Verse 1: “When the day of Pentecost had been fulfilled they were all together in one place.”

The day of Pentecost: The festivals, appointed times, of the L-rd are very important. Pentecost (called Shavuot in Hebrew) has to do with the number 50. Leviticus 23v15-16 tells us that there were two methods used to count these days: each day (49 days) and each week (7days x 7weeks). The day after these 49 days (i.e. the 50th day) was the day of Pentecost.

The number ‘50’ is also related to liberty or freedom (The Year of Jubilee reveals this to us). At Pentecost, the believers were recipients of the Holy Spirit. In our natural state, stained with sin, we are not free or at liberty to serve or obey God. It is only when we are  recipients of the Holy Spirit (when we accept, by faith, the gospel message of salvation and forgiveness of sin) that we become truly free and have liberty to serve God.

Note: There were 3 major Festivals where the people were expected to pilgrimage to Jerusalem – Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Weeks  or Pentecost) and Sukkot (Tabernacles, tents, or booths). This is a reason why Messiah commanded his disciples to not depart from Jerusalem (Acts 1v4 – Yeshua commanded His disciples to do the same thing that the Torah commanded).

Had been fulfilled: (All 50 days had been counted). This word has nothing to do with the day of Pentecost ‘arriving’ but rather it has to do with it being fulfilled. The Biblical commandment, for this festival, had to do with counting. Counting is so important because it comes with an expectation. When you count you expect that, at the end of the count, something (an event) is going to happen. God delights in fulfilling His Word. On Pentecost God fulfilled His promise of pouring out His Spirit (Joel 2v29).

They were all together in one place: Speaks of unity. There is a relationship between the moving of the Holy Spirit and unity among God’s people. They were in the right location, in God’s will, and it is only when we are in God’s will that the Holy Spirit’s anointing will be the most powerful.

Verse 2: “And it came about suddenly, out of the heavens, a voice as the blowing of a violent wind, the whole house was full as they were sitting,”

Suddenly: Something happened without any indication, other than instruction. Very often there are no visible signs that God is about to do something. The only visible signs are our obedience in Him and our trust in the promises received from Him.

The blowing: It is moving quickly; it is a word that has to do with providing something – the Spirit of God comes into our lives to provide what we need.

Violent: Powerful, it can accomplish a great deal.

Verse 3: “and it appeared to them as divided portions of tongues of fire, that sat upon each one of them.”

Divided portions of tongues of fire: In the same way that we think of God providing the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, so to in Judaism God provided the commandments at Mt Sinai (with fire and loud sounds – Exodus 20v18).

Tongues of fire: Literally, the Holy Spirit.

Them: They are disciples of Messiah. People who believed in Him and kept His commandments.

Verse 4: “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues just as the Spirit gave to them to declare.”

Began to speak: It was a miracle that they were speaking in other tongues.

Other tongues: This means that they were not speaking their own languages. This was something unique.

To declare: They were called to declare something specifically, they were not just uttering words.

Verse 5: “And there were in Jerusalem, dwelling there, Jews; men who were G-dly, from every nation under the heavens.”

Dwelling there, Jews: They were assembled in Jerusalem because of the festival, and in obedience to the command which commanded them to be there.

Men who were G-dly: Pious individuals who were very careful in regard to the things of God.

Verse 6: “It came about that this sound they heard, so they came together, and were bewildered as they heard, each one, in his own dialect they were speaking.”

This sound they heard: The sound drew them to where this was happening.

Bewildered: They were confused because they heard these people speaking in their own languages. They were at a loss to know what was happening and what it meant. Like at Mt Sinai, this was an event that captured the attention of the people.

They heard: The miracle here is that each (foreigner) heard his own language being spoken.

Verse 7: “All of them were amazed and they marvelled saying to one another: ‘Behold, are not all of these speaking Galileans?’”

Galileans: Yeshua’ s disciples were from Galilee, but another reason for the mention of Galilee is that Galilee has to do with revealing the fulfilment of the promise (Isaiah 9v1-2), the outcome of redemption – the giving of the Holy Spirit.

Verse 8: “We hear each one speaking in our own dialect in which we were born.”

Own dialect in which we were born: The believers were speaking in the native tongues of the foreigners.

Verse 9: “There were people from Parthia, from Medes and from Elam. And those dwelling in Mesopotamia, in Judah, also Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia.”

Verse 10: “Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt, and parts of Libya near Cyrene, and also the foreigners who dwell in Rome – who were Jews and also proselytes.”

Verse 11: “And Cretans and Arabs – each one heard them speaking, in their own language, the great things of God.”

Speaking… the great things of God: The purpose of this was for God to be magnified and for people to hear the great things of God (The ‘great things of God’ is God moving to establish His Kingdom, which is what was going to happen, with this miracle, through the Holy Spirit).

Verse 12: “And all were amazed and were also confused. Some were saying: ‘What is the meaning of this?’”

‘What is the meaning of this?’: The word used here, in Greek, has to do with wishes or desires. These foreigners had an expectation of something good, desirable, something that they wanted, something that would bring about fulfilment to them.