ESTUDIO DEL VERSÍCULO
Acts 2:1-4 — The Spirit Comes at Pentecost
Acts 2:1-4 describes the disciples gathering at Pentecost, where a sound from heaven, divided tongues like fire, and the filling of the Holy Spirit inaugurate a new event in the early church.
Escritura
- 1.Cuando llegó el día de Pentecostés, estaban todos unánimes juntos.And when the day of Pentecost was now come, they were all together in one place.
- 2.Y de repente vino del cielo un estruendo como de un viento recio que soplaba, el cual llenó toda la casa donde estaban sentados;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.y se les aparecieron lenguas repartidas, como de fuego, asentándose sobre cada uno de ellos.And there appeared unto them tongues parting asunder, like as of fire; and it sat upon each one of them.
- 4.Y fueron todos llenos del Espíritu Santo, y comenzaron a hablar en otras lenguas, según el Espíritu les daba que hablasen.And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Qué significa este pasaje
The passage opens with a time marker: the day of Pentecost has arrived and the group is gathered together in one place. The Greek verb συμπληρόω (G4845) for the day being filled carries the sense of a predetermined time reaching completion, framing the event as the fulfillment of a prior appointed moment rather than an arbitrary occurrence.
The arrival of the Spirit is depicted through two sensory phenomena: a sound (ἦχος, G2279) like a rushing wind (πνοή, G4157) that πληρόω (G4137) the whole house, and visible tongues (γλῶσσα, G1100) distributing themselves (διαμερίζω, G1266) like fire (πῦρ, G4442) that settled on each person. Sound and sight together give the event a public, verifiable character within the room.
Verse 4 states that all were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak as the Spirit gave them utterance. The grammar sets the Spirit as the active subject of giving speech, presenting the resultant tongues not as a self-generated spiritual exercise but as speech enabled by the Spirit's own initiative.
Contexto
The four verses function as the hinge of Acts 2: the narrative pause of verse 1 sets the gathering, verses 2-3 describe the arrival, and verse 4 introduces the speech that the following verses (5-7) will continue to unfold. The text does not specify how many people were present, the exact location, or whether the phenomena were visible to outsiders; the narration stays strictly within the room.
The chapter note provided with the source labels this moment as Pentecost, Peter's sermon, and the early church, treating the passage as the narrative threshold on which the rest of the chapter unfolds. The event is presented without internal commentary on meaning, so any reading of theological significance (such as new-creational or programmatic readings) depends on connections drawn elsewhere in the canon.
Palabras clave del original
- G4845 συμπληρόω: a compound of πληρόω meaning to be completely filled. Here it describes the day of Pentecost reaching its appointed fullness, framing the event as the right time rather than a surprise.
- G1266 διαμερίζω: to partition or divide thoroughly. Used here for the tongues distributing themselves, suggesting individualized allocation rather than a single undifferentiated flame.
- G4157 πνοή: breath, breeze, or respiration. The word pairs with ἦχος (sound) to evoke a rushing wind without strictly identifying the phenomena as meteorological wind.
Versículos relacionados
- Mark 16:17 The promise that believers will speak in new tongues sets up Acts 2 as the inaugural instance of that sign among the disciples.
- Acts 4:31 A second filling of the disciples after prayer, where the location shakes and they speak the word with boldness, shows the dynamic introduced in Acts 2:1-4 recurring in the community.
- Acts 13:52 Disciples being filled with joy and the Holy Spirit pairs the Spirit's filling with an emotional result, complementing the speech-focused outcome in Acts 2:4.
Preguntas frecuentes
What is happening in Acts 2:1-4?
The passage records the disciples gathered when the day of Pentecost arrived, a sound from heaven filling the house, divided tongues like fire appearing and resting on each person, and all being filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking as the Spirit enabled them.
Why does the text mention Pentecost specifically?
πεντηκοστή (G4005) names the festival, and the verb συμπληρόω (G4845) for the day being filled indicates that a set period has reached completion, presenting the event as occurring at the appointed time of that festival.
How is the Spirit's giving of speech described in verse 4?
The Greek construction places the Spirit as the subject who gives utterance, so the disciples' speech is presented as enabled by the Spirit's own initiative rather than produced by a human technique.