Preface: At this point, Jesus has ascended into heaven and there are 120 faithful on the ground. On the day of Pentecost, they receive the Holy Spirit. The noise of this Holy Spirit (probably similar to a sonic boom) attracted Jews from all over. When they are there, they heard many from this 120 speak to them about Jesus, using the language with which they were brought up. Although they did not know how to understand what was happening, Peter stood up and he gives his great Pentecost sermon. 3000 believers are added to the church on this day.

Bible Summary: At Pentecost they were filled with the Spirit. Peter told the crowd, "You crucified Jesus but God has made him Lord." 3,000 believed.

The “Key” & Main Points of Chapter 2 (a chart); from Slide Player; accessed June 29, 2022.

This should be the most extensive examination of Acts 2 available, where you will be able to examine in depth every word of the original text.

Brief Overview: (taken from Light of the Word; accessed April 22, 2022).

Time and Place as per Modern Literal Version 2020:

Pentecost (always Sun.) May 28, 30AD Jerusalem. Pentecost is a transliterated word, G4005, which literal means ‘50th’ as in the 50th day after Passover. The day the New Covenant (Testament) came into force (Heb 9:15-17).

Outline of Chapter 2:

Preface

Introduction

         vv.     1–13         The Coming of the Holy Spirit and the Gift of Tongues

         vv.         1–4          The Holy Spirit Comes Down Upon the 120 Believers in Jerusalem

         vv.         5–11        The Places Where People Come From/They Hear Their Native Languages Spoken

         vv.        12–13        Some believe that the Disciples Are Drunk

         vv.    14–36         Peter Speaks to the Crowd on Pentecost

         vv.        14–21        Peter Explains, by Quoting Joel, That No One is Drunk

         vv.        22–24        Peter Summarizes the Lord’s Public Ministry, His Death and Resurrection

         vv.        25–28        Peter Backs This Up by Quoting David from the Psalms

         vv.        29–36        Peter Says David is Speaking About Jesus, Not About Himself

         vv.    37–41         The Crowd Asks Peter What to Do; He Gives them the Gospel

         vv.    42–47         The Lives of the Believers in Jerusalem After Pentecost

Chapter Summary

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Preface               Preface

         Preface               Brief Overview

         Preface               The “Key” & Main Points of Chapter 2 (a chart)

         Preface               Quotations

         Introduction         Acts of the Apostles Chapter 2 (a graphic by Jim Padgett, 1984)

         Introduction         Titles and/or Brief Descriptions of Acts 2 (by Various Commentators)

         Introduction         Brief, but insightful observations of Acts 2 (various commentators)

         Introduction         Fundamental Questions About Acts 2

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Prequel to Acts 2

         Introduction         The Principals of Acts 2

         Introduction         The Places of Acts 2

         Introduction         By the Numbers

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Acts 2

         Introduction         Outlines and Summaries of Acts 2 (Various Commentators)

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Acts 2 from the Summarized Bible

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Big Picture (Acts 1–6)

         Introduction         Paragraph Divisions of Modern Translation for Acts 2

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         Changes—additions and subtractions

         v. 

         v.       1              The Timeline from the Crucifixion to Pentecost

         v.       1              Acts 2:1 (NASB) (a graphic)

         v.       2              Acts 2:1–2 (KJV) (a graphic)

         v.       3              Cloven Tongues of Fire (a graphic)

         v.       4              Acts 2:3–4 (NIV) (a graphic)

         v. 

         v.       9              The Parthian Empire (a map)

         v.       9              The Parthians (various sources)

         v.       9              The Medes (or Medians) (various sources)

         v.       9              The Ancient Medes (678–549 b.c.) (a map)

         v.       9              The Elamites (various sources)

         v.       9              Mesopotamia (various sources)

         v.       9              Cappadocia 89 b.c. (a map)

         v.       9              Christian Cave Church in Macedonia (a photograph)

         v.       9              Cappadocia (various sources)

         v.       9              Armenia, Pontus, Iberia (map)

         v.       9              Pontus (various sources)

         v.       9              Asia (various sources)

         v.       9              Asia, Mesopotamia, Media, Parthia (map)

         v.      10              Phrygia (various sources)

         v.      10              Pamphylia (various sources)

         v.      10              Libya (various sources)

         v.      10              Cyrene (various sources)

         v.      10              Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, Libya, Cyrene (map)

         v.      11              Crete (various sources)

         v.      11              The Countries Named in Acts 2:9–11 (a map)

         v.      11              Nations in Jerusalem at Pentecost (a map)

         v.      11              The Gift of Tongues in Acts 2

         v.      13              Some of these people said that the disciples were drunk (a graphic)

         v.      13              The Ten Stages of Drunkenness (by Dan Jenkins)

         v.      14              Fake News (graphic)

         v.      14              The Great Sermons of Acts

         v. 

