Passage

Acts 2

Book: Acts · NASB95

Acts 2 is the birthday of the church and the template for apostolic preaching. The chapter has two halves: the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost with the resulting xenoglossic tongues miracle (vv. 1-13), and Peter's first apostolic sermon - the kerygma - explaining the event from Joel 2 and David, climaxing in the claim that the crucified Jesus has been raised and made "both Lord and Christ" (vv. 14-41). The sermon is the earliest substantive piece of Christian preaching preserved in the NT, dated to within weeks of the resurrection itself. Apologetically the chapter is load-bearing for the case that very high Christology was not a later legendary development but apostolic from the start, and that the resurrection was publicly proclaimed in the same city where the tomb could be checked, fifty days after the event.

Key verses

"When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance." (Acts 2:1-4, NASB95)

"This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear." (Acts 2:32-33, NASB95)

"Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ - this Jesus whom you crucified." (Acts 2:36, NASB95)

"Peter said to them, 'Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'" (Acts 2:38, NASB95)

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"1. And when the day of Pentecost was now come, they were all together in one place. 2. 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. 3. And there appeared unto them tongues parting asunder, like as of fire; and it sat upon each one of them. 4. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5. Now there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6. And when this sound was heard, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speaking in his own language. 7. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying, Behold, are not all these that speak Galilaeans? 8. And how hear we, every man in our own language wherein we were born? 9. Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, in Judaea and Cappadocia, in Pontus and Asia, 10. in Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and sojourners from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11. Cretans and Arabians, we hear them speaking in our tongues the mighty works of God. 12. And they were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying one to another, What meaneth this? 13. But others mocking said, They are filled with new wine. 14. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spake forth unto them, saying, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and give ear unto my words. 15. For these are not drunken, as ye suppose; seeing it is but the third hour of the day. 16. but this is that which hath been spoken through the prophet Joel: 17. And it shall be in the last days, saith God, I will pour forth of my Spirit upon all flesh: And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, And your young men shall see visions, And your old men shall dream dreams: 18. Yea and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days Will I pour forth of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 19. And I will show wonders in the heaven above, And signs on the earth beneath; Blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke: 20. The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the day of the Lord come, That great and notable day. 21. And it shall be, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. 22. Ye men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God unto you by mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst of you, even as ye yourselves know; 23. him, being delivered up by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye by the hand of lawless men did crucify and slay: 24. whom God raised up, having loosed the pangs of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. 25. For David saith concerning him, I beheld the Lord always before my face; For he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: 26. Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; Moreover my flesh also shall dwell in hope: 27. Because thou wilt not leave my soul unto Hades, Neither wilt thou give thy Holy One to see corruption. 28. Thou madest known unto me the ways of life; Thou shalt make me full of gladness with thy countenance. 29. Brethren, I may say unto you freely of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us unto this day. 30. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins he would set one upon his throne; 31. he foreseeing this spake of the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was he left unto Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32. This Jesus did God raise up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33. Being therefore by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he hath poured forth this, which ye see and hear. 34. For David ascended not into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 35. Till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet. 36. Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly, that God hath made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified. 37. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brethren, what shall we do? 38. And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39. For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him. 40. And with many other words he testified, and exhorted them, saying, Save yourselves from this crooked generation. 41. They then that received his word were baptized: and there were added unto them in that day about three thousand souls. 42. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45. and they sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all, according as any man had need. 46. And day by day, continuing stedfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart, 47. praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to them day by day those that were saved." (Acts 2:1-47, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"1. Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2. Suddenly there came from the sky a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3. Tongues like fire appeared and were distributed to them, and one sat on each of them. 4. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak. 5. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under the sky. 6. When this sound was heard, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because everyone heard them speaking in his own language. 7. They were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Behold, aren’t all these who speak Galileans? 8. How do we hear, everyone in our own native language? 9. Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, 10. Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the parts of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11. Cretans and Arabians: we hear them speaking in our languages the mighty works of God!” 12. They were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13. Others, mocking, said, “They are filled with new wine.” 14. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spoke out to them, “You men of Judea, and all you who dwell at Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to my words. 15. For these aren’t drunken, as you suppose, seeing it is only the third hour of the day. 16. But this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel: 17. ‘It will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams. 18. Yes, and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days, I will pour out my Spirit, and they will prophesy. 19. I will show wonders in the sky above, and signs on the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and billows of smoke. 20. The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes. 21. It will be that whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ 22. “Men of Israel, hear these words! Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God to you by mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by him among you, even as you yourselves know, 23. him, being delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by the hand of lawless men, crucified and killed; 24. whom God raised up, having freed him from the agony of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it. 25. For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before my face, For he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved. 26. Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced. Moreover my flesh also will dwell in hope; 27. because you will not leave my soul in Hades, neither will you allow your Holy One to see decay. 28. You made known to me the ways of life. You will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ 29. “Brothers, I may tell you freely of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31. he foreseeing this spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was his soul left in Hades, nor did his flesh see decay. 32. This Jesus God raised up, to which we all are witnesses. 33. Being therefore exalted by the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this, which you now see and hear. 34. For David didn’t ascend into the heavens, but he says himself, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit by my right hand, 35. until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’ 36. “Let all the house of Israel therefore know certainly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” 37. Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38. Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39. For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.” 40. With many other words he testified, and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” 41. Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. There were added that day about three thousand souls. 42. They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and prayer. 43. Fear came on every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44. All who believed were together, and had all things in common. 45. They sold their possessions and goods, and distributed them to all, according as anyone had need. 46. Day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart, 47. praising God, and having favor with all the people. The Lord added to the assembly day by day those who were being saved." (Acts 2:1-47, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"1. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 6. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. ^{was: Gr. voice was made confounded: or, troubled in mind} 7. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? 8. And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? 9. Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, 10. Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, 11. Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. 12. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? 13. Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. 14. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: 15. For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. 16. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17. And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18. And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: 19. And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: 20. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: 21. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. 22. Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: 23. Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: 24. Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. 25. For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: 26. Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: 27. Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 28. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. 29. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. ^{let me: or, I may} 30. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; 31. He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. 32. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. 34. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 35. Until I make thy foes thy footstool. 36. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. 37. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38. Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 41. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. 42. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. 44. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45. And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. 46. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, ^{from: or, at home} 47. Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." (Acts 2:1-47, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"1. And in the day of the Pentecost being fulfilled, they were all with one accord at the same place, 2. and there came suddenly out of the heaven a sound as of a bearing violent breath, and it filled all the house where they were sitting, 3. and there appeared to them divided tongues, as it were of fire; it sat also upon each one of them, 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. 5. And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation of those under the heaven, 6. and the rumour of this having come, the multitude came together, and was confounded, because they were each one hearing them speaking in his proper dialect, 7. and they were all amazed, and did wonder, saying one unto another, 'Lo, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8. and how do we hear, each in our proper dialect, in which we were born? 9. Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and those dwelling in Mesopotamia, in Judea also, and Cappadocia, Pontus, and Asia, 10. Phrygia also, and Pamphylia, Egypt, and the parts of Libya, that [are] along Cyrene, and the strangers of Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11. Cretes and Arabians, we did hear them speaking in our tongues the great things of God.' 12. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one unto another, 'What would this wish to be?' 13. and others mocking said,, 'They are full of sweet wine;' 14. and Peter having stood up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and declared to them, 'Men, Jews! and all those dwelling in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and harken to my sayings, 15. for these are not drunken, as ye take it up, for it is the third hour of the day. 16. 'But this is that which hath been spoken through the prophet Joel: 17. And it shall be in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18. and also upon My men-servants, and upon My maid-servants, in those days, I will pour out of My Spirit, and they shall prophesy; 19. and I will give wonders in the heaven above, and signs upon the earth beneath, blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke, 20. the sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the coming of the day of the Lord, the great and illustrious; 21. and it shall be, every one, whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, he shall be saved. 22. 'Men, Israelites! hear these words, Jesus the Nazarene, a man approved of God among you by mighty works, and wonders, and signs, that God did through him in the midst of you, according as also ye yourselves have known; 23. this one, by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, being given out, having taken by lawless hands, having crucified, ye did slay; 24. whom God did raise up, having loosed the pains of the death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it, 25. for David saith in regard to him: I foresaw the Lord always before me, because He is on my right hand, that I may not be moved; 26. because of this was my heart cheered, and my tongue was glad, and yet, my flesh also shall rest on hope, 27. because Thou wilt not leave my soul to hades, nor wilt Thou give Thy Kind One to see corruption; 28. Thou didst make known to me ways of life, Thou shalt fill me with joy with Thy countenance. 29. 'Men, brethren! it is permitted to speak with freedom unto you concerning the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is among us unto this day; 30. a prophet, therefore, being, and knowing that with an oath God did swear to him, out of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, to raise up the Christ, to sit upon his throne, 31. having foreseen, he did speak concerning the rising again of the Christ, that his soul was not left to hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32. 'This Jesus did God raise up, of which we are all witnesses; 33. at the right hand then of God having been exalted, also the promise of the Holy Spirit having received from the Father, he was shedding forth this, which now ye see and hear; 34. for David did not go up to the heavens, and he saith himself: The Lord saith to my lord, Sit thou at my right hand, 35. till I make thy foes thy footstool; 36. assuredly, therefore, let all the house of Israel know, that both Lord and Christ did God make him, this Jesus whom ye did crucify.' 37. And having heard, they were pricked to the heart; they say also to Peter, and to the rest of the apostles, 'What shall we do, men, brethren?' 38. and Peter said unto them, 'Reform, and be baptized each of you on the name of Jesus Christ, to remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, 39. for to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all those afar off, as many as the Lord our God shall call.' 40. Also with many more other words he was testifying and exhorting, saying, 'Be saved from this perverse generation;' 41. then those, indeed, who did gladly receive his word were baptized, and there were added on that day, as it were, three thousand souls, 42. and they were continuing stedfastly in the teaching of the apostles, and the fellowship, and the breaking of the bread, and the prayers. 43. And fear came on every soul, many wonders also and signs were being done through the apostles, 44. and all those believing were at the same place, and had all things common, 45. and the possessions and the goods they were selling, and were parting them to all, according as any one had need. 46. Daily also continuing with one accord in the temple, breaking also at every house bread, they were partaking of food in gladness and simplicity of heart, 47. praising God, and having favour with all the people, and the Lord was adding those being saved every day to the assembly." (Acts 2:1-47, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: Luke the Evangelist as narrator; Peter delivers the chapter's central sermon
Audience: narratively, Jerusalem pilgrims from across the Diaspora gathered for Pentecost (vv. 9-11 lists the regions); literarily, Theophilus and Luke's broader Greco-Roman Christian readership
Location: Jerusalem, during the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) - fifty days after Passover
Time period: events c. AD 30 (fifty days after the resurrection); composed c. AD 62-80 as the second volume of Luke-Acts

