Acts 2:33

33 "Therefore having been exalted 1to the right hand of God, and 2having received from the Father 3the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has 4poured forth this which you both see and hear.

Acts 2:33 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 2:33

Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted
After his resurrection he ascended to heaven, and was exalted in human nature; "to the right hand of God", as the Ethiopic version; and the Arabic version used by De Dieu read; an honour that never was conferred on any creature, angels or men, besides: or he was exalted and raised to the high honour and dignity of a Prince and Saviour, of Lord, Head, and King, so as to have a name, dominion, and authority over all, by the mighty power of God, which is sometimes called his right hand; see ( Psalms 118:15 Psalms 118:16 ) .

and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost;
which the Father had promised to pour forth in the last days, ( Isaiah 44:3 ) ( Joel 2:28 ) and which Christ had promised to send from the Father, ( John 14:16 John 14:26 ) ( 15:26 ) ( 16:7 ) and which, upon his ascension and exaltation, he received as Mediator from him; see ( Psalms 68:18 ) compared with ( Ephesians 4:8 )

he hath shed forth this;
this Holy Spirit, or promised Spirit, these gifts of his; and so the Syriac version renders it, "he hath shed forth this gift"; which expresses both the plenty and abundance of the gifts bestowed, and the liberality of Christ in the donation of them: it is added,

which ye now see and hear;
meaning the cloven tongues, as of fire, which they saw sitting on the disciples, and the various languages which they heard them speak. The Alexandrian copy, the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions, leave out the word "now": and the Syriac, in the room of it, reads, "behold".

Acts 2:33 In-Context

31 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that HE WAS NEITHER ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh SUFFER DECAY.
32 "This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.
33 "Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.
34 "For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: 'THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD , "SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,
35 UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET."'

Cross References 4

  • 1. Mark 16:19; Acts 5:31
  • 2. Acts 1:4
  • 3. John 7:39; Galatians 3:14
  • 4. Acts 2:17; Acts 10:45

Footnotes 1

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, California.  All rights reserved.