The passage
      v1. The feast of Pentecost was held 50 days after the Passover. On this occasion, the disciples were most likely gathered in the Temple court. Although Pentecost was originally a "first-fruits" festival, it was later used to celebrate the giving of the Law at Sinai - the coming-down of God to make a people for himself. The giving of the Spirit to the gathered disciples fulfills this meaning of Pentecost. They were now God's new-covenant people with the law written on their heart.
      v2-3. The disciples were then overwhelmed by the Spirit of God, described in the terms of a blowing wind and a washing fire. Both these are Old Testament images of the Spirit of God, particularly of his power. cf. Ex.3:2, Matt.3:11. Luke's description of the event shows that he is not pushing the idea of an actual wind and fire, but rather symbols of the Spirit's outpouring. None-the-less, there is nothing to hinder the Spirit's coming in such physical elements.
      v4. The disciples are then "filled", or washed, with the Spirit, and in response, speak in tongues. This giving of the Spirit must be understood as a personal coming of the Spirit of Christ to be with his people. It is a fulfillment of the expectations of Israel. The Prophets had spoken of the day when God would again visit his people and reside with them. Pentecost is the fulfillment of this day, cf. Zech.2:10-13. In this sense it is the fulfillment of the promise of Jesus to his disciples that he would not leave them comfortless, but would return to them, John.14:15-18. Many want to interpret this filling in the sense of a "baptism" - an empowering of the Spirit for service. Without a doubt there is power in the presence of God. The disciples miraculously proclaim the "mighty works of God" to the amazed crowd. Yet, this is but a consequence of the gift of the Spirit. His presence empowers their service to Christ.
      v5-13. The phenomena of "tongues" is not easily explained. Even those who were witnesses were "amazed and perplexed." Here was a single word, understood by people of different language groups, in much the same sense as all those at Mount Sinai heard the law from the mouth of God. It is, in the fullest sense, a reversal of the curse of Babel. The disciples were therefore prophesying as foretold by the prophet Joel. The form of their prophecy was ecstatic - abnormal, mysterious and not easily understood. Those who heard the disciples prophesy heard in their own languages, or at least, in their own dialects. This miracle was repeated with Cornelius, Acts 11:15, and possibly also occurred on those other significant moments when the gospel moved beyond Israel to Samaritans, to God fearers, and finally to Gentiles. It does not seem to have become a standard evidence of the gift of the Spirit. The Corinthian phenomena, ICor:12-14, although a form of ecstatic utterance, was not a miraculous communication event ("other tongues").

Making Christ known through the power of the Spirit
      One of the most difficult tasks for a Christian is to witness. Our experience is that the more we tell ourselves to evangelize the more we seem unable to evangelize. The way forward is to understand clearly how God is realizing his kingdom in our age and to trust him to, not only secure our place in his kingdom, but to effectively use us in its realization. Success in the Christian life, whether evangelism or whatever, does not come by trying to minister in our own power, but rather, trust the indwelling Spirit of Jesus to work his work through us.
      From this passage in Acts we know that if we have given our lives to Jesus then he has entered our very being. As a result of this, we can expect the release of Jesus' resurrection power within us to make known the gospel, and through the gospel, gather a united people unto God. Here lies our confidence, not in what we do, but in what Christ is able to do through us. God is gathering a people to himself from our divided world. He is doing this through his Spirit-empowered word, preserved and proclaimed by his Spirit-empowered people. As our age draws to a close, God is pushing ahead with his plan. May we, like the disciples of old, be used to proclaim God's wondrous message.

v2
      afnw adv. "suddenly" - unexpectedly. Helping to emphasize the miraculous. "All of a sudden", Barclay.
      hcoV (oV) "a sound" - a noise, roar. In Luke 21:25 the noise is of a roaring sea, wind-like, vibrating, roaring.
      pnohV (h) "wind" - [a rushing violent] wind, breath.
      egeneto (ginomai) aor. "came" - there was, there came [suddenly from heaven].
      eplhrwsen (plhrow) aor. "filled" - it filled. The subject is unclear, is it "sound" or "wind"?
      ton oikon (oV) "the house" - house, room, dwelling. Given they were "sitting" and not "dwelling", the meaning here is possibly "the room." Given the general nature of the word, it is quite possible that it was somewhere in the temple precinct. "It filled the room where they were meeting", CEV.
      nsan kaqhmenoi (kaqhmai) pres. part. "they were sitting" - A periphrastic imperfect.

