Acts 2:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.

NIV: Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.

NASB: But Peter, taking his stand with the other eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: 'Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, know this, and pay attention to my words.

CSB: Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them: "Fellow Jews and all you residents of Jerusalem, let me explain this to you and pay attention to my words.

NLT: Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, 'Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this.

KJV: 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:

NKJV: But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words.

Depending on what version is used, and how one counts, the Bible contains somewhere around thirty-five instances of the phrase "Peter said" or "Peter answered"—most of those in the Gospels. Some of his statements were requests for clarification (Matthew 15:15; Luke 12:41). Some were because he was so overwhelmed he didn't know what to do (Matthew 17:4). Some were rash vows he couldn't keep (John 13:37). Other words were inspired (John 6:68). Once he receives the Holy Spirit, Peter's natural tendency to speak up is transformed, and he becomes a powerful witness for Jesus.

In the book of Acts, Peter gives five speeches of varying lengths. Three are evangelistic (Acts 2:14–41; 3:12–26; 10:34–43) and two are explanatory (Acts 4:8–12; 11:4–17). He gave many more over the course of his life, but these are representative enough to show a common thread. All of Peter's speeches start with what is going on in that moment and explain it in the context of Jesus is the Savior. In Acts 3, he addresses a crowd that is amazed when he heals a lame man (Acts 3:1–10), saying the power by which the man is healed is given by Jesus, whom they crucified. In Acts 10, he defends his presence in the house of Cornelius, a Gentile centurion who wanted to know how he could be saved.

Here, Peter will explain why it is all these Jews can understand the disciples' speech in their own language. It is the fulfillment of a prophecy by the prophet Joel (Acts 2:16–21).

The wording Peter uses is somewhat poetic. Luke explains that Peter "lifted his voice" and "addressed them," which both mean the same thing, but the repeat adds a bit of a lilt to the phrasing. Similarly, Peter's use of the phrases "Men of Judea" and "all who dwell in Jerusalem" and then "let this be known to you" and "give ear to my words" follow the Hebrew poetic form of synthetic parallelism which is so common in the books of Psalms and Proverbs. That Peter is speaking in such a lyrical way is probably one of the reasons the high priests are amazed at the "uneducated, common" fishermen from Galilee (Acts 4:13).

Acts 2:14–36 transcribes the first sermon ever given by a Christian. The Holy Spirit that Jesus promised (John 14:16–17) has come upon 120 of His followers in Jerusalem (Acts 1:15; 2:1–4). They immediately start speaking in different languages, shocking a crowd of Jews and proselytes who are in town to celebrate Pentecost (Acts 2:5–11). Some of the crowd dismiss the speech as nonsense; others are very interested (Acts 2:12–13). Peter, combining his natural enthusiasm as spokesman for the group with wisdom from the Spirit, responds by obeying Jesus and being His witness (Acts 1:8).

Acts 2 describes the beginning of the church in three episodes. First, the Holy Spirit comes upon the Jesus-followers in Jerusalem, equipping them with the ability to teach the gospel in different languages (Acts 2:1–13). Second, Peter gives a public declaration using Old Testament prophecy to show Jesus is the long-awaited Jewish Messiah (Acts 2:14–36). Third, people believe. They repent, trust Jesus will forgive their sins, and agree to be baptized as a public sign that they are now Jesus-followers (Acts 2:37–47). That quickly, the church is born.

Acts 2 describes the creation of Jesus' church. Forty days after Jesus' resurrection He ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9). One hundred and twenty disciples obeyed His command to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4, 2–15). In Acts 2, they receive the Holy Spirit and share the gospel with a crowd of people who have come to celebrate Pentecost. Three thousand believe, and the church comes to life. In the following chapters, Jesus-followers fulfill Jesus' promise that they will be His witnesses ''in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth'' (Acts 1:8).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.