MY SHORT REPORT JOHN 19 – ACTS 15
The link that brought you to this page and the page title are a bit of a misnomer, because this short report is not long enough to cover so many chapters of the Bible. What the link and the title do, however, is track where we are in our plan to read through the entire Bible in 1 year. May each report pique your interest and help you to draw near to God. The Bible, James 4:8, tells us if we do so God will draw near to us. Works cited are at the end of the report. Unless otherwise indicated Scripture is from the English Standard Version. Internal links are to Biblegateway and show Scripture, ESV and NKJV, in Parallel. Although not indicated some internal links may show additional verses so you can see the passage in context.
BIBLE READING—WEEK 46—JOHN 21 – ACTS 15: Last week’s report looked at the Gospel of John, especially his opening statement and compared it to the opening statement in Genesis. I then noted that John was focusing our attention on Jesus as the Creator in Genesis, the Word or Logos of God by which everything was spoken into existence, and He is the Light of the World that represents the Father’s order and goodness and calls all to salvation through faith in Him. This week’s Short Report looks at the work of God’s Spirit at Pentecost. Along the path we’ll be using many of the titles the Bible gives to the Spirit of Truth. Also, because some misapply the use of tongues at Pentecost, I’ll also address that.
The book of Acts is also called the Acts of the Apostles, but may more appropriately be called The Growth of the Church, or The Works of the Holy Spirit because the Spirit of the Living God (2 Corinthians 3:3) is poured out and works in and through the Community of Believers. God spoke of this through the prophets Isaiah (32:15), Ezekiel (39:29), Joel (2:28), and John the Baptist (Luke 3:16). And during the Ascension, as is recorded in the first chapter of Acts, Jesus said, "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 end of the earth” (v. 8). This power came on them at Pentecost.
Pentecost simply means 50 and looks forward 50 days on the Jewish calendar from the Passover to the Feast of Weeks. The Feast of Weeks is also known as the Feast of the Harvest of the First Fruits, because the Hebrews were instructed to wait 7 weeks from the time they started to harvest their grain to hold a feast to sacrifice and celebrate before the Lord for the blessings they received by a bountiful harvest (Deuteronomy 16:9-10; Exodus 23:16).
The day of Pentecost is detailed in the second chapter of Acts, although the “main event” only receives 4 verses: the faithful of Christ, identified as Galileans in verse 7, were gathered together when a the sound of a strong wind filled the place they were sitting and split-off into what looked like small flames so that a tongue of fire settled on each person, who began to speak a foreign, human language as directed by the Spirit (vv. 1-4).
It was a supernatural occurrence that happened lightning-fast in an enclosed area, called a “house” in the ESV and NKJV. Henry H. Halley, in his handbook, suggest it was the Upper Room mentioned in Acts 1:13 and 15, which held 120 people (p. 560). Richard D, Balge, in the People’s Bible Commentary, also calls attention to the Upper Room in connection with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The event may have gone unnoticed by the outside world if not for the noise of a strong wind. No doubt the Breath of the Almighty (Job 33:4) blew through the city of Jerusalem in such a way as to cause quite a disturbance with people dropping whatever they were doing to rush outside and see the phenomenon they could only nonetheless hear.
Other than by the direction of the Good Spirit (Psalm 143:10), we don’t know why the faithful in Christ hurried from the house. But the two groups, those empowered by the Spirit of God to speak in foreign languages and these curious to understand the loud blast of wind that startled them met with a strange affect as those not present at the outpouring of the Spirit were either “amazed and perplexed” (v. 12), or thought the Galileans were drunk on “new wine” (v. 13). It would seem that those who were amazed and perplexed were open to the possibilities Peter would soon teach about, while the devil was busy planting thorns among those that mocked the work of the Spirit of Life (Romans 8:2).
In connection with the first four verses, in Acts 1:5-6 we are told, “5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.”
Balge makes several good observations about verses 1-6; first, he tells his readers, “Every pious Jew tried to be in Jerusalem for this feast. Those who could not come to Jerusalem observed it in the synagogues throughout the Roman Empire” (p. 22). Next he addresses what is meant by “tongues” when he says, “This was not babbling or incoherent speech; it was perfectly understandable to those who knew the languages” (p. 23). He also mentions that “every nation under heaven” is not limited to the nations listed in verses 9-11, which are only representative of the known world (p. 24). Finally, to correct those that place the miracle in the ear of the hearer rather than the tongue of the speaker, he reiterates an earlier point when he says, “The apostle’s speech was not babbling, which the hearers then interpreted. It was a coherent and intelligible speaking of foreign languages” (25).