v3
      glwssai "tongues" - tongues, languages. Obviously not "languages", seeing it is "fire shaped like tongues."
      diamerizomenai (diamerizw) pres. pas. part. "separated" - being parted, divided. "The fire parted and distributed itself on each of the disciples."
      ekaqisen (kaqizw) aor. "came to rest" - sat. A flickering flame over the head of an important person was a common image of the time. "Danced around on the head of each disciple."
      eJna ekaston "each" - each one. The Spirit came on each one of them; they all received the gift just as all were forgiven. The Spirit is for all believers, just as forgiveness is for all believers.

v4
      panteV adj. "all of them" - all, every. All those present received the Spirit.
      eplhsqhsan (pimplhmi) aor. pas. "were filled" - were filled, fulfilled. The action is punctiliar. Clearly realizing 1:5 where the gift of the Spirit is expressed in the terms, "will be baptized."
      hrxanto (arcomai) aor. ind. mid. "began" - they began. "The disciples now did something they had not done before", Barrett.
      apofqeggesqai (apofqeggomai) inf. "to speak" - to utter out aloud. The infinitive functioning as the direct object of "enabled" (Gk. "was giving"). The word is used of forceful speech, even inspired speech, this adds weight to the idea that tongue-speaking had language content. "They began to forcefully speak."
      eJteraiV glossaiV ""other tongues" - other kinds of tongues. Note Isaiah 28:11, referred to by Paul in 1Cor.14:21. The translation "foreign languages" is possible, but some form of ecstatic prophecy, miraculously, or otherwise understood by the crowd, is more likely. See extended notes below. We are left to wonder why Luke gives us so little information about this phenomenon. "They began to forcefully prophesy ecstatically."
      edidou (didwmi) imperf. "enabled" - was giving. The imperfect tense is durative; the "enabling" in ongoing. Possibly "gave each disciple the gift of tongues one after another", but unlikely. Luke does not clearly define the relationship between what is obviously a once only act whereby the Spirit is given to a believer for life, and the seeming action of the Spirit, at a specific time and for a specific purpose, to "fill" (empower?) a believer for ministry. See extended notes below.

v5
      hsan .... katoikounteV (katoikew) pres. part. "there were staying" - there were living, dwelling, settled. Periphrastic imperfect.
      eulabeiV adj. "God-fearing" - devout, reverent, godly. The word is missing in some manuscripts.
      Ioudaioi "Jews" - Also missing in some manuscripts. Considered by same as originally a marginal notation. "Jews" in the sense of either race or religion. Possibly Jewish pilgrims from the Roman provinces visiting Jerusalem for the festival.

v6
      genomenhV (ginomai) aor. part. "when they heard" - having happened. The participle probably introduces a temporal clause, as NIV. heard the speaking, not the wind.
      sunecuqh (sugcew) aor. pas. "bewilderment" - it was confounded, astonished, perplexed. The word describes the total shock of those hearing the tongues. "They were astonished and amazed", Barclay.
      eiJV eskatoV "each one" - "Each one of them", Phillips.
      dialektw/ (oV) - "language" - At this point scholars divide. Was it different languages, different dialects, different accents? Bruce suggests "manner of speech". The word is unclear. Was this a miracle of speech, or hearing?

v7
      Galilaioi "Galileans" - What identified them as Galileans? Some have suggested dress, but this is unlikely; more probably accent, which means it carried over into their tongue speaking, again supporting a language content to their words.

v8
      kai "then" - and. Used here to introduce a question; "so how is it that we hear ....?"
      pwV "how" - Serves to add a sense of confusion in the question.
      en hJ/ egenhqhmen "native [language]" - in which we were born. "Our own native tongue", Moffatt.

v9-11
      The list of countries and races probably reflects common lists of the time which served to identify the extent of the Jewish dispersion.
      epidhmounteV Rwmaioi "visitors from Rome" - "Roman citizens", Barrett.
      Ioudaioi te kai proshlutoi "both Jews and converts to Judaism" - both Jews and proselytes. The word "Jew" is generally felt to be an early attempt to sort out a textual problem. Barrett suggests that the clause is in apposition to "Roman citizens" and was intended to mean "temporarily resident in Jerusalem."
      lalountwn (lalew) pres. part. "[we hear them] declaring" - speaking. Supporting the view that the miracle is one of speech, not hearing.
      ta megaleia tou qeou "the wonders of God" - the mighty acts of God. Again, emphasizing the language content of the tongues. The "mighty acts" are undefined, but given the context, they surely concern God's work of redemption recently completed in the death, resurrection and ascension of Christ.

