Acts 2:16

But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Benson Commentary

Acts 2:16-21. But this is that which was spoken by the Prophet Joel — But there is another and better way of accounting for what you see and hear. It is the accomplishment of a remarkable prophecy, in its primary and literal sense intended of these times, and this event. Of this whole paragraph see the notes on Joel 2:28-32, where it is explained at large. It shall come to pass in the last days — So the times of the Messiah are frequently called, the gospel being the last dispensation of divine grace; I will pour out of my Spirit — Not on the day of pentecost only; upon all flesh — On persons of every age, sex, and rank. And your young men shall see visions — In young men the outward senses are most vigorous, and the bodily strength is entire, whereby they are best qualified to sustain the shock which usually attends the visions of God. In old men the internal senses are most vigorous, suited to divine dreams. Not that the old are wholly excluded from the former, or the young from the latter. And upon my servants — On those who are literally in a state of servitude. And I will show prodigies in heaven above, and signs on earth beneath — Great revelations of grace are usually attended with great judgments on those who reject it. In heaven — Treated of, Acts 2:20. On earth — Described in this verse. Such signs were those mentioned Acts 2:22, before the passion of Christ; which are so mentioned as to include also those at the very time of the passion and resurrection, at the destruction of Jerusalem, and at the end of the world. Terrible, indeed, were those prodigies in particular, which preceded the destruction of Jerusalem: such as the flaming sword hanging over the city, and the fiery comet, pointing down upon it for a year; the light that shone upon the temple and the altar in the night, as if it had been noon-day; the opening of the great and heavy gate of the temple without hands; the voice heard from the most holy place, Let us depart hence; the admonition of Jesus, the son of Ananus, crying, for seven years together, Wo, wo, wo; the vision of contending armies in the air, and of intrenchments thrown up against a city there represented; the terrible thunders and lightnings, and dreadful earthquakes, which every one considered as portending some great evil: all which, through the singular providence of God, are particularly recorded by Josephus. Blood — War and slaughter. Fire — Burning of houses and towns, involving all in clouds of smoke. See the notes on Isaiah 66:6; Luke 21:11. The moon shall be turned into blood — A bloody colour; before the day of the Lord — Eminently the last day; though not excluding any other day or season, wherein the Lord shall manifest his glory, in taking vengeance on his adversaries. But whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord — This expression implies the whole of religion, and particularly prayer uttered in faith; shall be saved — From all those plagues: from sin and hell. See on Joel 2:32.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

2:14-21 Peter's sermon shows that he was thoroughly recovered from his fall, and thoroughly restored to the Divine favour; for he who had denied Christ, now boldly confessed him. His account of the miraculous pouring forth of the Spirit, was designed to awaken the hearers to embrace the faith of Christ, and to join themselves to his church. It was the fulfilling the Scripture, and the fruit of Christ's resurrection and ascension, and proof of both. Though Peter was filled with the Holy Ghost, and spake with tongues as the Spirit gave him utterance, yet he did not think to set aside the Scriptures. Christ's scholars never learn above their Bible; and the Spirit is given, not to do away the Scriptures, but to enable us to understand, approve, and obey them. Assuredly none will escape the condemnation of the great day, except those who call upon the name of the Lord, in and through his Son Jesus Christ, as the Saviour of sinners, and the Judge of all mankind.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

This is that - This is the fulfillment of that, or this was predicted. This was the second part of Peter's argument, to show that this was in accordance with the predictions in their own Scriptures.