         v. 

         v.      17              Acts 2:17 (Complete Jewish Bible) (a graphic)

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v.      21              Acts 2:21 (NIV) (a graphic)

         v.      21              Acts 2:19–21 (NIV) (a graphic)

         v. 

         v.      26              Acts 2:26 (NIV) (a graphic)

         v.      27              Sheol (or Hades) (a graphic representation)

         v.      28              Acts 2:28 (NIV) (a graphic)

         v. 

         v.      32              Acts 2:32a (NIV) (a graphic)

         v. 

         v.      38              The Doctrine of Repentance (metanoéô)

         v.      38              Translations of Metanoéô

         v.      38              Peter Calling for the People at Pentecost to Repent

         v.      38              Acts 2:38 (God’s Word™) (a graphic)

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v.      42              Acts 2:42 (NASB) (a graphic)

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v.      45              The Radical Idea of Sharing (a graphic)

         v.      45              What is Socialism? What is Communism?

         v.      45              Communism/Socialism Used to Gain Power

         v.      45              Acts 2:44–45 and Socialism

         v.      45              How did socialism come to be associated with the Bible in the first place?

         v.      46              Acts 2:46 (NIV) (a graphic)

         v.      47              Why don’t believers live like this anymore?

         Summary            A Set of Summary Doctrines and Commentary

         Summary            Why Acts 2 is in the Word of God

         Summary            What We Learn from Acts 2

         Summary            Jesus Christ in Acts 2

         Summary 

         Summary 

         Addendum          Footnote for Acts 2:1 (The Christian Community Bible)

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 2:1–4

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 2:5–13

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 2:14–21

         Addendum          Footnote for Acts 2:14 (The Christian Community Bible)

         Addendum          Joel 2:28–32 (a brief exegesis)

         Addendum          The Doctrine of the Church (R. B. Thieme, Jr.)

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 2:22–24

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 2:25–28

         Addendum          Psalm 16:8–11 (a brief exegesis)

         Addendum          Kenosis (from Theopedia)

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 2:29–32

         Addendum          Psalm 110:1–7 (a brief exegesis)

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 2:33–36

         Addendum          The Doctrine of Baptisms (R. B. Thieme, Jr.)

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 2:37–40

         Addendum          Footnote for Acts 2:42 (The Christian Community Bible)

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 2:41–47

         Addendum 

         Addendum 

         Addendum 

         Addendum          Josephus’ History of this Time Period

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Acts 2

         Addendum 

         Addendum          Doctrinal Teachers Who Have Taught Acts 2

         Addendum          Word Cloud from the Kukis Paraphrase of Acts 2

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of Acts 2

——————————

An Introduction to Acts 2

I ntroduction: Acts 2 is one of the most famous chapters in the Bible, and often for all the wrong reasons. People often read the book of Acts and try to imitate what we find here. It is a grave doctrinal error to read any portion of the Bible and then try to imitate it. Now, if you read a clear command, given in the Church Age, then that is a valid command to obey. But we as Christians do not get to make up our own commands. For instance, we are never commanded to seek out the baptism of the Holy Spirit, often referred to by some (incorrectly) as the second blessing. The disciples, in the first chapter of Acts were told to wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They were not told to agonize for it; they were not told to empty their minds, lean their heads back, and then to attempt to make noises or something.

The disciples of Jesus are a core group of approximately 120 at this time (Acts 1:15). There were certainly others, but, after the crucifixion, it is likely that many of those quietly slipped away out of Jerusalem. One of the lesser appreciated aspects of the Lord’s post-resurrection ministry is He appears to chase down His many disciples—particularly those who are attempting to leave Jerusalem to hide—and He redirected them back to Jerusalem (Luke 24:13–35). This core group is going to receive the Holy Spirit (there is nothing to indicate that the Holy Spirit was reserved for only the eleven Apostles).

It certainly occurs to me that, when searching for some illustrative material, that I will possibly take some material from a Pentecostal/charismatic site. So that there is no misunderstanding, there is no second blessing, as they describe it, from getting the ghost (or spirit). There are no mandates from Paul at any time to a church where he tells them, “Listen, what you lack right now is the Holy Spirit. You need to do some agonizing to get it, but that is going to solve your church problems toot sweet.” Paul never says anything like that. The most tongue-infested church receives the greatest dressing down from Paul of any of the churches named.