While I agree with Balge, I take issue with the lack of effort he uses in his argument about tongues. For one he does not provide a single Bible verse in support of his position. Although he makes this point twice which clearly shows he is aware of the other side of this question about tongues and its importance, he only makes short statements of “fact” as though they provide the necessary clarification and ends the discussion. Even in a basic Bible commentary this teaching needs more information to fully bring out the true meaning in these passages of Scripture and remove any doubt that may remain after reading Balge’s overly short explanation.
My observations on this may go a little long—I’m trying to leave no stone unturned—but I would hope a professional Bible scholar and author could easily sum up these views and place them in even a basic commentary. People from every nation under heaven makes for a lot of native languages, most would be strange to a person from Galilee, but the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding (Isaiah 11:2) can speak every language under heaven and make them known to the Galileans. It is important to note that we are talking about the languages of men, and this should not be confused with speaking in tongues. Paul makes this clear when he says, “For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 14:2). Just the opposite is occurring here; men from Galilee, empowered by the Spirit, are speaking in a language foreign to them but native and understandable to the foreigner that traveled to Jerusalem for the Feast of Weeks or any other matter, such as a business trip.
According to the Olive Tree ESV Concordance, in the original language there is one word, which occurs 50 times in the New Testament, used to designate the tongue—the organ—and the tongues use in “language or dialect used by a particular people distinct from that of other nations,” that word is glōssa (γλῶσσα). 41 times, from Mark 7:33 to 1 Peter 3:10 glōssa is translated tongue or tongues. Only in 1 John 3:8 is glōssa translated talk. Glōssa happens in Revelation 8 times and is either translated language or languages (Olive Tree Bible App).
Before I continue, no, I’m not a Bible salesman. I’m comparing and contrasting the following Bibles because the human translators nuance certain words according to their translation goal. And we, the readers, also nuance them to suit our whims. We must not pick and choose words to fit our ideas, but let the Spirit of Truth guide us, sometimes that means looking around in different translations and commentaries. With the exception of the NIV-2011, I find no real problems with these translations and own and use most of them.
Part of the misunderstanding in this area may come by the way a particular version is translated. The English Standard Version (ESV) and the New King James Version (NKJV), for instance, both translate glōssa as “tongues” in Acts 2:4. Both are related to the KJV, which also uses “tongues.” The NKJV’s connection is obvious; the ESV’s connection is found, so I believe, in their attempt to be the standard version of all English versions. In their own words they say (ESV.org): "The English Standard Version (ESV) stands in the classic mainstream of English Bible translations over the past half-millennium. The fountainhead of that stream was William Tyndale’s New Testament of 1526; marking its course were the King James Version of 1611 (KJV), the English Revised Version of 1885 (RV), the American Standard Version of 1901 (ASV), and the Revised Standard Version of 1952 and 1971 (RSV)."
In contrast stand several worthy competitors; I’d say two of them stand in the conservative mainstream. They are the Lexham English Bible (LEB) and the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB), both translate glōssa as “languages” in Acts 2:4. To those I add the Amplified Bible (AMP) and the Classic Amplified Bible (AMPC), both place “tongues” and “languages” within the Bible text. I also add the Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) and the Names of God Bible (NOG), though less mainstream they also translate glōssa has “languages” in Acts 2:4. The Revised Standard version (RSV) with its roots to the KJV uses “tongues,” while its updated counterpart the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) uses “language.” So no one feels left out I’ll tell you that the New International Version (NIV), 1984 and 2011, both use “tongues” and both have “or languages” in the footnotes.
Looking at Acts 2:4 in these Bibles does not completely settle the question, but it suggests a pattern: modern translations with roots deep in the KJV tradition use “tongues;” the farther away a translation is from the KJV, with its archaic language, the more likely a translation is to incorporate both “tongues” and “languages” or drop the use of “tongues” altogether. The reason seems clear, the more literal translation of glōssa in verse 4 conveys a mixed message, and some readers will corrupt the message entirely.
