4 and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, according as the Spirit was giving them to declare.
and the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
And they having prayed, the place was shaken in which they were gathered together, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and were speaking the word of God with freedom,
And Ananias went away, and did enter into the house, and having put upon him `his' hands, said, `Saul, brother, the Lord hath sent me -- Jesus who did appear to thee in the way in which thou wast coming -- that thou mayest see again, and mayest be filled with the Holy Spirit.'
`And signs shall accompany those believing these things; in my name demons they shall cast out; with new tongues they shall speak;
And Saul -- who also `is' Paul -- having been filled with the Holy Spirit, and having looked stedfastly on him,
Then Peter, having been filled with the Holy Spirit, said unto them: `Rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,
If with the tongues of men and of messengers I speak, and have not love, I have become brass sounding, or a cymbal tinkling;
and the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and remind you of all things that I said to you.
for they were hearing them speaking with tongues and magnifying God.
and Paul having laid on them `his' hands, the Holy Spirit came upon them, they were speaking also with tongues, and prophesying,
in the law it hath been written, that, `With other tongues and with other lips I will speak to this people, and not even so will they hear Me, saith the Lord;' so that the tongues are for a sign, not to the believing, but to the unbelieving; and the prophesy `is' not for the unbelieving, but for the believing, If, therefore, the whole assembly may come together, to the same place, and all may speak with tongues, and there may come in unlearned or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?
and this having said, he breathed on `them', and saith to them, `Receive the Holy Spirit;
What then is it, brethren? whenever ye may come together, each of you hath a psalm, hath a teaching, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation? let all things be for building up; if an `unknown' tongue any one do speak, by two, or at the most, by three, and in turn, and let one interpret; and if there may be no interpreter, let him be silent in an assembly, and to himself let him speak, and to God. And prophets -- let two or three speak, and let the others discern, and if to another sitting `anything' may be revealed, let the first be silent; for ye are able, one by one, all to prophesy, that all may learn, and all may be exhorted, and the spiritual gift of prophets to prophets are subject,
and I wish you all to speak with tongues, and more that ye may prophecy, for greater is he who is prophesying than he who is speaking with tongues, except one may interpret, that the assembly may receive edification.
`And in my beginning to speak, the Holy Spirit did fall upon them, even as also upon us in the beginning,
look out, therefore, brethren, seven men of you who are well testified of, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may set over this necessity,
but ye shall receive power at the coming of the Holy Spirit upon you, and ye shall be witnesses to me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and unto the end of the earth.'
For by scorned lip, and by another tongue, Doth He speak unto this people.
and Jehovah cometh down in the cloud, and speaketh unto him, and keepeth back of the Spirit which `is' on him, and putteth on the seventy men of the elders; and it cometh to pass at the resting of the Spirit on them, that they prophesy, and do not cease. And two of the men are left in the camp, the name of the one `is' Eldad, and the name of the second Medad, and the spirit resteth upon them, (and they are among those written, and have not gone out to the tent), and they prophesy in the camp; and the young man runneth, and declareth to Moses, and saith, `Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.' And Joshua son of Nun, minister of Moses, `one' of his young men, answereth and saith, `My lord Moses, restrain them.' And Moses saith to him, `Art thou zealous for me? O that all Jehovah's people were prophets! that Jehovah would put His Spirit upon them!'
and they come in thither to the height, and lo, a band of prophets -- to meet him, and prosper over him doth the Spirit of God, and he prophesieth in their midst.
The Spirit of Jehovah hath spoken by me, And His word `is' on my tongue.
And I -- this `is' My covenant with them, said Jehovah, My Spirit that `is' on thee, And My words that I have put in thy mouth, Depart not from thy mouth, And from the mouth of thy seed, And from the mouth of thy seed's seed, said Jehovah, From henceforth unto the age!
And Jehovah saith unto me, `Do not say, I `am' a youth, for to all to whom I send thee thou goest, and all that I command thee thou speakest. Be not afraid of their faces, for with thee `am' I to deliver thee, -- an affirmation of Jehovah.' And Jehovah putteth forth His hand, and striketh against my mouth, and Jehovah saith unto me, `Lo, I have put my words in thy mouth.
And with the fury of Jehovah I have been filled, (I have been weary of containing,) To pour `it' on the suckling in the street, And on the assembly of youths together, For even husband with wife are captured, An elder with one full of days,
And yet I have been full of power by the Spirit of Jehovah, And of judgment, and of might, To declare to Jacob his transgression, And to Israel his sin.
`And whenever they may deliver you up, be not anxious how or what ye may speak, for it shall be given you in that hour what ye shall speak;
And it came to pass, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe did leap in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,
And Zacharias his father was filled with the Holy Spirit, and did prophesy, saying,
for the Holy Spirit shall teach you in that hour what it behoveth `you' to say.'
for I will give to you a mouth and wisdom that all your opposers shall not be able to refute or resist.
And Stephen, full of faith and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people,
because he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit, and of faith, and a great multitude was added to the Lord.
And some, indeed, did God set in the assembly, first apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly teachers, afterwards powers, afterwards gifts of healings, helpings, governings, divers kinds of tongues; `are' all apostles? `are' all prophets? `are' all teachers? `are' all powers? have all gifts of healings? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
to know also the love of the Christ that is exceeding the knowledge, that ye may be filled -- to all the fulness of God;
to whom it was revealed, that not to themselves, but to us they were ministering these, which now were told to you (through those who did proclaim good news to you,) in the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, to which things messengers do desire to bend looking.
for not by will of man did ever prophecy come, but by the Holy Spirit borne on holy men of God spake.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Acts 2
Commentary on Acts 2 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 2
Between the promise of the Messiah (even the latest of those promises) and his coming many ages intervened; but between the promise of the Spirit and his coming there were but a few days; and during those days the apostles, though they had received orders to preach the gospel to every creature, and to begin at Jerusalem, yet lay perfectly wind-bound, incognito-concealed, and not offering to preach. But in this chapter the north wind and the south wind awake, and then they awake, and we have them in the pulpit presently. Here is,
Act 2:1-4
We have here an account of the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the disciples of Christ. Observe,
Act 2:5-13
We have here an account of the public notice that was taken of this extraordinary gift with which the disciples were all on a sudden endued. Observe,
Act 2:14-36
We have here the first-fruits of the Spirit in the sermon which Peter preached immediately, directed, not to those of other nations in a strange language (we are not told what answer he gave to those that were amazed, and said, What meaneth this?) but to the Jews in the vulgar language, even to those that mocked; for he begins with the notice of that (v. 15), and addresses his discourse (v. 14) to the men of Judea and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; but we have reason enough to think that the other disciples continued to speak to those who understood them (and therefore flocked about them), in the languages of their respective countries, the wonderful works of God. And it was not by Peter's preaching only, but that of all, or most, of the rest of the hundred and twenty, that three thousand souls were that day converted, and added to the church; but Peter's sermon only is recorded, to be an evidence for him that he was thoroughly recovered from his fall, and thoroughly restored to the divine favour. He that had sneakingly denied Christ now as courageously confesses him. Observe,
Act 2:37-41
We have seen the wonderful effect of the pouring out of the Spirit, in its influence upon the preachers of the gospel. Peter, in all his life, never spoke at the rate that he had done now, with such fulness, perspicuity, and power. We are now to see another blessed fruit of the pouring out of the Spirit in its influence upon the hearers of the gospel. From the first delivery of that divine message, it appeared that there was a divine power going along with it, and it was mighty, through God, to do wonders: thousands were immediately brought by it to the obedience of faith; it was the rod of God's strength sent out of Zion, Ps. 110:2, 3. We have here the first-fruits of that vast harvest of souls which by it were gathered in to Jesus Christ. Come and see, in these verses, the exalted Redeemer riding forth, in these chariots of salvation, conquering and to conquer, Rev. 6:2.
In these verses we find the word of God the means of beginning and carrying on a good work of grace in the hearts of many, the Spirit of the Lord working by it. Let us see the method of it.
Act 2:42-47
We often speak of the primitive church, and appeal to it, and to the history of it; in these verses we have the history of the truly primitive church, of the first days of it, its state of infancy indeed, but, like that, the state of its greatest innocence.
But the Lord's giving them power to work miracles was not all he did for them; he added to the church daily. The word in their mouths did wonders, and God blessed their endeavours for the increase of the number of believers. Note, It is God's work to add souls to the church; and it is a great comfort both to ministers and Christians to see it.