It has been my experience with charismatic churches is, they take a very narrow view of this topic, reading the Scriptures as if with blinders on, seeing mandates which are not there, and developing methods of attaining the spirit which are not even hinted at in the Scriptures, let alone described or encouraged. Their enthusiasm for others to get the spirit often outweighs their enthusiasm to present the gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact, in so many instances, their understanding and presentation of the gospel is weak, at best.

If you are a charismatic, I realize that this presentation of Acts 2 is going to possibly make you angry and very likely will cause you to stop reading. That is up to you. If you want the truth of Acts 2, then it is here. If you want an accurate translation of Acts 2, then it is here. However, I will not pull any punches when it comes to explaining exactly what is here and what is not. If you find your ire rising up, then name that sin to God and keep reading.

Acts of the Apostles Chapter 2 (a graphic by Jim Padgett, 1984); from Wikimedia; accessed September 12, 2021. Source: Biblical

illustrations by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Sweet Publishing, Ft. Worth, TX, and Gospel Light, Ventura, CA. Copyright 1984.

One of the things which I particularly appreciate when it comes to Padgett’s work is, the men from the Bible do not look like they attended Woodstock. That is, they do not all have long hair.

A large portion of Acts 2 is a sermon by Peter. Although a relatively small portion of this chapter is devoted to the true gift of tongues, by far, the larger portion of this chapter is devoted to Peter’s evangelistic sermon. Peter has been studying the Scriptures and, even though he made a serious misstep in Acts 1, in this sermon, Peter shows logic and intelligence which we have not seen heretofore in this man. I have give Peter and some of the other Apostles a hard time in previous chapters of Luke and Acts 1; but I must change my presentation of Peter dramatically with this chapter. His sermon is brilliant. It has a great flow of logic to it; great choice of Scriptures to quote, it was certainly on point. 3000 in the audience, having listened to Peter, believed in the Lord this day. This is literally the first sermon of the Church Age, and it is brilliant! Peter is dialed into the crowd and what they just experienced; he is dialed into the relevant Scriptures; and his logical approach is unassailable.

At the end of Acts 2, we are given a brief six-verse description of the early church. They seem almost at the verge of beginning a commune of sorts. Some propagandists have gone to this description of the early church and have said, “This is socialism; and that is what the early church actually taught!” There are several pertinent questions: Is this socialism? Was the early church the very first communist cell?

There are other theological questions to be covered in this final section of Acts 2. One certainly notices that, this church is far more harmonious than the church that I go to; why is that? Have we lost track of what a church really ought to be? I believe that whatever questions you have about the early church and what it did will be answered in this final section of Acts 2.

Christianity in the Church Age will begin in Jerusalem. There are times I have wondered why it happened this way. After all, the future of the book of Acts is going to be Paul among the gentiles. Why not begin the Church Age in Antioch or in Ephesus or in Rome?

Rice Broocks writes: Christianity started in the place where it was least likely to succeed, where it would have been easiest to disprove—Jerusalem three days after His death. Even though leading skeptical scholars admit that the resurrection of Jesus was proclaimed very early, professional skeptics often attempt to obscure or even deny this fact—obviously because of the implications. Elsewhere in this book, Broocks points out that, in order to end nascent Christianity, those in opposition to it (the Romans and the religious Jews) needed to do but one thing: produce the body.

——————————

The Coming of the Holy Spirit and the Gift of Tongues

The Holy Spirit Comes Down Upon the 120 Believers in Jerusalem

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       I will use the Westcott-Hort Greek text as the basis for my English translation. I use that test primarily because e-sword has a nice module by Rob Wolfram which has the interlinear English text, Strong’s #’s, and the Greek morphology. The e-sword tab is IWH+P. I do not use their English text for my translation. Also, throughout, I take in consideration alternate readings.

As a young Christian, I was quite interested in the alternative readings. After many decades of study, I have found that, as with the Hebrew text, disputed readings rarely have any affect on the interpretation of a text (apart from perhaps a half-dozen fairly well-known alternate readings, like the end of the book of Mark).

I will compare the Greek text to English translations of the Latin and Syriac (= Aramaic) texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation and George Lamsa’s translation from the Syriac. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.).

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

The Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls are irrelevant, as they preceded the writing of the New Testament by over 200 years.