v12
      dihporoun (diaporew) imperf. "perplexed" - were perplexed, bewildered.
      alloV troV allon "they asked one another" - they said to one another. An idiomatic expression.
      qelei (qelow) pres. "[what does this mean]" - [what does this] wish [to be]. "What on earth can this mean", Phillips.

a] The word
      Baptism with the Holy Spirit is one of many words and phrases used in the scriptures to describe a single occurrence, eg:
        i] The outpouring of the Spirit on God's people. Joel.
        ii] The "coming on" a person or group of the Holy Spirit. Acts.2:3
        iii] The "giving" of the "gift" of the Holy Spirit to all who believe. Acts.2:38.
      Although some Christians feel that the baptism with the Holy Spirit is a special infilling of the Spirit of God subsequent to the receiving of the Holy Spirit at conversion, it is clear from the scriptures that it is simply another term for the gift of the Spirit. In Acts 11:15-17, note the different terms used to describe the coming of the Spirit upon Cornelius and his friends.

b] The meaning
      The giving (baptizing) of the Holy Spirit entails the direct and intimate invasion of the life-giving Spirit of Jesus into the very being of a believer. The disciples had discovered Jesus as their friend and he had become for them a "spring of water welling up to eternal life." In leaving them, they would be "orphans" for a time, but Jesus promised to come again to them at a more intimate personal level. "On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you."

c] A gift to whom?
      The gift of the Holy Spirit is for all who ask. "How much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him", Luke 11:13. It is to all who repent. "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the Name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
      Luke, in the book of Acts, makes it quite clear that the baptism of the Holy Spirit (the gift of the Spirit) is for all, not just Jews, but "all people". This is dramatically presented as the gospel moves outward from Jerusalem. The Spirit comes dramatically, not just upon the disciples, but upon:
        i] Samaritans, 1:17 who "receive the Holy Spirit", "the Spirit was given" them;
        ii] Gentiles, "the Holy Spirit came on all who heard", " the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out", 10:44;
        iii] Even upon the followers of John the Baptist, 19:6, "the Holy Spirit came on them".

      There can be no doubt that the promise of being baptized with the Holy Spirit is for all mankind, for the gift was clearly seen to be given to a much wider group that just the descendants of Abraham.

2. Filled with the Holy Spirit
      The baptism of the Holy Spirit entails an available filling of the Holy Spirit for powerful ministry - in particular, proclamation. Acts 2:1-13 describes an infilling of the Spirit which is available to all who have been baptized with the Spirit.
      At the moment in time when the Spirit of Christ came on the disciples, they were filled with the Spirit and prophesied. What made the disciples special was their friendship with Jesus. He had been with them and through him they had done wonderful things. When he left them, he promised he would not leave them comfortless, he would come again to them. Pentecost was the answer to this promise. When he came again to them they found that, as before, they had unlimited power to proclaim in sign and word the wisdom of God. They experienced being filled with the Spirit, filled with Christ's power to prophesy.

      The following can be said of the infilling of the Holy Spirit:
          a] Although the term "filled with the Spirit" sometimes means the same as "the baptism/gift of the Holy Spirit", it does often take on its Old Testament meaning of the application of, or release of, the Spirit's power in ministry, particularly in proclaiming God's word.
          b] A number of Old Testament personalities were filled with the Spirit, as well as John the Baptist, Zechariah and Elizabeth. This infilling is therefore not new.
          c] As part of the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy, "I will pour out my Spirit on all people", the infilling of the Spirit is available to all followers of Jesus. For this reason Paul is able to say, "you have been given fullness in Christ", Col.2:10.
          d] Being filled with the Spirit is an ongoing occurrence in the Christian life, not a once only experience. Luke describes numerous fillings of the Spirit for the first disciples, eg. Acts 4:8, 4:31, 13:9.
          e] Paul says, "be filled with the Spirit", Eph.5:19. He prays, "that you might be filled to the measure of the fullness of God", Eph.3:19. Therefore, the filling of the Spirit is something that should be sought.
          f] The filling of the Holy Spirit expresses itself in the Christian life primarily in powerful proclamation:
            i] At Pentecost the disciples were filled and "declared the wonders of God." ii] John the Baptist was filled for his prophetic work, Luke 1:15.
            iii] "Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and in a loud voice she proclaimed", Luke 1:41-42.
            iv] "His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied", Luke 1:67.
            v] Peter before the Sanhedrin "filled with the Holy Spirit said...." Acts 4:8.
            vi] The gathered disciples "filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly" Acts 4:31.
            viii] Peter was filled and preached, Acts 9.
            ix] "Saul filled with the Holy Spirit.....said...." Acts 13:9.
          g] The scriptures promise the infilling of the Spirit. "Do not worry what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you." Matt.10:19-20.

