Acts 2

had fully come
The phrase “had fully come” translates the present passive infinitive συμπληροῦσθαι (symplērousthai). Some versions have “had come,” “came,” or “arrived,” but “fully” is added here to bring out the sense of the root πληρόω (plēroō; to “fill” or “fulfill”). The Jews used the above expression to denote that an event which had been approaching nearer and nearer had now fully come. In their synagogues they would count down the days toward the eagerly anticipated wheat and barley harvests until they had “fully come.” This is the sense of the expression here, with the promise of the Holy Spirit eagerly anticipated and the days being counted down, as it were. Thus, Luke brings the anticipation and excitement to a climax by describing that finally, the day had fully come.

multitude
“Multitude” translates the Greek term πλῆθος (plēthos), which generically refers to a large number of something. This translation distinguishes it from the usual New Testament word for “crowd,” ὄχλος (ochlos; cf. 1:5; 8:6). In this translation, πλῆθος (plēthos) is rendered as “multitude” or “throng” for regular people, “congregation” for believers, and “assembly” for a legal gathering.

Behold
This interjection ἰδοὺ (idou) most often functions to arrest the attention of the reader and indicate something of great importance. Here, it marks the astonishment of the onlookers, as their words recorded by Luke emphasize how significant this moment is. These Galileans, who were stereotyped as unsophisticated and uneducated, were miraculously speaking foreign languages with perfect fluency.

in which
This translation seeks to devote attention even to minor grammatical details to give the clearest window to the original text. Here, the Greek construction using a preposition and relative pronoun, ἐν ᾗ (en hē), is translated literally as “in which.” The mixed multitude realizes here that they are each hearing the language “in which [they] were born.” Some translations simply gloss the whole phrase as “native language,” which certainly captures the sense, but the literal rendering helps bring out the emphasis these “unlearned” Galileans were miraculously speaking with the same fluency as those who had been “in” or surrounded by that language from birth.

new wine
The word γλεῦκος (gleukos) is translated as “new wine” here. The term refers specifically to wine which had not yet been fully fermented and was thus “new.” Perhaps these mockers were insinuating that the apostles were worse than the average drunkard, and had been drinking so much that even “new wine” put them into a drunken frenzy. Perhaps Luke is simply pointing out how illogical their accusation truly was. Whatever the reason for specifying “new wine,” these mockers were wickedly regarding a divine miracle as worldly debauchery.

MALE SLAVES AND FEMALE SLAVES
The word δοῦλος (doulos) is regularly rendered as “slave” in this translation. Here, both the masculine (δοῦλους; doulous) and feminine (δούλας; doulas) forms of the word appear. Thus, the literal rendering is “male slaves” and “female slaves.” The gift of God’s Spirit is promised in these verses to all believers without distinction in regard to age, family status, or social class (“all mankind…sons…daughters…young men…old men…male slaves…female slaves”).

PUT
The translation “put” for δίδωμι (didōmi) here corresponds to the translation of the Hebrew word in Joel 2:30 (נתן; natan). Using the same translation in both passages helps the reader to see the close correspondence more clearly.

AWESOME
Like “put” in the previous verse (cf. note there), “awesome” translates both the Greek word ἐπιφανής (epiphanēs) and the corresponding Hebrew word in Peter’s Old Testament reference (ירא; yare; Joel 2:31). Using the same English translation in both passages helps the reader to see the close correspondence more clearly.

THE FRUIT OF HIS BODY
While many English translations gloss over the Greek phrase καρποῦ τῆς ὀσφύος αὐτοῦ (karpou tēs osphyos autou), simply rendering it as “his descendants,” the translation here as “THE FRUIT OF HIS BODY” provides a literal rendering. This gives the reader a clearer window into the Greek text, and also provides a closer tie to the Old Testament passage quoted here (Ps 132:11) as the same wording is used there. This helps make the intentional connection between the two passages even clearer in English. David knew the Messiah would be through his direct lineage, and Peter enforces that Jesus meets all the criteria necessary to be this Messiah.

what should we do
This translation “should…do” helps bring out the sense of the subjunctive mood of the verb ποιήσωμεν (poiēsōmen). “Should” is a better choice here than “shall” or “will” because the crowd is asking what they morally ought to do in light of what they just heard Peter preach, not simply what to do next in a general sense.

