Acts 2:3

Acts 2:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
• New International Version (NIV)They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.

Context of Acts 2:3

1And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them cloven tongues as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven.

Acts 2:3 word by word

καὶ ὤφθησαν αὐτοῖς διαμεριζόμεναι γλῶσσαι ὡσεὶ πυρὸς ἐφ᾽ ἕνα ἕκαστον αὐτῶνRead the interlinear

• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• appearedὀπτάνομαιoptanomai optomai · to appearG3700
• themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• clovenδιαμερίζωdiamerizō · to divideG1266
• tonguesγλῶσσαglōssa · tongueG1100
• asὡσείhōsei · like/as/aboutG5616
• fireπῦρpur · fireG4442
• andτεte · and/bothG5037
• satκαθίζωkathizō · to seatG2523
• uponἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
• eachἕκαστοςhekastos · eachG1538
• eachεἷςheis · oneG1520

Cross-references for Acts 2:3

• Acts 2:4And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
• Genesis 11:6And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be withheld from them, which they have imagined to do.
• Psalms 55:9Destroy, O Lord, anddivide their tongues: for I have seen violence and strife in the city.
• 1 Corinthians 12:10To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another various kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
• Revelation 14:6And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
• Isaiah 6:5Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
• Jeremiah 23:29Is not my word like a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?
• Malachi 3:2But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:
• Matthew 3:11I indeed baptize you in water to repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit, and in fire:
• Luke 24:32And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
• James 3:6And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire from hell.
• Revelation 11:3And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.
• Acts 1:15And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of the names together were about an hundred and twenty,)
• Isaiah 11:2And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
• Matthew 3:15And Jesus answering said to him, Permit it to be so now: for thus it is befitting for us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he allowed him.
• John 1:32And John bore witness, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and he abode upon him.

Commentaries on Acts 2:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Cloven tongues like as of fire - The tongues were the emblem of the languages they were to speak. The cloven tongues pointed out the diversity of those languages; and the fire seemed to intimate that the whole would be a spiritual gift, and be the means of bringing light and life to the souls who should hear them preach the everlasting Gospel in those languages. Sat upon each of them - Scintillations, coruscations, or flashes of fire, were probably at…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3And there appeared unto them - There were seen by them, or they saw. The fire was first seen by them in the room before it rested in the form of tongues on the heads of the disciples. Perhaps the fire appeared at first as scintillations or coruscations, until it became fixed on their heads. Tongues - ͂ glōssaiThe word “tongue” occurs often in the Scriptures to denote the member which is the instrument of taste and speech, and also to denote “language” or…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-4Jews observed three traditional annual festivals. Many people traveled to the temple in Jerusalem for these feasts (see Leviticus 23:1–44): The Feast of Unleavened Bread (which includes Passover) The Feast of Weeks (also called Pentecost or the Feast of Harvest) The Feast of Tabernacles On Pentecost, Jewish people gathered in Jerusalem to thank God for the harvest and his blessings. At the same time, the disciples of Jesus gathered together in prayer with…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-131-4. when the day of Pentecost was fully come--The fiftieth from the morrow after the first Passover sabbath (Le 23:15, 16). with one accord--the solemnity of the day, perhaps, unconsciously raising their expectations.Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 2:3

• Baptism
• Feasts
• Fire
• Holy Spirit
• Minister, Christian
• Miracles
• Orator
• Power
• Prophets
• Readings, Select
• Revivals
• Symbols and Similitudes
• Tongue
• Vision
• Worship

In the dictionaries

• Approve
• Confound
• Determinate
• Exhort
• Fire
• Gladness
• Messiah
• Miracle
• Notable
• Pentecost

Commentaries on Acts 2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings