthplace of so many sons and daughters, the center of union between the apostles of the Lord and believers "out of every nation under heaven" (verse 5);—all this was surely intended to lead our thoughts and our hopes forward to that blessed day, seen by St. John in vision, when" the great multitude, which no man can number, out of every nation, and of all tribes and peoples and tongues, shall stand before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands, crying with a loud voice and saying, Salvation unto our God which sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb." It is to this blessed consummation, when all things shall be gathered together into one in Christ, that every weary heart should look forward. It is a vision of glory to keep before the mind amidst the strife and discord, the divisions and separations, of the existing age. It is light which, seen even at the end of the long perspective of this world's troublous way, should reflect back a softening cheering ray upon each step of our wearisome path, and encourage us to press forward with unfaltering purpose till we reach Mount Zion, and behold the Church in her glory. Then shall the brightness of the Pentecostal day pale before the beauty of that day of Christ, and God's purpose will be accomplished in the perfect unity of heart and voice, of will and purpose, of thought and speech, of work and habitation, of the whole multitude whom Christ has redeemed and made kings and priests, that they may reign for ever in the new Jerusalem of God.
Act_2:14-36