Acts 2:1. The Holy Ghost given at Pentecost. Effect first produced thereby on the dwellers at Jerusalem 1. _the day of Pentecost_ The second of the three great Jewish feasts, the Passover being the first, and the third, the feast of Tabernacles. _Pentecost_is the Greek name of the feast, derived fro... [ Continue Reading ]
_And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind_ Rather, OF THE RUSHING OF A MIGHTY WIND, lit., _of a mighty wind borne along_. The verb employed to express the rushing of the wind is used by St Peter (2 Ephesians 1:17-18) of "the voice which came from heaven" at the Transfi... [ Continue Reading ]
_cloven tongues like as of fire_ Better, _tongues like as of fire_ PARTING ASUNDER; cf. Isaiah 5:24, where the Hebrew has "tongue of fire" while the A. V. gives only "fire." It is also to be noticed that the appearance is not called fire, but only compared unto fire. The idea conveyed by the verb is... [ Continue Reading ]
This verse describes a great miracle, and its simplicity of statement marks it as the record of one who felt that no additional words could make the matter other than one which passed the human understanding. _they began to speak with other tongues_ Spoken of as _new_tongues (Mark 16:17). It means... [ Continue Reading ]
_there were dwelling at Jerusalem_, &c. Probably, in addition to the visitors, many religious Jews from foreign parts were permanent residents in Jerusalem, for it was to the Jew a thing much to be desired, that he might die and be buried near the Holy City. It is said (T. B. _Kethuboth_, III a), "E... [ Continue Reading ]
_Now when this was noised abroad_ Rather, AND WHEN THIS SOUND WAS HEARD. Φενή though not the same word as is used for _sound_in Acts 2:2, yet is never found in the sense of a _report_or _rumour_, as is given by the A. V. It is used for _crying aloud_, as in the mourning at Rama and Christ's cry on t... [ Continue Reading ]
_Galileans_ No doubt the twelve came more prominently forward than the rest, and in Jerusalem they had been known as Galilæans before the Crucifixion (Matthew 26:69-73).... [ Continue Reading ]
_every man in our own tongue_ i.e. language. There is no description here of any jargon or incoherent speech, we are told of utterances tested by the ears of those who had spoken these languages from their youth. The only question on which from St Luke's description we are left in uncertainty is thi... [ Continue Reading ]
Under all the nationalities mentioned in this and the following verse we are to understand the Jews, either by birth or conversion (as is indicated in the case of Rome), whose homes were in the countries named. _Parthians_ A people who occupied a wide extent of country south of the Caspian Sea, fro... [ Continue Reading ]
_Cretes_ Dwellers in the well-known island which lies south of the Cyclades in the Mediterranean, now called _Candia_. Christianity may perhaps have been spread in Crete also from the converts at Pentecost. Titus was made bishop of Crete. _Arabians_ Inhabitants of the great peninsula which stretche... [ Continue Reading ]
_they were all amazed, and were in doubt_ Rather, AND WERE PERPLEXED. The original means they did not know what to make of what they saw and heard. They had no doubt of the facts, for their ears bore testimony that in their own various mother-tongues the great works of God were being published, and... [ Continue Reading ]
_Others mocking_, &c. Better, BUT _others mocking said; They are full of new wine_. There is no Greek for the words _these men_, as is shewn by the italics of the A. V. The sight presented to the bystanders on this occasion was certainly unusual. We cannot but believe that the disciples would be in... [ Continue Reading ]
St Peter's Sermon. Refutation of the Mockers 14. _But Peter, standing up_, &c. The twelve naturally take the leading place among the disciples, and Peter, who had been spokesman before, begins the general address now, directing it principally to those who were dwellers in Jerusalem and the neighbou... [ Continue Reading ]
_are not drunken_ Wine was drunk by the Jews with flesh only, and, founding the custom on Exodus 16:8, they ate bread in the morning, and flesh in the evening, and so took no wine till late in the day. So Ecclesiastes 10:16-17, by the "princes who eat _in the morning_" are meant those who eat to the... [ Continue Reading ]
_by_(or THROUGH) _the prophet Joel_ Joel calls his prophecy "the word of the Lord that came unto Joel." The passage is from Joel 2:28-32. The order of the clauses differs slightly from the Hebrew order, shewn in the A.V., but agrees generally with the LXX.... [ Continue Reading ]