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Ancient texts:

Westcott-Hort Text (Greek)    And in the coming of the day of the Pentecost, they were all together towards the same, and it was suddenly from the heaven just like being borne a wind violent and it sat down on all the house where was dwellers.

Complete Apostles’ Bible      And when the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

And suddenly a sound came out of heaven, as being borne along by a violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) And when the days of the Pentecost were accomplished, they were all together in one place:

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

Holy Aramaic Scriptures        And when The Days of Pentiqusti {Pentecost} were completed, while they were all gathered together,

suddenly {lit. from the quiet} there was a sound from the Shmaya {the Heavens}, as of a powerful wind, and from it had filled all the house, that in which they were seated,...

James Murdock’s Syriac NT And when the days of pentecost were fully come, while they were all assembled together,

suddenly there was a sound from heaven, as of a violent wind; and the whole house where they were sitting was filled with it.

Original Aramaic NT              And when the days of Pentecost were fulfilled, as all of them were assembled together,

Suddenly there was from Heaven a sound like a mighty wind and the whole place in which they were sitting was filled with it.

Significant differences: 

English Translations:          I have included translations which I disagree with and footnotes that I do not necessarily agree with. If I believe that the author is too far from the truth, I may even address that at the footnote. However, nearly all of the correct commentary will be found following the Greek text box and the translation of each phrase.

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             And when the day of Pentecost was come, they were all together in one place. 

And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like the rushing of a violent wind, and all the house where they were was full of it..

Bible in Worldwide English     On the day of Pentecost these people were all in one place.

Then, suddenly, a sound came from heaven. It was like a very strong wind blowing. It went all through the house where they were sitting.

Easy English                          The Holy Spirit comes

Then the day of the Pentecost festival arrived. All the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, as they were sitting together, they heard a noise. The noise came from the sky and it filled the whole house. It was like the sound of a strong wind.

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a noise came from heaven. It sounded like a strong wind blowing. This noise filled the whole house where they were sitting.

God’s Word™                         When Pentecost, the fiftieth day after Passover, came, all the believers were together in one place. Suddenly, a sound like a violently blowing wind came from the sky and filled the whole house where they were staying.

J. B. Phillips                           The first Pentecost for the young Church

Then when the actual day of Pentecost came they were all assembled together. Suddenly there was a sound from heaven like the rushing of a violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were seated.

The Message                         A Sound Like a Strong Wind

When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building.

NIRV                                      The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

When the day of Pentecost came, all the believers gathered in one place. Suddenly a sound came from heaven. It was like a strong wind blowing. It filled the whole house where they were sitting.

New Life Version                    The Holy Spirit Comes On the Followers of Jesus

The followers of Jesus were all together in one place fifty days after the special religious gathering to remember how the Jews left Egypt. All at once there was a sound from heaven like a powerful wind. It filled the house where they were sitting.

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Casual English Bible              ACTS 2

HERE COMES THE HOLY SPIRIT

PENTECOST FESTIVAL 50 DAYS AFTER THE CRUCIFIXION

On the Jewish festival day of Pentecost, [1] the disciples and those with them were having a meeting inside a house. Suddenly, they heard a loud noise above them in the sky. It sounded like a violent blast of wind. [2] The noise filled the entire house where they were sitting.

¹2:1The word Pentecost means “the fiftieth,” as in the fiftieth day. The festival comes about 50 days after Passover. Passover is when the Romans crucified Jesus. Pentecost is a festival celebrating the harvest. Many Jews call the festival by its Hebrew name (Shavuot, “Festival of Weeks”) because it follows Passover by several weeks.

²2:2Wind is often associated with God. When the prophet Ezekiel had a vision about a valley full of human skeletons coming back to life, it was divine wind that breathed life back into the bodies once the muscles and flesh had covered the bones (Ezekiel 37:9-10).

Contemporary English V.       On the day of Pentecost all the Lord's followers were together in one place. Suddenly there was a noise from heaven like the sound of a mighty wind! It filled the house where they were meeting.

Goodspeed New Testament  On the day of the Harvest Festival, they were all meeting together, when suddenly there came from the sky a sound like a violent blast of wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

The Living Bible                     Seven weeks had gone by since Jesus’ death and resurrection, and the Day of Pentecost had now arrived.^[a] As the believers met together that day, suddenly there was a sound like the roaring of a mighty windstorm in the skies above them and it filled the house where they were meeting.

[a] This annual celebration came fifty days after the Passover ceremonies, when Christ was crucified. See Leviticus 23:16.

New Berkeley Version           .

New Living Translation           The Holy Spirit Comes

On the day of Pentecost^[a] all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting.

