Acts 2:16-22

2:16 But this is what was spoken about through the prophet Joel: ¹ 

2:17 ‘And in the last days ²  it will be,’ God says,

‘that I will pour out my Spirit on all people, ³ 

and your sons and your daughters will prophesy,

and your young men will see visions,

and your old men will dream dreams.

2:18 Even on my servants, ⁴  both men and women,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. ⁵ 

2:19 And I will perform wonders in the sky ⁶  above

and miraculous signs ⁷  on the earth below,

blood and fire and clouds of smoke.

2:20 The sun will be changed to darkness

and the moon to blood

before the great and glorious ⁸  day of the Lord comes.

2:21 And then ⁹  everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ ¹⁰ 

2:22 “Men of Israel, ¹¹  listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man clearly attested to you by God with powerful deeds, ¹²  wonders, and miraculous signs ¹³  that God performed among you through him, just as you yourselves know –

Acts 2:33

2:33 So then, exalted ¹⁴  to the right hand ¹⁵  of God, and having received ¹⁶  the promise of the Holy Spirit ¹⁷  from the Father, he has poured out ¹⁸  what you both see and hear.

[2:16]  ¹ sn Note how in the quotation that follows all genders, ages, and classes are included. The event is like a hope Moses expressed in Num 11:29.

[2:17]  ² sn The phrase in the last days is not quoted from Joel, but represents Peter’s interpretive explanation of the current events as falling “in the last days.”

[2:17]  ³ tn Grk “on all flesh.”

[2:18]  ⁴ tn Grk “slaves.” Although this translation frequently renders δοῦλος (doulos) as “slave,” the connotation is often of one who has sold himself into slavery; in a spiritual sense, the idea is that of becoming a slave of God or of Jesus Christ voluntarily. The voluntary notion is not conspicuous here; hence, the translation “servants.” In any case, the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[2:18]  ⁵ sn The words and they will prophesy in Acts 2:18 are not quoted from Joel 2:29 at this point but are repeated from earlier in the quotation (Acts 2:17) for emphasis. Tongues speaking is described as prophecy, just like intelligible tongues are described in 1 Cor 14:26-33.

[2:19]  ⁶ tn Or “in the heaven.” The Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven” depending on the context. Here, in contrast to “the earth below,” a reference to the sky is more likely.

[2:19]  ⁷ tn Here the context indicates the miraculous nature of the signs mentioned; this is made explicit in the translation.

[2:20]  ⁸ tn Or “and wonderful.”

[2:21]  ⁹ tn Grk “And it will be that.”

[2:21]  ¹⁰ sn A quotation from Joel 2:28-32.

[2:22]  ¹¹ tn Or “Israelite men,” although this is less natural English. The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which only exceptionally is used in a generic sense of both males and females. In this context, it is conceivable that this is a generic usage, although it can also be argued that Peter’s remarks were addressed primarily to the men present, even if women were there.

[2:22]  ¹² tn Or “miraculous deeds.”

[2:22]  ¹³ tn Again, the context indicates the miraculous nature of these signs, and this is specified in the translation.

[2:33]  ¹⁴ tn The aorist participle ὑψωθείς (Juywqei") could be taken temporally: “So then, after he was exalted…” In the translation the more neutral “exalted” (a shorter form of “having been exalted”) was used to preserve the ambiguity of the original Greek.

[2:33]  ¹⁵ sn The expression the right hand of God represents supreme power and authority. Its use here sets up the quotation of Ps 110:1 in v. 34.

[2:33]  ¹⁶ tn The aorist participle λαβών (labwn) could be taken temporally: “So then, after he was exalted…and received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit.” In the translation the more neutral “having received” was used to preserve the ambiguity of the original Greek.

[2:33]  ¹⁷ tn Here the genitive τοῦ πνεύματος (tou pneumato") is a genitive of apposition; the promise consists of the Holy Spirit.

[2:33]  ¹⁸ sn The use of the verb poured out looks back to 2:17-18, where the same verb occurs twice.