_in the last days_ These words are an interpretation of the _afterwards_of the Hebrew, and _after these things_of the LXX. The expression "the last days" is used in the Old Testament to signify the coming of the Messiah. (Cp. Isaiah 2:2; Micah 4:1.) The latter clauses of this verse are transposed in... [ Continue Reading ]
_and on my servants_, &c. The conjunctions of the original demand a stronger rendering. YEA AND, &c. _and they shall prophesy_ See Acts 19:6, where this is the result of the gift of the Spirit; cf. also Agabus (Acts 11:28), and the daughters of Philip the Evangelist (Acts 21:9).... [ Continue Reading ]
_and I will shew wonders_, &c. By the figurative language of this verse the prophet teaches that even when the kingdom of Christ shall have come into the world, mighty troubles shall still prevail. Cp. Christ's own words of like import (Matthew 24:21-30).... [ Continue Reading ]
_that great and notable day_ Instead of _notable_we have in Joel _terrible_. The words of the N. T. are those of the LXX. The Hebrew verbs _to fear_and _to see_have often been confounded in that version. On the various senses of this expression cp. Lightfoot, _Hor. Hebr_. Mark 9:1. The prophecy of J... [ Continue Reading ]
_shall be saved_ Eusebius (_H. E_. iii. 5. 3) tells how the Christians were warned to leave Jerusalem before the destruction, and went into a city of Perea called Pella.... [ Continue Reading ]
Recital of God's witness by the Resurrection to the Messiahship of Jesus 22. _men of Israel_ As the prophecies which St Peter is about to put forward were given before the nation was rent into two parts, he calls them by a name which points to their union and common descent from Jacob. _Jesus of N... [ Continue Reading ]
_him, being delivered_, &c. i.e. given up unto you, as God had decreed for the sake of man's redemption. _ye have taken, and by wicked hands_, &c. The best MSS. omit the word rendered _have taken_. Read, _ye by the hand of wicked men have crucified and slain. By the hand of_is a Hebrew formula for... [ Continue Reading ]
_For David speaketh concerning him_ The passage which St Peter quotes is from Psalms 16:8-11, and he argues that it could not be of himself that the Psalmist there spake, for they had evidence that the words could not be truly said of him; but that having regard to God's promise he spake of Him who... [ Continue Reading ]
_my tongue was glad_ The Heb. has _my glory_. Cp. Psalms 108:1, where the A. V. has, according to the Hebrew, "I will give praise even _with my glory_," while the Prayer-book Version renders "_with the best member that I have_." _shall rest_ Lit. _shall tabernacle_.... [ Continue Reading ]
_in hell_ The Greek word here and in Acts 2:31 is _Hades_, and signifies _the unseen world_. _neither wilt thou suffer_ Lit. _give_. _thine Holy One_ The Hebrew word in the Psalm contains the idea of _beloved_, as well as _godly_or _holy_. Our A. V. represents the Greek.... [ Continue Reading ]
_thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance_ Thus the LXX. paraphrases the Hebrew, which gives "in thy presence is fulness of joy.... [ Continue Reading ]
Here the Apostle begins his argument from the words of David, and at the outset speaks to his hearers as _brethren_. _Men and brethren_ See on Acts 1:16. _let me freely speak_ Better (with the margin), I MAY _freely_ SAY _unto you of the patriarch David that he_ BOTH DIED AND WAS BURLED, i.e. none... [ Continue Reading ]
_knowing that God had sworn with an oath_ See Psalms 132:11, "of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne." _that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne_ The words represented by "according … Christ" are omitted in the best MSS. The... [ Continue Reading ]
_spake of the resurrection of Christ_ Better, of the resurrection OF THE CHRIST, i.e. the Messiah, the anointed of Jehovah. _that his soul was not left in hell_, &c. The words for _his soul_are not found in the best MSS. Read, THAT NEITHER WAS HE LEFT IN HELL NOR DID HIS FLESH, &C. This is an examp... [ Continue Reading ]
_This Jesus hath God raised up_ (i.e. from the dead). The verb here, and the noun translated _resurrection_in the previous verse, are parts of the same word, and make the statement very forcible in the Greek. David spake of a _resurrection_, which manifestly was not his own, but here is now come to... [ Continue Reading ]