[a] The Festival of Pentecost came 50 days after Passover (when Jesus was crucified).

The Passion Translation        On the day Pentecost was being fulfilled, all the disciples were gathered in one place.  Suddenly they heard the sound of a violent blast of wind rushing into the house from out of the heavenly realm. The roar of the wind was so overpowering it was all anyone could bear!

Plain English Version             The Holy Spirit came

The special day came for the Jewish ceremony called Pentecost, and all Jesus’s followers met together in one place. Suddenly there was a noise that came from the sky, like a strong wind blowing. Everyone in the house heard that noise.

UnfoldingWord Simplified T.  On the day when the Jews were celebrating the Pentecost festival, the believers were all together in one place in Jerusalem.   Suddenly they heard a noise coming from the sky that sounded like a strong wind. Everyone in the entire house where they were sitting heard the noise.

Williams’ New Testament      When the day of Pentecost had now come, they were all meeting in one mind, when suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a terrific blast of wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting, And they saw tongues like flames of fire separating and resting on their heads, one to each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in foreign languages as the Spirit granted them to utter divine things. Vv. 3 & 4 are included for context.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Now, towards the end of the day known as Pentecost, while they were all observing that celebration, a noise suddenly came out of the sky! It sounded like a violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

Beck’s American Translation .

Breakthrough Version            And during the time for the Fiftieth Day to be totally completed, they all at the same time were at the same place. And a reverberation suddenly happened from the sky (even like a driven forceful wind) and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

Len Gane Paraphrase           On the day of Pentecost, they were all in one place in agreement. Suddenly a sound came from heaven sounding like a rushing, mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

A. Campbell's Living Oracles And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all unanimously assembled in the same place: and, on a sudden, there was a sound from heaven, as of a rushing violent wind; and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       When the day of Pentecost came round, while they were all gathered together in unity of purpose, all at once a sound came from heaven like that of a strong wind blowing, and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

NT for Everyone                     Here Comes the Power

When the day of Pentecost had finally arrived, they were all together in the same place. Suddenly there came from heaven a noise like the sound of a strong, blowing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

20^th Century New Testament In the course of the Festival at the close of the Harvest the disciples had all met together, When suddenly there came from the heavens a noise like that of a strong wind rushing by; it filled the whole house in which they were sitting.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ferrar-Fenton Bible                Pentecost: The Holy Spirit Given.

During the celebration of the day of Pentecost, they were all harmoniously assembled in one place; when, suddenly, a sound was heard from the sky, similar to that of a very violent tempest-blast, filling the whole house in which they were seated.

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           When the fiftieth day was come, they were all with one accord together in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as it had been the coming of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they sat.

International Standard V        The Coming of the Holy Spirit

When the day of Pentecost was being celebrated, [Lit. Pentecost had fully arrived] all of them were together in one place. Suddenly, a sound like the roar of a mighty windstorm came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

Lexham Bible                         Pentecost and the Coming of the Holy Spirit

And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in the same place. And suddenly a sound like a violent rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

Montgomery NT                     When the day of Pentecost was fully come, and they were all together in the same place, there came suddenly from the sky a sound like the onrush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

Riverside New Testament      DURING the course of the day of Pentecost they were all together in the same place, when suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of a strong rushing wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

The Spoken English NT         The Coming of the Holy Spirit
When the Day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.

And suddenly a noise came from heaven, like the rushing of a strong wind. And it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

Urim-Thummim Version         And when the Day of Pentecost (the 50th day) was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from the skies as of a rushing violent wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

Weymouth New Testament    At length, on the day of the Harvest Festival, they had all met in one place; when suddenly there came from the sky a sound as of a strong rushing blast of wind. This filled the whole house where they were sitting; and they saw tongues of what looked like fire distributing themselves over the assembly, and on the head of each person a tongue alighted. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in foreign languages according as the Spirit gave them words to utter. Vv. 3–4 are included for context.

Wikipedia Bible Project          The Wikipedia Bible project appears to be on indefinite hold. According to the information on the e-sword version of the Wiki-Bible: This public domain Bible translation was begun in 2006, but very little (if any) work has been finished on it since 2008. Only Acts 1 was translated from the book of Acts. There are a number of Partial book translations.

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)     The coming of the Holy Spirit

• When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. And suddenly out of the sky came a sound like a strong rushing wind and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

An extensive footnote for v. 1 is in the Addendum.

