Section 5 of 1302:1–2:13Acts

Go to another section

Jump to a verse

King James VersionActs 2:1–2:13

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.

Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilæans?

And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judæa, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,

Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,

Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?

Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.

Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.

Scripture text: King James Version, Standardized 1769 text. Public domain in the United States.About this Bible text

Acts 2:1–2:13

The Spirit fills the multilingual gathering

At Pentecost the Spirit fills them, and diaspora Jews hear in their own languages

When the day of Pentecost is fully come they are together. A sound like a rushing mighty wind fills the house. Divided tongues as of fire sit on each of them. They are filled with the Holy Ghost and begin to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gives them utterance. The phenomena are narrated with comparison language: like wind, as of fire. The narrator is not handing later readers a recipe for reproducing the signs.

Devout Jews from every nation under heaven hear them speak in their own languages the wonderful works of God. The list maps a Jewish diaspora horizon: Parthians, Medes, Elamites, Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, Libya, Rome, Cretans, and Arabians. Tongues here are recognizable languages, not a ranking of ethnic prestige. Some are amazed. Others mock and say they are full of new wine.

The gift is comprehension across a scattered people, not a league table of nations

Pentecost gathers Israel's scattered children to hear God's works. It does not crown one ethnicity, language, or accent as holier than another, and it does not turn later Gentile inclusion into a reason to despise Jews. Acts will narrate related phenomena in other settings; this scene should not flatten those later stories.

How this should shape us

Honor the Spirit's work that lets people hear God in their own language. Refuse ethnic ranking, mockery of other tongues, or any attempt to force a wind-and-fire experience as proof of faith.

Teach it back

Explain Acts 2:1–2:13 in your own words, naming its movement, speaker or narrator role, one source-controlled detail, one uncertainty, one affected person, and one conclusion the passage does not authorize.

Explain the section in your own words

Your explanation stays in this browser. It is not sent or saved.

Go deeper

The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.

Research trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and unit coverage.

Acts 2:1–2:13, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

Supports: Greek wording and punctuation control, without pretending one edition is a complete apparatus.

SBLGNT official text, Acts 2:1-2:13

STEP Bible Data

Supports: Morphology and lexical cross-check for words explicitly discussed in this unit.

STEP Bible Data, TAGNT rows for Acts 2:1-2:13

NET Bible First Edition Notes: Acts

Supports: Verse-attached textual, translation, language, geography, chronology, and historical notes actually printed for the unit.

NET Bible First Edition Acts PDF, printed pp. 2104-2205, exact tn/tc/sn entries attached to 2:1–2:13

Acts of the Apostles Course and Study Guides

Supports: Introductory critical orientation to the unit's place in Luke-Acts, with contested judgments retained as interpretations.

Yale Bible Study Acts course, course unit 'The Church Begins in Jerusalem,' Acts 1-4 study guide

The Acts of the Apostles

Supports: One complete confessional commentary reading, independently checked against the text and critical controls.

Thompson, online Acts commentary, heading and paragraphs explicitly covering Acts 2:1–2:13

The Jewishness of Luke-Acts: How Recent Scholarship Has Challenged the View that Luke-Acts Is Pro-Gentile and Anti-Jewish

Supports: Abstract-supported control for Jewish continuity and Gentile inclusion in Acts 2:1–2:13, not a settlement of every conflict scene.

Smith, JTS 72.2 (2021), pp. 738-765, official abstract and bibliographic record

Codex Bezae: Electronic Transcription of Acts

Supports: Direct manuscript evidence only where a material Western reading is named; Bezae is not treated as the Western text as a whole.

IGNTP Codex Bezae Acts transcription, verse-addressable witness at 2:1–2:13, checked with SBLGNT and the NET tc note

Sources for This Section

These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.

Biblical text

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society

USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.

Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and unit coverage.

Exact location: Acts 2:1–2:13, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus

Open source ↗

Greek textual evidence

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos

Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010

Supports: Greek wording and punctuation control, without pretending one edition is a complete apparatus.

Exact location: SBLGNT official text, Acts 2:1-2:13

Open the Acts Greek text file ↗

Lexical and grammatical evidence

STEP Bible Data

Tyndale House Cambridge

Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026

Supports: Morphology and lexical cross-check for words explicitly discussed in this unit.

Exact location: STEP Bible Data, TAGNT rows for Acts 2:1-2:13

Open source ↗

open translation and translator notes

NET Bible First Edition Notes: Acts

Biblical Studies Press

Biblical Studies Press, 2006

Supports: Verse-attached textual, translation, language, geography, chronology, and historical notes actually printed for the unit.

Exact location: NET Bible First Edition Acts PDF, printed pp. 2104-2205, exact tn/tc/sn entries attached to 2:1–2:13

Open source ↗

open university bible study course

Acts of the Apostles Course and Study Guides

Yale Divinity School faculty

Yale Bible Study, 2019

Supports: Introductory critical orientation to the unit's place in Luke-Acts, with contested judgments retained as interpretations.

Exact location: Yale Bible Study Acts course, course unit 'The Church Begins in Jerusalem,' Acts 1-4 study guide

Open source ↗

open confessional commentary

The Acts of the Apostles

Alan J. Thompson

The Gospel Coalition, 2023

Supports: One complete confessional commentary reading, independently checked against the text and critical controls.

Exact location: Thompson, online Acts commentary, heading and paragraphs explicitly covering Acts 2:1–2:13

Open source ↗

peer reviewed article abstract and metadata

The Jewishness of Luke-Acts: How Recent Scholarship Has Challenged the View that Luke-Acts Is Pro-Gentile and Anti-Jewish

Joshua Paul Smith

The Journal of Theological Studies 72.2, 2021

Supports: Abstract-supported control for Jewish continuity and Gentile inclusion in Acts 2:1–2:13, not a settlement of every conflict scene.

Exact location: Smith, JTS 72.2 (2021), pp. 738-765, official abstract and bibliographic record

Open source ↗

primary manuscript transcription

Codex Bezae: Electronic Transcription of Acts

International Greek New Testament Project

Institute for Textual Scholarship and Electronic Editing, University of Birmingham, 2012 transcription; current online edition

Supports: Direct manuscript evidence only where a material Western reading is named; Bezae is not treated as the Western text as a whole.

Exact location: IGNTP Codex Bezae Acts transcription, verse-addressable witness at 2:1–2:13, checked with SBLGNT and the NET tc note

Open source ↗

Acts 2:1–2:13, King James Version

At Pentecost the Spirit fills them, and diaspora Jews hear in their own languages

The gift is comprehension across a scattered people, not a league table of nations

How this should shape us

Teach it back

Go deeper

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

STEP Bible Data

NET Bible First Edition Notes: Acts

Acts of the Apostles Course and Study Guides

The Acts of the Apostles

The Jewishness of Luke-Acts: How Recent Scholarship Has Challenged the View that Luke-Acts Is Pro-Gentile and Anti-Jewish

Codex Bezae: Electronic Transcription of Acts