_Therefore being by_[or _at the right hand of God exalted_ i.e. into heaven. For not only are the Apostles and disciples witnesses of the Resurrection but also of the Ascension. _the promise of the Holy Ghost_ called _the promise of the Father_in Acts 1:4. Christ had told His disciples that the Fat... [ Continue Reading ]
_For David is not ascended_ Better _ascended not_. He went down to the grave, and "slept with his fathers." _but he saith himself_ in Psalms 110:1. Speaking AS a prophet, and of the same person, whom, though he was to be born of the fruit of his loins, he yet in the Spirit called his Lord. The word... [ Continue Reading ]
_until 1 make thy foes thy footstool_ To put the foot on the neck of an enemy is an expression for complete victory. This was an Oriental custom (cp. Joshua 10:24). Christ's enemies are to become His footstool, but His power shall not end then. When they are all subdued His kingdom shall continue an... [ Continue Reading ]
_let all the house of Israel know_ Of course such an appeal can only be made to Israel, for they only had known the prophecies, and received the promises. _that God hath made_, &c. The Greek has more force than the A. V. gives. Render, GOD HATH MADE HIM BOTH LORD AND CHRIST, EVEN THIS JESUS WHOM YE... [ Continue Reading ]
Effect of St Peter's Sermon 37. _pricked in their heart_ stung with remorse at the enormity of the wickedness which had been committed in the Crucifixion, and at the blindness with which the whole nation had closed their eyes to the teaching of the prophecies which had spoken of the Messiah. _unto... [ Continue Reading ]
_Repent_ This was in accordance with the directions of Jesus before His ascension (Luke 24:47), "that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name." _be baptized_ Also enjoined by Christ (Matthew 28:19), and while there the baptism is "to be in the name of the Father and of the So... [ Continue Reading ]
_the promise is unto you, and to your children_ Just as "to Abraham _and his seed_were the promises made" (Galatians 3:16), so is it to be under the new covenant. _all that are afar off_ Peter knew from the first, we see, that the Gentiles were to be admitted to the same privileges as Israel. But C... [ Continue Reading ]
_And with many other words did he testify_, &c. Hence we learn that there is no attempt made by the writer of the Acts to produce more than the substance and character of what was here said. And we may be sure that he uses the same rule always, and we need not therefore be startled if we find an add... [ Continue Reading ]
The first Converts and their behaviour 41. _Then they that gladly received his word_ The oldest MSS. Omit _gladly_. The latter clause of the verse is more literally, _And there were added on that day about three thousand souls_, i.e. to the one hundred and twenty of whom the Church consisted when t... [ Continue Reading ]
_And they continued stedfastly in the apostles" doctrine_ i.e. They allowed nothing to interfere with the further teaching which the Apostles no doubt gave to the newly baptized. The converts would naturally seek to hear all the particulars of the life of Him whom they had accepted as Lord and Chris... [ Continue Reading ]
_And fear came upon every soul_ The mockers were silenced by what they saw and heard, and were deterred from further opposition even though they did not listen to the call to repentance. _wonders and signs_ See Acts 2:22.... [ Continue Reading ]
_were together, and had all things common_ With the words of the angels still in their ears (Acts 1:11), "This same Jesus shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven," the disciples were no doubt full of the thought that the return of Jesus was not far distant. Such an opinion sp... [ Continue Reading ]
_And sold their possessions_, &c. For the money which resulted from such sales would be the most convenient form in which their bounty could be bestowed on those who needed it. _as every man had need_ Better, ACCORDING AS ANY MAN HAD NEED. We gather from this that the first converts kept their home... [ Continue Reading ]
_And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple_ The Greek is more emphatic. Render, AND DAY BY DAY ATTENDING CONTINUALLY with one accord, &c. At the Temple they were likely to meet with the greatest number of devout listeners; and we shall find that the first Christians did not cease to... [ Continue Reading ]
_praising God_ because their hearts were full of thankfulness for the knowledge of Jesus as His Christ. _having favour with all the people_ As it was said of Christ, "the common people heard Him gladly" (Mark 12:37), so it seems to have been with His Apostles. The first attack made on them is (Acts... [ Continue Reading ]