02/06/2009 18:46:00

← Acts 2 Notes

← 2:1

← “when the day of Pentecost had come”

← Pentecost was a major Jewish festival. It celebrated the wheat harvest

formally, but it was also associated with the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai,
and the subsequent renewal of the Law on Mt Horeb

← The Dead Sea Scrolls associate Pentecost with the giving of a New
Covenant. The outpour of the Spirit, especially that of prophesy, was the
initial sign of the “last days” in 1st century Jewish theology. A big emphasis
in the mention of the feast of Pentecost is that of the large gathering of Jews
from the Diaspora arriving in Jerusalem at that time.

← The use of the word symplerao (συμπληρόω) is interesting. Its

original usage is nautical technical term for a ship being swamped with
water, especially in a storm. In its figurative use it denotes the drawing near
of an event, or the fulfillment or imminent fulfillment of such an event. It is
used in Luke 8:23 in describing the ship Jesus and his disciples were on in
the Sea of Galilee as it was being filled with water. Luke 9.51 uses it to
describe Jesus determination to go to Jerusalem and subsequently the cross
(“when the days were approaching for His ascension”).

← “they were all gathered in one place”

← The disciples and the 120 gathered are hear again of one mind
(homothumadon, ὁμοθυμαδόν) as in Ac 1.14. They are hear gathered in
one place. The oneness of the group in Acts is again emphasized ( Acts
1:14; 2:46; 4:24; 8:6; 15:25). They have been waiting on the promise, and
now they are gathered in one place awaiting the fulfillment of this new
covenant and new promise.

← 2:2
← “sound like a rushing wind”

← Wind is used else where of the presence of God. The word for Spirit is
pnuema in the Greek and ruach in the Hebrew, both are used for air in
motion as their basic meaning. Ezek 37 uses the imagery of the “wind” or
the “Spirit” coming and bringing to life those dry bones in the valley. Even
the epithet “Son of man” is used (Ezek 37.3), an appellation Jesus used
often times to describe himself (used 88 times in the NT to describe Jesus).

← Wind and Spirit are very closely identified. The terms are used
interchangeably in John 3.

← The Word for sound is used in Luke 4.37 and is translated “report”,
describing the news spreading about Jesus and his ministry. It carries the
connotation of a roar or even the blast of a trumpet (Heb 12.9). The word
used for wind can also mean breath. The ambiguity in meaning is most likely
purposeful, in that it is both a wind and a breath from God.

← “it filled the house”

← the sound “filled” the entire house. This at first means exactly what it
said, the entire home was filled with the roar of the Wind (Spirit). Secondly
it is the Spirit who fills the believer with the presence of God, completely and
totally. The word used has the meaning of complete fullness. It also carries
the meaning of fulfillment of things foretold and laid out in the past. The
Spirit is the “fulfillment” of prophecy (Is 32:15; 44:3; Ezek 36:25-28;
37:14; 39:29; Joel 2:28-3:1).

← 2:3

← “there appeared tongues of fire distributing themselves…”

← The imagery here is of a gathering of fire coming down and then

dividing up and being shared with all the people in the group. This is not the
first time the presence of the Lord is seen with a manifestation of fire. The
LORD comes down in fire in the establishing of the first covenant on Mt Sinai
(Ex 19.18). When Elijah called down the power of the Lord it came down in
fire (1 Kgs 18).
←

← “and they rested upon each one of them”

← After the tongues of fire had distributed themselves, they literally ‘sat
down’ on the people. The imagery is fascinating. In Numbers 11 after the
giving of the First covenant, which was predicated on the manifestation of
the Lord with fire, Moses asks the Lord to distribute his Spirit on the judges
of Israel. The Lord does so empowering them for the service of Judging. Two
men, Eldad and Medad, are found to be prophesying. When Moses is
informed about the duo he responds with an exclamation that he wished all
of Gods people would be filled with his Spirit (Num 11.29). It is here that
this prophecy of Moses is fulfilled. The Spirit is on all of those who are a part
of the church council or body. The word used means literally to sit down, yet
in this context there is sense of permanence to it, yet at the same time is
one striking event. The word is used of Christ seated at the right hand of the
Father (Eph 1.20).

← 2:4

← “and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit”

← The word is the same one used in v 2 to describe the noise filling the
house. Now the noise and wind is described in its fullest sense, the Holy
Spirit. They are now completely filled with the Holy Spirit, the promise of the
father that had been alluded to by Jesus before and after the resurrection
(John 14; Acts 1.6). Luke himself claims Jesus to be “full of the Holy Spirit”
(Lk 4.1). John the Baptist is said to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Lk 1.15), as
are his father Zacharias and mother Elizabeth (Luke 1.41, 67). The righteous
and devout Simeon was promised to see the Messiah before he died. He
himself had the Spirit who was “upon him” and was led into the temple
courts while he was “in the Spirit” (Lk 2.25-27). John the Baptist identifies
Jesus as the one who “baptizes in the Holy Spirit” (Lk 3.17, among others),
confirming Christ’s Messiahship.