Comparing and contrasting the work of the Spirit of God (Genesis 1:2) at Pentecost with Paul’s teaching on the correct use of speaking in tongues in 1 Corinthians 12-14 (especially chapter 14) Richard N. Longenecker, in the NIV Bible Commentary says, “the words spoken at Pentecost under the Spirit’s direction were immediately recognized by those that heard them as being languages then current, while at Corinth no one could understand what was being said until someone present received a gift of interpretation. And the above-mentioned verb [translated enabled or gave utterance] appears in context that stress clarity of speech and understanding. … Therefore, the tongues in 2:4 are best understood as ‘languages’” (p. 388).
In concluding, this week’s report concentrated on the work of Holly Spirit at Pentecost, within the text of this paper I use several of the titles the Bible gives to the Spirit of Truth. Also, because of the limits of human understanding and language much time was spent discrediting the use of tongues at Pentecost.
The book of Acts is also called the Acts of the Apostles, but may more appropriately be called The Growth of the Church, or The Works of the Holy Spirit because the Spirit of the Living God (2 Corinthians 3:3) is poured out and works in and through the Community of Believers. God spoke of this through the prophets Isaiah (32:15), Ezekiel (39:29), Joel (2:28), and John the Baptist (Luke 3:16). And during the Ascension, as is recorded in the first chapter of Acts, Jesus said, "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 end of the earth” (v. 8). This power came on them at Pentecost.
Pentecost simply means 50 and looks forward 50 days on the Jewish calendar from the Passover to the Feast of Weeks. The Feast of Weeks is also known as the Feast of the Harvest of the First Fruits, because the Hebrews were instructed to wait 7 weeks from the time they started to harvest their grain to hold a feast to sacrifice and celebrate before the Lord for the blessings they received by a bountiful harvest (Deuteronomy 16:9-10; Exodus 23:16).
The day of Pentecost is detailed in the second chapter of Acts, although the “main event” only receives 4 verses: the faithful of Christ, identified as Galileans in verse 7, were gathered together when a the sound of a strong wind filled the place they were sitting and split-off into what looked like small flames so that a tongue of fire settled on each person, who began to speak a foreign, human language as directed by the Spirit (vv. 1-4).
It was a supernatural occurrence that happened lightning-fast in an enclosed area, called a “house” in the ESV and NKJV. Henry H. Halley, in his handbook, suggest it was the Upper Room mentioned in Acts 1:13 and 15, which held 120 people (p. 560). Richard D, Balge, in the People’s Bible Commentary, also calls attention to the Upper Room in connection with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The event may have gone unnoticed by the outside world if not for the noise of a strong wind. No doubt the Breath of the Almighty (Job 33:4) blew through the city of Jerusalem in such a way as to cause quite a disturbance with people dropping whatever they were doing to rush outside and see the phenomenon they could only nonetheless hear.
Other than by the direction of the Good Spirit (Psalm 143:10), we don’t know why the faithful in Christ hurried from the house. But the two groups, those empowered by the Spirit of God to speak in foreign languages and these curious to understand the loud blast of wind that startled them met with a strange affect as those not present at the outpouring of the Spirit were either “amazed and perplexed” (v. 12), or thought the Galileans were drunk on “new wine” (v. 13). It would seem that those who were amazed and perplexed were open to the possibilities Peter would soon teach about, while the devil was busy planting thorns among those that mocked the work of the Spirit of Life (Romans 8:2).
In connection with the first four verses, in Acts 1:5-6 we are told, “5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.”
Balge makes several good observations about verses 1-6; first, he tells his readers, “Every pious Jew tried to be in Jerusalem for this feast. Those who could not come to Jerusalem observed it in the synagogues throughout the Roman Empire” (p. 22). Next he addresses what is meant by “tongues” when he says, “This was not babbling or incoherent speech; it was perfectly understandable to those who knew the languages” (p. 23). He also mentions that “every nation under heaven” is not limited to the nations listed in verses 9-11, which are only representative of the known world (p. 24). Finally, to correct those that place the miracle in the ear of the hearer rather than the tongue of the speaker, he reiterates an earlier point when he says, “The apostle’s speech was not babbling, which the hearers then interpreted. It was a coherent and intelligible speaking of foreign languages” (25).
While I agree with Balge, I take issue with the lack of effort he uses in his argument about tongues. For one he does not provide a single Bible verse in support of his position. Although he makes this point twice which clearly shows he is aware of the other side of this question about tongues and its importance, he only makes short statements of “fact” as though they provide the necessary clarification and ends the discussion. Even in a basic Bible commentary this teaching needs more information to fully bring out the true meaning in these passages of Scripture and remove any doubt that may remain after reading Balge’s overly short explanation.