The Heritage Bible                          And when the day of Pentecost was completely fulfilled, they were all with one passion in the same place

And suddenly there was a roar out of heaven exactly like a lifting violent breathing, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

New American Bible (2011)   The Coming of the Spirit.

* When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together.^a

And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind,* and it filled the entire house in which they were.^b

* [2:1–41] Luke’s pentecostal narrative consists of an introduction (Acts 2:1–13), a speech ascribed to Peter declaring the resurrection of Jesus and its messianic significance (Acts 2:14–36), and a favorable response from the audience (Acts 2:37–41). It is likely that the narrative telescopes events that took place over a period of time and on a less dramatic scale. The Twelve were not originally in a position to proclaim publicly the messianic office of Jesus without incurring immediate reprisal from those religious authorities in Jerusalem who had brought about Jesus’ death precisely to stem the rising tide in his favor.

a. [2:1] Lv 23:15–21; Dt 16:9–11.

b. [2:2–3] Jn 3:8.

New Catholic Bible                 Pentecost^[a]

Chapter 2

Descent of the Spirit and Birth of the Church.^[b] When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all assembled together in one place. Suddenly, there came from heaven a sound similar to that of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were sitting.

[a] For the first time, the witnesses come in contact with the crowd, which is made up of persons from all the nations. We are at the center of the world that is the starting point for a universal future.

[b] The gift of the Spirit founds the Church as a living reality; Christ has prepared the way for the Church; the Spirit comes to take possession of her, to animate her, to help her with his charisms. Thus, for every community of believers, Pentecost is the feast of its own birth. The Spirit is “poured out” (see Acts 2:17) like rain, which is the source of life in an arid land; as Jesus had promised, there is a “baptism with the Spirit” (Acts 1:5).

The phenomena that accompany the event are rich in symbolism and also have a biblical meaning: they call to mind the theophanies, i.e., the manifestations of God to his people in order to change their anonymous destiny into a life-giving covenant (see Ex 19:18; Deut 4:9-24, 36; Ps 68).

Pentecost, which occurred fifty days after Passover, was the feast on which the firstfruits of the harvest were offered to God, but it was above all the feast of the covenant and of the gift of the Law.

Revised English Bible–1989   THE day of Pentecost had come, and they were all together in one place. Suddenly there came from the sky what sounded like a strong, driving wind, a noise which filled the whole house where they were sitting.

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           The festival of Shavu‘ot arrived, and the believers all gathered together in one place. Suddenly there came a sound from the sky like the roar of a violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

Hebraic Roots Bible               And in the fulfilling of the day of Shavuot, they were all with one mind in the same place. And suddenly a sound came out of the heaven, as a groaning spirit along by a violent wind! And it filled the entire house where they were sitting.

Holy New Covenant Trans.    When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a noise came from the sky. It sounded like a strong wind blowing. This noise filled the whole house where they were sitting.

The Scriptures 2009              And when the Day of the Festival of Shauʽoth^a had come, they were all with one mind in one place.

^aWeeks. 

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

Tree of Life Version                When the day of Shavuot had come, they were all together in one place. Suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Accurate New Testament       ...and in the+ to be filled the day [of] the fiftieth were All [Men] together to the it and becomes suddenly from the heaven Noise as [of] being carried wind strong and [He] fills all the house where [They] were Sitting...

Alpha & Omega Bible            WHEN THE DAY OF PENTECOST HAD COME, THEY WERE ALL TOGETHER IN ONE PLACE. †(The New Covenant church observed all of the Fiesta Holy Days of JESUS such as the Day of Pentecost. Leviticus 23)

AND SUDDENLY THERE CAME FROM HEAVEN A NOISE LIKE A VIOLENT RUSHING WIND, AND IT FILLED THE ENTIRE HOUSE WHERE THEY WERE SITTING.

Awful Scroll Bible                   And from-within the Day of Pentecost to be fulfilling-together, they were all, together-in-passion in the same place.

And in-evidently, there occurred a sound out of the expanse, wholly-as a bearing of a violent wind, and it fills the whole house where they were sitting-down.

Concordant Literal Version    And at the fulfillment of the day of Pentecost they were all alike in the same place.

And suddenly there came out of heaven a blare, even as of a violent, carrying blast, and it fills the whole house where they were sitting."

exeGeses companion Bible   THE DAY OF PENTECOST

And the day of Pentecost being fulfilled/shalamed,

they are all in unanimity in one place.

And so be it,

suddenly - an echo from the heavens,

as of a bearing forceful puff:

and it fills full the whole house where they sit:...