By the prophet Joel - Joel 2:28-32. This is not quoted literally, either from the Hebrew or the Septuagint. The substance, however, is preserved.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

15. these are not drunken—meaning, not the Eleven, but the body of the disciples.

but the third hour—nine A.M. (see Ec 10:16; Isa 5:11; 1Th 5:17).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

God does ordinarily, before that he sends his judgments, and does his strange work, endeavour to reclaim them by mercies: not only Joel, but Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and others, prophesied before the destruction of that people and country by Nebuchadnezzar; but now, before the final and total ruin, God sent greater and more than these, and endued them with a greater measure of the Spirit, clearer and fuller light to forewarn them of and deliver them from wrath to come.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel. This affair, which is a matter of wonder and amazement with some, and of speculation with others, and of ridicule and contempt with the most, not the effect of wine, but the fulfilment of a prophecy in Joel 2:28 and is that effusion of the Spirit there foretold; and this prophecy is by the Jews themselves allowed to belong to the world to come, or to the times of the Messiah. Some of their commentators (o) say, that it refers "to time to come"; by which they frequently mean the times of the Messiah; and another says (p) expressly, that they belong , "to the days of the Messiah"; and in one of their Midrashes (q) it is observed, that "the holy blessed God says in this world they prophesy single, (particular persons,) but "in the world to come" all "Israel" shall become prophets, as it is said, Joel 2:28 "and it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your old men", &c. So expounds R. Tanchums with R. Aba.

(o) Jarchi in Joel ii. 28. & R. Jeshuah in Aben Ezra in loc. (p) R. David Kimchi in loc. (q) Bemidbar Rabba, sect. 15. fol. 219. 2.

Geneva Study Bible

But this is that which was spoken by the {k} prophet Joel;

(k) There is nothing that can dissolve questions and doubt except testimony taken out of the Prophets: for men's reasonings may be overturned, but God's voice cannot be overturned.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

Acts 2:16-17. But this (which has just taken place on the part of those assembled, and has been accounted among you as the effect of drunkenness) is the event, which is spoken of by the prophet Joel.

Joel 3:1-5 (LXX. Acts 2:28-31) is freely quoted according to the LXX. The prophet, speaking as the organ of God, describes the σημεῖα which shall directly precede the dawn of the Messianic period, namely first the general effusion of the fulness of the Holy Spirit, and then frightful catastrophes in heaven and on earth. This prophecy, Peter says, has now entered upon its accomplishment.

καὶ ἔσται] and it will be the case: quite according to the Hebrew (and the LXX.) וְהָיָה. The καί in the prophetic passage connects it with what precedes, and is incorporated in the citation.

ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις] The LXX., agreeing with the Hebrew, has only μετὰ ταῦτα. Peter has inserted for it the familiar expression אַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים (Isaiah 2:2; Micah 4:1, al.) by way of more precise definition (as Kimchi also gives it; see Lightfoot). This denotes the last days of the pre-Messianic period—the days immediately preceding the erection of the Messianic kingdom (which, according to the N. T. view, could not but take place by means of the speedily expected Parousia of Christ); see 2 Timothy 3:1; Jam 5:3; and as regards the essential sense, also Hebrews 1:1. Comp. Weiss, Petrin. Lehrbegr. p. 82 f.

ἐκχεῶ] a later form of the future. Winer, p. 74 [E. T. 91]. The outpouring figuratively denotes the copious communication. Titus 3:6; Acts 10:45. Comp. Acts 1:5, and see on Romans 5:5.

ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός μου] deviating from the Hebrew אֶת־ריחִי. The partitive expression (Bernhardy, p. 222) denotes that something of the Spirit of God conceived as a whole—a special partial emanation for the bestowal of divers gifts according to the will of God (Hebrews 2:4; 1 Corinthians 12)—will pass over to every individual (ἐπὶ πᾶσαν σάρκα[126]).