Theological reading

The chapter opens by linking back to Jesus's promise of "another Helper" (John 14:16) and to the great-commission anticipation that the disciples would be "clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). Pentecost is the inaugural fulfillment: the Spirit descends with the audible sign of rushing wind and the visible sign of fire-like tongues, and the disciples speak in languages they did not know - a deliberate reversal of the Babel scattering (Genesis 11) that uses the same language-confusion mechanism to undo rather than impose division.

Peter's sermon proceeds in three exegetical moves. First, he answers the mockers' charge of drunkenness by quoting Joel 2.28-32: "in the last days... I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind" - claiming that the eschatological age has arrived. Second, he presents the historical witness about Jesus of Nazareth, the works God did through Him, His death "by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God" (v. 23), and His resurrection. Third, he argues from Psalm 16:8-11 that David - who "both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day" (v. 29) - cannot be the speaker of "You will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor allow Your Holy One to undergo decay"; therefore David was speaking prophetically of Christ. The Davidic-resurrection argument is one of the most striking apologetic moves in the NT and has been examined intensely by scholars of NT use of the OT (Richard Bauckham, Darrell Bock).

The sermon's climax in v. 36 - "God has made Him both Lord and Christ" - has been the focus of significant Christological debate. Adoptionists historically read "made Him" as implying that Jesus was elevated to lordship at the resurrection. The Christian consensus reading, supported by the wider sermon and Acts as a whole, is that the verb signals public declaration of what was already true: the same Jesus whom Israel crucified is the eternal Lord whom prophecy promised. The fact that Peter applies Kyrios - the Septuagint's translation of YHWH - to Jesus, within fifty days of the crucifixion, in the same city, is a key data point in the early-high-Christology argument that Bauckham and Larry Hurtado have built.

Apologetically Acts 2 does at least four major jobs. (1) The resurrection is publicly proclaimed in Jerusalem fifty days after the event, where the tomb could be checked, the body could have been produced by hostile authorities, and the eyewitness disciples were on hand to be interrogated. The minimal-facts case for the resurrection (see Resurrection of Jesus - Minimal Facts Case) draws heavily on this. (2) The sermon's apostolic kerygma supplies the historical baseline against which "developmental" theories of Christology must be measured. (3) The Davidic-resurrection argument shows how the earliest Christian preachers read the OT as anticipating Christ - not as proof-text decoration but as load-bearing structural argument. (4) The 3,000 conversions of v. 41, on Pentecost in Jerusalem, are the public, dated origin of the church - making the early-church explosion an historically constrained event rather than a long-developing cult.

Key words

G4151 - pneuma, pneuma (Strong's G4151). "Spirit" / "Holy Spirit"; the chapter's primary actor in vv. 1-13 and the gift promised in v. 38.
G3340 - metanoeo, metanoeo (Strong's G3340). "Repent"; Peter's first imperative in v. 38.
G0386 - anastasis, anastasis (Strong's G386). "Resurrection"; the substantive of v. 31, applied to Christ.
G2962 - kyrios, kyrios (Strong's G2962). "Lord"; v. 36's load-bearing Christological title.
G5547 - christos, christos (Strong's G5547). "Christ" / "Messiah"; the title paired with Kyrios at v. 36.
G0907 - baptizo, baptizo (Strong's G907). "Baptize"; v. 38's response-rite.

Theological themes

Pentecost as inauguration of the Spirit-age. Joel's "last days" prophecy is fulfilled; the Spirit is now poured out on all flesh - sons and daughters, young and old, slaves and free - and the eschatological clock has started.
Apostolic kerygma. Peter's sermon establishes the basic pattern that NT preaching will follow throughout Acts: scriptural framing, the Jesus-narrative (life, death, resurrection, exaltation), call to repentance, promise of forgiveness and Spirit.
Early high Christology. "God has made Him both Lord and Christ" applied within weeks of the resurrection is the strongest single data point against developmental theories of Christology.
Davidic-resurrection argument. Psalm 16 is read messianically with a piece of public-evidence reasoning ("David's tomb is with us to this day"); a model of how earliest Christians used the OT to make apologetic cases.
Universal scope of salvation. "The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself" (v. 39) opens the door that Acts 10-15 will widen to Gentiles.
Communal life as evidence. Vv. 42-47's portrait of teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers establishes the communal-life-as-apologetic theme that Acts will return to repeatedly.

Cross-references

Joel 2.28-32, the OT prophecy Peter quotes; declared fulfilled at Pentecost.
Psalms 16 (esp. vv. 8-11), the Davidic resurrection-anticipation Peter exegetes; the load-bearing exegetical move of the sermon.
Psalms 110, "The Lord said to my Lord, sit at My right hand"; quoted at v. 34; central to NT Christology.
Acts 4.12, "there is no other name... by which we must be saved"; Peter's continuation of the Acts 2 line.
John 14.16, Jesus's promise of "another Helper" whom Pentecost fulfills.
Genesis 11, the Babel-scattering that the Pentecost xenoglossia reverses.

Quoted in

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.