Repent, and each of you…
In the Greek text there is a shift from the second person plural command (“Repent [all of you]”; Μετανοήσατε; Metanoēsate) to a third person singular command (“be baptized”; βαπτισθήτω; baptisthētō). While some translations do not show the distinction, this translation uses a comma after “Repent” to mark the break in thought. This first action practiced by all true believers upon a complete change of heart is a complete change of life (repentance), and then each one is to be baptized to publicly demonstrate this change.

for the forgiveness of your sins
The phrase “for the forgiveness of your sins” translates the Greek phrase εἰς ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ὑμῶν (eis aphesin tōn hamartiōn hymōn), with “for” representing the Greek preposition εἰς (eis). In this specific context, this preposition may also be translated in a causal way (“because of”) as the footnote indicates. A strong grammatical case can be made for this, and comparing Luke’s careful construction of εἰς (eis) shows he can use it differently in different contexts. In Luke 3:3, where John the Baptist preaches a baptism of repentance “for the forgiveness of sins,” εἰς (eis) is used to begin a purpose clause. However, the construction is slightly different here. The difference in wording seems to imply that Peter here describes the fulfillment of what John anticipated in Luke 3:3. Because deeper discussion is required to elaborate the argument for a causal εἰς (eis) here, and to avoid the appearance of theological bias in the translation, “for the forgiveness of your sins” is retained and a footnote is added to allow the reader, pastor, or teacher to see the options and discern the best interpretation given the evidence.

bore witness
This translation consistently renders the verb μαρτυρέω (martyreō) with “bear witness.” Here, that verb has an added prefix (διαμαρτύρομαι; diamartyromai), which intensifies the action of the verb. Thus, in translation, the word “solemnly” is added to carry over this sense. This emphasizes Peter’s intentionality and passion as he teaches and urges his hearers to understand the salvation available through Christ.

and
The connecting word καὶ (kai; “and”), used twice here (after “teaching” and after “breaking of bread”), is important to translate in its correct position. Luke uses it to intentionally divide the four activities described here into two groups of two, each connected by καὶ (kai): (1) the teaching and the fellowship; (2) the breaking of bread and the prayers. This provides a clearer window into the original text, allowing the reader to notice these categories and think more carefully about Luke’s intent in portraying them this way.

fear came upon every soul
While most translations use the English word “awe” in their renderings, the Greek word is the word for “fear” (φόβος; phobos). Thus, the most literal translation of the phrase Ἐγίνετο δὲ πάσῃ ψυχῇ φόβος (egineto de pasē psychē phobos) is “And fear came upon every soul.” The first members of the early church were thus growing in their fear of the Lord because of the work of the Spirit in their midst, as they devoted themselves to the body of Christ and witnessed the wonders and signs performed through the apostles.

dividing
Διαμερίζω (diamerizō) was used earlier to talk about tongues dividing (cf. 2:3). That verse has a footnote referencing the dividing of the nations in Genesis (see the LXX translation of Gen 10:35). Here, “they [the believers] divided them [property and possessions] up with them all.” The word play demonstrates a theological point—that people who were previously divided now are united.

devoting themselves
“Devoting themselves” translates the participle προσκαρτεροῦντες (proskarterountes), which occurs earlier in 1:14 and 2:42. The consistent translation brings out more clearly what was most important to the early followers of Jesus as worthy of full devotion.

with one accord
One of the goals of this translation is to provide a consistent English rendering when the same word or phrase is used in Greek whenever possible. Such is the case here, where the word ὁμοθυμαδόν (homothymadon) is translated consistently as “one accord” in all eleven of its occurrences (1:24; here; 4:24; 5:12; 7:57; 8:6; 12:20; 15:25; 18:12; 19:29; Rom 15:6). In Acts, this word most often demonstrates the unity brought about by the Holy Spirit among believers.

was adding
Though some translations simply use the past tense (“added”) here, the underlying Greek verb is in the imperfect tense (προσετίθει; prosetithei), which usually communicates continual or ongoing action. Thus, the phrase “was adding” more accurately brings this out, as Luke vividly conveys the great multiplication of believers. God was continually adding more and more to His church through the power of the Holy Spirit.