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And when the day of Shavuos is fulfilled, they were all together in one place. [Lv 23:15,16]

And there was mitamuhl (suddenly) from Shomayim a sound like the rushing of a violent wind, and it filled the whole bais where they were sitting.

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

An Understandable Version   And when the day of Pentecost came [Note: This was a Jewish festival held fifty days following the Passover Festival. Lev. 23:15-21], they [i.e., the twelve apostles] were all gathered together in one place [i.e., probably the Temple area]. Suddenly a rushing sound, like a fierce wind blowing, came from the sky above them, and [its noise] filled the entire house where they were sitting.

The Expanded Bible              The Coming of the Holy Spirit

When the day of Pentecost [^C a harvest festival fifty days after Passover, celebrating the firstfruits of the crops (while on this day the firstfruits of the Spirit); Ex. 34:22; Deut. 16:10, 16] ·came [arrived], they were all together in one place. Suddenly a ·noise [roar] like a ·strong [violent], ·blowing [rushing] wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

Jonathan Mitchell NT             Later, during the progression for the day of Pentecost (= Feast of the harvest; = the Festival of Weeks) to be filled together unto its full measure, they were all in the same place, at the same time, [and focused] on the same thing.

Then suddenly and unexpectedly there came to be (or: was birthed) from out of the midst of the atmosphere (or: sky; heaven) a roaring noise (or: sound) as of a continued rushing and driving of a violent wind (or: exactly like a continual carrying of a forcible breath), and it filled (pervaded; permeated; saturated) the whole house where they were sitting.

P. Kretzmann Commentary    Verses 1-4

The Pentecost Miracle.

The apostles filled with the Holy Spirit:

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.

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

{Note: 'fully come' refers to the different methods of counting days. The Jewish day begins at nightfall and ends the next day at nightfall. The gentile calendar is ours today - midnight to midnight. So Luke being a Gentile, probably meant by 'fully come' to be after midnight in the Jewish day of the festival of Pentecost.}

And suddenly {end of the Jewish age} there came a sound {roar!} from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind {like the sound of a tornado}, and He {God the Holy Spirit} filled all the house where they were sitting.

Translation for Translators      The Holy Spirit came and enabled the disciples to speak other languages.

Acts 2:1-4

On the day when the Jews were celebrating the Pentecost festival, the believers were all together in one place in Jerusalem. Suddenly they heard a noise coming from the sky that sounded like a strong wind. Everyone in the entire house where they were sitting heard the noise.

The Voice                               When the holy day of Pentecost came 50 days after Passover, they were gathered together in one place.

Picture yourself among the disciples:

A sound roars from the sky without warning, the roar of a violent wind, and the whole house where you are gathered reverberates with the sound.

Bible Translations with a Lot of Footnotes:

NET Bible®                             The Holy Spirit and the Day of Pentecost

Now¹ when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. Suddenly² a sound³ like a violent wind blowing⁴ came from heaven⁵ and filled the entire house where they were sitting.

^1tn Grk “And” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style does not.

^2tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated for stylistic reasons. It occurs as part of the formula καὶ ἐγένετο (kai egeneto) which is often left untranslated in Luke-Acts because it is redundant in contemporary English. Here it is possible (and indeed necessary) to translate ἐγένετο as “came” so that the initial clause of the English translation contains a verb; nevertheless the translation of the conjunction καί is not necessary.

^3tn Or “a noise.”

^4tn While φέρω (ferw) generally refers to movement from one place to another with the possible implication of causing the movement of other objects, in Acts 2:2 φέρομαι (feromai) should probably be understood in a more idiomatic sense of “blowing” since it is combined with the noun for wind (πνο , pnoh).

^5tn Or “from the sky.” The Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven” depending on the context.

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. § 4. The Day of Pentecost.

Chapter 2.

And <when the day of pentecost^d was filling up [the number of days]> they were all together with one intent;—when there cameˎ suddenlyˎ out of heavenˎ a sound, just as of a mighty rushingʹ wind,—and it filled allʹ the house where they were sitting;...

^d Lev. xxiii. 15–21; xvi. 9–12.

Wilbur Pickering’s New T.     Pentecost
When the day of Pentecost had come,¹ they were all together with one purpose.² And suddenly a roar came out of the sky, like the rushing of a violent wind,³ and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.⁴

(1) This is no more than eight days after the Ascension. In John 14:18 the Lord had said, “I will not leave you orphans”—they only had to wait one week for the Holy Spirit. Albeit on resurrection night Jesus had breathed on them at least a portion of the Holy Spirit.