πᾶσαν σάρκα every flesh, i.e. omnes homines, but with the accessory idea of weakness and imperfection, which the contrast of the highest gift of God, that is to be imparted to the weak mortal race, here presents. Comp. Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16; 1 Corinthians 1:29; Matthew 24:22; Luke 3:6. In Joel כָּל־בָּשָׂר certainly refers to the people of Israel, conceived, however, as the people of God, the collective body of whom (not merely, as formerly, individual prophets) shall receive the divine inspiration. Comp. Isaiah 54:13; John 6:45. But as the idea of the people of God has its realization, so far as the history of redemption is concerned, in the collective body of believers on Christ without distinction of nations; so also in the Messianic fulfilment of that prophecy meant by Peter, and now begun, what the prophet has promised to all flesh is not to be understood of the Jewish people as such (van Hengel, appealing to Acts 2:39), but of all the true people of God, so far as they believe on Christ. The first Messianic effusion of the Spirit at Pentecost was the beginning of this fulfilment, the completion of which is in the course of a progressive development that began at that time with Israel, and as respects its end is yet future, although this end was by Peter already expected as nigh.

καὶ προφητεύσουσιν … ἐνυπνιασθήσονται describes the effects of the promised effusion of the Spirit. ΠΡΟΦΗΤΕΎΣΟΥΣΙΝ, afflatu divino loquentur (Matthew 7:22), is by Peter specially recognised as a prediction of that apocalyptically inspired speaking, which had just commenced with the ἙΤΈΡΑΙς ΓΛΏΣΣΑΙς. This we may the more warrantably affirm, since, according to the analogy of Acts 19:6, we must assume that that speaking was not mere glossolalia in the strict sense, but, in a portion of the speakers’ prophecy. Comp. the spiritual speaking in Corinth.

οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν καὶ αἱ θυγατέρες ὑμῶν] the male and female members of the people of God, i.e. all without exception. Peter sees this also fulfilled by the inspired members of the Christian theocracy, among whom, according to Acts 1:14, there were at that time also women.

ὉΡΆΣΕΙς … ἘΝΥΠΝΊΟΙς] visions in waking and in sleeping, as forms of the ἀποκάλυψις of God, such as often came to the prophets. This prophetic distinction, Joel predicts, will, after the effusion of the Spirit in its fulness, become common property. The fulfilment of this part of the prophecy had, it is true, not yet taken place among the members of the Christian people of God, but was still before them as a consequence of the communication of the Spirit which had just occurred; Peter, however, quotes the words as already fulfilled (Acts 2:16), because their fulfilment was necessarily conditioned by the outpouring of the Spirit, and was consequently already in idea included in it.

ΝΕΑΝΊΣΚΟΙ … ΠΡΕΣΒΎΤΕΡΟΙ belong likewise, as the preceding clause (ΥἹΟῚ … ΘΥΓΑΤΈΡΕς), to the representation of the collective body as illustrated per μερισμόν. The ὁράσεις correspond to the lively feelings of youth; ἘΝΎΠΝΙΑ, to the lesser excitability of more advanced age; yet the two are to be taken, not as mutually exclusive, but after the manner of parallelism.

The verb, with the dative of the cognate noun, is here (ἐνυπνίοις ἐνυπνιασθ., they will dream with dreams; comp. Joel 3:1) a Hebraism, and does not denote, like the similar construction in classic Greek, a more precise definition or strengthening of the notion conveyed by the verb (Lobeck, Paral. p. 524 f.).

[126] The impersonality of the Spirit is not thereby assumed (in opposition to Weiss, bibl. Theol. p. 136), but the distribution of the gifts and powers, which are represented as a partial effusion of the Spirit on individuals. For the personality of the Spirit, comp. especially the saying of Peter, Acts 5:3.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

16. by (or through) the prophet Joel] Joel calls his prophecy “the word of the Lord that came unto Joel.” The passage is from Joel 2:28-32. The order of the clauses differs slightly from the Hebrew order, shewn in the A.V., but agrees generally with the LXX.

Bengel's Gnomen

Acts 2:16. Ἀλλὰ, but) These are not drunken, saith he, but filled with the Spirit.—τοῦτο, this) These things are wisely spoken before those things which are mentioned in Acts 2:22. The mention of the most glorious advent to judgment renders all things which are stated concerning Jesus Christ the more illustrious and effective.

Acts 2:16