      The release of Jesus' power within the disciples was expressed in powerful proclamation. At Pentecost they had received the Spirit and so were filled with the Spirit to speak boldly for their Lord.

3. Other Tongues
      The baptism of the Holy Spirit ensures our place within God's plans for this final closing age. The Spirit of the living God covers us and thus we are secure. Through the gift of the Spirit we are empowered to serve our God, particularly in powerfully making known his Word. We are filled to overflowing.
      Yet, where does tongue speaking fit in with all of this? In Acts 2:4 we are told "All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." What can we make of this strange occurrence?

a] It was unusual even miraculous.
      The crowd that gathered to hear the disciples heard them speaking in their "own native language" v8. The problem is, what did they actually hear? There are three possibilities, along with possible combinations of the three:
          i] Ecstatic prophecy. This form of prophecy may range from the intelligible to the unintelligible. It is fairly clear that this form of religious ecstasy had developed in Corinth and it is to this that Paul addresses himself in 1 Corinthians 12-14. Paul uses the same word to describe the Corinthian experience as Luke uses in Acts, yet he does not seem to describe exactly the same experience. In Acts, tongues are understood by different language groups, although the content is mysterious. In Corinth it doesn't seem to cross over between different language groups, but is clearly ecstatic (mysterious) and it is for this reason that Paul is critical of its use in church. In 1Cor.14:20-22 Paul actually describes it as a sign of judgment upon God's people. Using the prophecy of Isaiah 28:9-13 he points out that a people who have failed to listen to a clear word from the Lord will end up hearing meaningless sounds. "Sav lasav sav lasav, kav lakav kav lakav" is a word of judgment upon them. Jesus used parables in the same way with his own generation, Matt.13:11-17. Parables were a form of judgment upon a people who failed to respond to the clear word of the coming kingdom. So, Paul in 1 Corinthians gives instructions as to the proper exercise of the gift of tongues, and particularly with their replacement by a clear prophetic word.
          ii] Foreign languages. It is possible that the disciples spoke in foreign languages enabling the gathered Jews of the dispersion to understand in their own dialects. The Cornelius experience, we are told, was the same, but did anyone need to speak in different languages then? If the tongues at Pentecost were different languages, how would they have sounded? It would have been a cacophony of sound, a "Babel" indeed.
          iii] A miraculous word. Luke seems to describe the event as a miraculous occurrence where there was a unity in what was said and heard. There may or may not have been language content in what was said. Luke gives us no clue. What he does tell us is that the people heard as one, even though they came from different language groups. So, at Pentecost we may have a miraculous word from God, clearly heard by all, although mysterious in content.

b] The tongues were a prophetic word from God, heard and understood.
      It is clear from Acts, that on the three occasions when tongues evidenced the outpouring of the Spirit upon an ever widening humanity, it was understood by those present.
        i] "We hear them declare the wonders of God."
        ii] "We heard them speaking in tongues and praising God", Acts 10:46.
        iii] "They spoke in tongues and prophesied", Acts 19:6.
      A knowledge of the content of what was said, even though mysterious, implies an understanding of what was said.

c] Tongues occurred as the gospel moved outward to touch all mankind
      As such it evidenced the outpouring of the Spirit on all mankind. cf. the Cornelius debate in Acts 11:1-18.
        i] Jews at Pentecost.
        ii] Samaritans - although tongues are not specifically mentioned.
        iii] Gentiles - Cornelius.
        iv] The followers of John the Baptist.
      Therefore, tongues seem to be a miraculous prophetic word unifying the hearers as one people.