(2) See 1:14. What was that ‘purpose’? I assume that they were obeying the Lord’s command, they were waiting for ‘the promise of the Father’, the baptism with Holy Spirit.

(3) Why the noise? Presumably to attract attention—God wanted to impact the whole city. Since everyone moved on foot, people would be arriving for a number of minutes, depending on where they started (the city was small in those days).

(4) They were sitting, so presumably the ‘house’ wasn’t the temple; I imagine it was the ‘upper room’.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Analytical-Literal Translation  And when the Day of Pentecost [had] come, they were all with one mind at the same [place]. And suddenly [there] came from heaven a sound like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

Berean Literal Bible                And during the arriving of the day of Pentecost, they were all together in one place. 

And suddenly a sound like a violent rushing wind came out of heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

Benjamin Brodie’s trans.       Now when the day of Pentecost arrived [the Jewish festival celebrated on the fiftieth day after Passover, feast of weeks, feast of harvest], they were all together [twelve apostles attending a Jewish festival] at the same location,

And suddenly a sound came from heaven like a violent rushing [howling] wind and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.

Far Above All Translation       And as the day of Pentecost was coming to an end, they were all of one mind together. And suddenly a noise from heaven came like a strong driving blast, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

Literal New Testament           THE DURING THE ACCOMPLISHING OF THE DAY OF PENTECOST THEY WERE ALL WITH ONE ACCORD IN THE SAME PLACE.

AND CAME SUDDENLY OUT OF THE HEAVEN A SOUND AS RUSHING OF A BREATH VIOLENT, AND FILLED WHOLE THE HOUSE WHERE THEY WERE SITTING.

Modern Literal Version 2020  {NOTES: Acts 1:26-2:1- Chapter and verse divisions were added by man. In the original Acts 1:26 & Acts 2:1 are the same sentence. The ‘they’ has been disputed by many. Read both Acts 1:26 and Acts 2:1 together-without punctuation and decide for yourself. See also Acts 1:5, 2:6.}

{Pentecost (always Sun.) May 28, 30AD Jerusalem. Pentecost is a transliterated word, G4005, which literal means ‘50th’ as in the 50th day after Passover. The day the New Covenant (Testament) came into force (Heb 9:15-17.}

And while* the day of Pentecost was being fulfilled, they were all united in the same place. And suddenly a noise came* from heaven just-like the bringing of a violent wind and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

New Matthew Bible                When the fiftieth day was come, they were all with one accord together in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven like the coming of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they sat.

NT (Variant Readings)           And when the day of Pentecost was now come, they were °all together in one place.

°Byz.-all with one accord in one place.

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

A Voice in the Wilderness      And when the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from Heaven, as being borne along by a rushing violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

The gist of this passage:     The Holy Spirit comes upon the disciples of Jesus on the day of Pentecost.

Translation: And when the day of Pentecost had come,...

Pentecost is 50 days after a specific Sabbath (I am having a little trouble here determining which Sabbath that is), placing Pentecost on a Sunday (most of Israel’s celebrations are related to Saturdays or are bookended by Saturdays).

You may recall that Jesus was on the earth for 40 days after His resurrection.

Translation: ...all [of the disciples] were together with the same [mind]. ...

The 120 disciples are together, about 10 days after the ascension of the Lord. It says that they are together in the same ___. We might understand this to be in the same place or that they are of the same mind. Or, trying not to over-think this, they are all there at the same time.

For this period of time, despite the misstep with the phony election, these 120 disciples have managed to remain somewhat united. There are no fights breaking out; there are no factions forming. A half-dozen of them are not saying, we are going to go down the street and form a better group. There is not a Peter faction and a Thomas faction. Given all that has happened, there is enough of a bond to hold this group together, despite normal human interaction which often takes place.

It certainly appears that Peter has taken a leadership position, and most everyone seems to be fine with that. If anyone objects, we don’t know about it.

Furthermore, Peter is taking the lead in this group, which means not just speaking in front of these people, but have some sort of direction, some ideas, some concept of a purpose. Despite all that has happened, not everyone is a natural leader; not everyone wants to lead a group, even a small one.

Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost had come, all [of the disciples] were together with the same [mind]. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Acts 2:1 (NASB) (a graphic); from Knowing Jesus; accessed September 5, 2021.

Translation: ...Suddenly, from the heavens, a violent wind was being carried,...

There is this massive, rushing wind which is carried down to them.

Remember what I have taught you about signs and miracles? They are crowd-appropriate. That means that everyone experiences whatever it is that is happening.