←
← “to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance”

← A natural corollary to Spirit empowerment was prophecy, which is

always spoken. Jesus identifies speaking in a new tongue as a sign of which
will accompany those who believe (Mk 16.17). In this passage the same
word is used (glossa) as in the present passage. Paul identifies speaking in
other tongues as fulfillment of prophecy, and a sign of the coming judgment
in the last days (1 Cor 14.21; Is 28.11f). It is essential to note here that
they began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
People often prophesied as a result of interaction with the Spirit. Saul
prophesied on the hill when the Spirit of God came upon him. David
attributed his divine inspiration to the Spirit of the Lord (2 Sam 23) as does
Jesus (Matt 22.43). When the Spirit comes upon the 70 elders of Israel they
begin to prophesy (Num 11.25). The prophets identify the Spirit of the Lord
with divine prophecy (Isa 59.21; Mic 3.8). Later Peter asserts the divine
inspiration of prophecy from the Holy Spirit (2 Pet 1.21) and even the
proclamation of the Gospel through the same agency (1 Pet 1.12).

← The words gave them utterance are from the verb apophtheggomai
which is used to loud bold utterance, especially from a prophet or
soothsayer.

2:5

← “Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from

every nation under heaven”

These men were undoubtedly part of the Diaspora. There were three major
pilgrimage festivals (Tabernacles, Passover, and Pentecost or weeks). The
three festivals corresponded with the agricultural calendar. Those people
who came for Passover (by far the most popular feast) usually stayed the 50-
day interval between the two feasts. The use of “every nation under the
heaven” was probably a hyperbolic statement and certainly meant the
known world of the time. The Diaspora Jews (or the Golah, the Hebrew word
for captivity or exile) were scattered throughout the known regions of the
earth because of Babylonian exile of kingdom of Judah (586 BC), and several
other militaristic actions against the Jews over the following centuries of the
intertestamental period.

2:6

“And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were
bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his
own language”

The sound is most likely the speaking in other tongues, especially given the
context and the following bewilderment at each one hearing their own
language. The word for language (dialektos) is found only in the book of Acts
within the NT. This phenomenon attracted the attention of a large crowd.
This crowd was composed of the people from every nation under heaven.
These were all Jews who had gathered for the feast (see above, 2.5), and
were most likely near or inside of the temple. The largest upper rooms in
Jerusalem were found near the temple. This would explain how the people
were hearing the noise from the room.

The people were said to be bewildered. This verb is used of Saul in Ac 9.22 to
describe his confounding of the Jews. In Ac 21.27 and 21.31 it is used of a
crowd, as it is in the current passage. Both times it denotes a sense of
confusion and chaos. Those who were present and not recipients of the Spirit
were confused and thrown into chaos by the phenomenon of the Spirit. Most
people within the crowd would have been bilingual in the least, if not
trilingual, and most would have understood either Aramaic or Greek..

2:7

“They were amazed and astonished saying…”

Amazement and awe is the natural reaction of the Gospel, the Spirit, and the
accompanying power. When the presence of God shows up mankind is
always left in awe. The word means at its core is a sense of consternation, or
uneasiness at an event, either imminent or distant. The word came to be
used of those who were out of there minds, or out of there normal state of
mind. It is used of Simon the Sorcerer in Ac 8.9, 11, who had astonished the
people with his magic arts. The verb is used to describe Jesus in Mk 3.17
when “his people” thought him to be insane. The current can be described
as a sense of awe and astonishment, mixed with fear of some great event
that had just occurred. The word for astonished carries the same connotation
of some kind of disturbance and fear. Its usage in the NT often times is
followed by some kind of exclamation on the part of those who were amazed
( Mt 8:27; 9:33; 21:20; Jn 7:15). The fact is the people were very impressed
and fearful at what was happening before them. They were not prepared for
it, and the only reaction was that of surprise, fear and awe. It is very likely
that they didn’t know how to react to what was occurring, they could only
question it.

“Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans?”

The astonishment does not come from the fact that these Galileans were
speaking multiple languages, for as mentioned above most Jews during that
time were functionally bilingual, speaking Greek and Aramaic, and at times
Hebrew. The astonishment came from the fact that these Galileans were
speaking in all of the languages represented from every nation under
heaven. Many of the languages were of specific sections and areas, not
widespread enough to think Galileans would understand.

2:8

“and how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which
we were born?”

The word dialektos , being used exclusively in the book of Acts in the NT, is
used again to describe to form in which the Spirit inspired prophecy
manifested. Again the surprise is not the use of several languages, but that
each one was hearing them in their own language to which they were born.
These were not well known languages, especially from a place like Galilee.
Galilee itself was a highly populated area with a diverse population. Other
Jews held it in some kind of contempt at times.

Song of Solomon 8

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