My observations on this may go a little long—I’m trying to leave no stone unturned—but I would hope a professional Bible scholar and author could easily sum up these views and place them in even a basic commentary. People from every nation under heaven makes for a lot of native languages, most would be strange to a person from Galilee, but the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding (Isaiah 11:2) can speak every language under heaven and make them known to the Galileans. It is important to note that we are talking about the languages of men, and this should not be confused with speaking in tongues. Paul makes this clear when he says, “For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 14:2). Just the opposite is occurring here; men from Galilee, empowered by the Spirit, are speaking in a language foreign to them but native and understandable to the foreigner that traveled to Jerusalem for the Feast of Weeks or any other matter, such as a business trip.
According to the Olive Tree ESV Concordance, in the original language there is one word, which occurs 50 times in the New Testament, used to designate the tongue—the organ—and the tongues use in “language or dialect used by a particular people distinct from that of other nations,” that word is glōssa (γλῶσσα). 41 times, from Mark 7:33 to 1 Peter 3:10 glōssa is translated tongue or tongues. Only in 1 John 3:8 is glōssa translated talk. Glōssa happens in Revelation 8 times and is either translated language or languages (Olive Tree Bible App).
Before I continue, no, I’m not a Bible salesman. I’m comparing and contrasting the following Bibles because the human translators nuance certain words according to their translation goal. And we, the readers, also nuance them to suit our whims. We must not pick and choose words to fit our ideas, but let the Spirit of Truth guide us, sometimes that means looking around in different translations and commentaries. With the exception of the NIV-2011, I find no real problems with these translations and own and use most of them.
Part of the misunderstanding in this area may come by the way a particular version is translated. The English Standard Version (ESV) and the New King James Version (NKJV), for instance, both translate glōssa as “tongues” in Acts 2:4. Both are related to the KJV, which also uses “tongues.” The NKJV’s connection is obvious; the ESV’s connection is found, so I believe, in their attempt to be the standard version of all English versions. In their own words they say (ESV.org): "The English Standard Version (ESV) stands in the classic mainstream of English Bible translations over the past half-millennium. The fountainhead of that stream was William Tyndale’s New Testament of 1526; marking its course were the King James Version of 1611 (KJV), the English Revised Version of 1885 (RV), the American Standard Version of 1901 (ASV), and the Revised Standard Version of 1952 and 1971 (RSV)."
In contrast stand several worthy competitors; I’d say two of them stand in the conservative mainstream. They are the Lexham English Bible (LEB) and the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB), both translate glōssa as “languages” in Acts 2:4. To those I add the Amplified Bible (AMP) and the Classic Amplified Bible (AMPC), both place “tongues” and “languages” within the Bible text. I also add the Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) and the Names of God Bible (NOG), though less mainstream they also translate glōssa has “languages” in Acts 2:4. The Revised Standard version (RSV) with its roots to the KJV uses “tongues,” while its updated counterpart the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) uses “language.” So no one feels left out I’ll tell you that the New International Version (NIV), 1984 and 2011, both use “tongues” and both have “or languages” in the footnotes.
Looking at Acts 2:4 in these Bibles does not completely settle the question, but it suggests a pattern: modern translations with roots deep in the KJV tradition use “tongues;” the farther away a translation is from the KJV, with its archaic language, the more likely a translation is to incorporate both “tongues” and “languages” or drop the use of “tongues” altogether. The reason seems clear, the more literal translation of glōssa in verse 4 conveys a mixed message, and some readers will corrupt the message entirely.
Comparing and contrasting the work of the Spirit of God (Genesis 1:2) at Pentecost with Paul’s teaching on the correct use of speaking in tongues in 1 Corinthians 12-14 (especially chapter 14) Richard N. Longenecker, in the NIV Bible Commentary says, “the words spoken at Pentecost under the Spirit’s direction were immediately recognized by those that heard them as being languages then current, while at Corinth no one could understand what was being said until someone present received a gift of interpretation. And the above-mentioned verb [translated enabled or gave utterance] appears in context that stress clarity of speech and understanding. … Therefore, the tongues in 2:4 are best understood as ‘languages’” (p. 388).
In concluding, this week’s report concentrated on the work of Holly Spirit at Pentecost, within the text of this paper I use several of the titles the Bible gives to the Spirit of Truth. Also, because of the limits of human understanding and language much time was spent discrediting the use of tongues at Pentecost.