Nazarene Acts of the Apostles Chapter 2 v1-13 Working Spirit

CHAPTER TWO:
THE RESULT OF THE SPIRIT-OUTPOURING

[“Baptized in the Name of Jesus”]
Key word: Believers

Acts 2:1-4 – Apostles Filled with Spirit

AC2:1 Now when the day of Pentecost was fulfilled,[1] all of the [apostles] were gathered together at the same upper room.[2] AC2:2 Suddenly there was a sound from above like the noise of a violent wind,[3] and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. AC2:3 Split tongues of fire appeared[4] and these rested upon each one [of the apostles]. AC2:4 All of them were filled with the holy Pneuma[5] and foreign languages were given to them.[6]

Apostles receive the gift of tongues (Acts 2) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Acts 2:5-13 – An International Crowd Responds

AC2:5 Now there were pious[7] Jewish men dwelling in Jerusalem from all nations under heaven.[8] AC2:6 And when they happened to hear the sound[9] the gathered crowd was confused because they were each hearing the apostles speak in their own language.[10] AC2:7 They were amazed and astonished and began to say: “Look! are not all these speaking Galileans?[11] AC2:8 So how are we all hearing in our own native languages?[12] AC2:9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites, Mesopotamians, Judeans, Cappadocians, those from Pontus and Asia, AC2:10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egyptians, and those from Cyrene in Libya, visitors from Rome (both Hebrews and Jewish converts), AC2:11 Cretans and Arabs – all of us in our own languages hear them in other languages the mighty acts of The God.”[13] AC2:12 And all were amazed and perplexed among themselves, saying: “What can this mean?” AC2:13 However, others continued to mock and say: “They are all full of sweet wine!”

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[1] The day of Pentecost was fulfilled: Or, fully come, in the course of, running its course. For details on Pentecost and the various names that describe it see Exodus 23:16; 34:22; Numbers 28:26-31; Leviticus 23:15-21; Deuteronomy 16:9, 10. This would be 50 days from Nisan 16, 33 AD.

[2] All of the [apostles] were gathered together at the same upper room: Or, one place, met together. The context will show that only the twelve apostles were present on this occasion.

[3] A sound from above like the noise of a violent wind: Or, TCN: that of a strong wind coming nearer and nearer; MOF: like a violent blast of wind; AMP: the rushing of a violent tempest blast. The Greek word PNEUMA, as well as the Hebrew RUACH, mean literally a wind or breath. Anyone who has experience severe winds understands what this must have sounded like. Here the Greek for “wind” is PNOES [blowing].

[4] Split tongues of fire appeared: Or, KJV: cloven tongues; ASV: tongues parting asunder; TCN: tongues of what appeared to be flame, separating; WEY: tongues of what looked like fire, distributing themselves over the assembly. Many hold the view that this occurred upon 120 of the disciples. However, a close look at the context and the exact wording, points more to the fact that this happened only to the Twelve – the group originally promised such an outpouring of holy Pneuma by Jesus.

[5] All of them were filled with the holy Pneuma: The use of the word “filled” means the Pneuma became fully operative on the apostles, each in an individual way – each with a different language. This divine Pressure accomplished the will of God according to His purpose.

[6] Foreign languages were given to them: Or, KJV: speak with other tongues; MOF: foreign tongues; BAS: different tongues; PME: different languages. The exact languages spoken are listed in the next paragraph. The Greek is GLOSSAIS from which comes the English glossary. The gift of tongues was given as a sign to unbelieving Jews that God’s PNEUMA was now on the New Israel of God, the Christian Church. [For notes on “tongues” see 1 Corinthians chapter 14.] Actually, the word, outside of 1 Corinthians 13, 14, occurs seldom. [Acts 19:6] Jesus Christ did not speak in tongues. For details on the gifts of the spirit see Biblical Articles in Nazarene Commentary 2000© on gifts of the spirit.

[7] Pious: Or, reverent, devout, religious. The Greek is EULABEIS [Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance #2126, taking hold well].

[8] There were pious Jewish men dwelling in Jerusalem from all nations under heaven: The word for “men” is ANDRES and means “males.” It is likely many of the distant travelers remained from Passover 50 days before. Jerusalem could swell to upwards of one million persons during Jewish festivals. Here is the original seed of the Gospel that would now spread into much of the known world.

[9] When they happened to hear the sound: The sound was, therefore, considerable as it could be heard outside the home where the apostles met.

[10] They were each hearing the apostles speak in their own language: The languages are then listed and it is possible to combine these into a dozen, meaning each apostle spoke one language understandable by these Jewish men.

[11] Are not all these speaking Galileans: The angel of the ascension addressed the eleven as “men of Galilee.” It would appear that Matthias was also a Galilean. It would seem unlikely that the 120 disciples were all Galilean confirming that only the apostles are meant.

[12] Hearing in our own native languages: By examining each of the language groups it can be seen the great distances these men traveled. Thus, later after their baptism and their return home, we can see thousands of paths leading to every part of the Roman world. Parthians came from south east of the Caspian Sea including as far as India. Christianity would develop in the world of the Persia religion. Medes and Elamites from the Iran Plateau were also from a Persian background. Elam was southeast of Mesopotamia, also called Khuzestan in southwest Iran. Mesopotamia is something of another name for Babylon, including present day Iraq. Thus, these peoples, though likely also speaking Hebrew and Greek, generally spoke a related Persia language. [Aramaic] Judea would indicate that one of the apostles was speaking Hebrew. Cappadocians were from what is today Turkey and Armenia. Pontus was the area around the Black Sea. Asia in the Christian Bible does not mean China, but Asia Minor which included such places as Galatia. Phrygia was also part of Asia Minor. Pamphylia was also part of Asia Minor. All these above places were north of Israel reaching as far as Turkey and India. Most spoke either Persian, Greek, or Latin. Now the list goes south to North Africa where there were large populations of Jews in Egypt and Libya. Then northwest to Rome, the island of Crete; and back to the southwest in Arabia.

[13] The mighty acts of The God: Or, wonderful works, majesty of God, triumphs, excellencies, magnificence. The content of this universal message in a dozen languages is unknown, but it may have been a general praise of God and His creative works and mighty deeds. These Jews would have been familiar with such praises. It does not seem that any mention was made of Jesus Christ, for that came later in Peter’s sermon.

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Compare:

The Acts Of The Sent Ones Chapter 2

Hebraic Roots Bible Book of The Acts of the Apostles Chapter 2

 

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Also of interest:

Pope Francis I on the Holy Spirit

Is it wise to annul the Pentecostweekend

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