Acts 2:17

“‘And it will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out from my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams;”

Acts 2:17 · direct translation from the Greek
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With the Greek beneath

17

Quotation · Joel 2:28-32

Go to Joel 2:28-32

Peter quotes Joel 2:28-32. He begins with “in the last days” where the Hebrew says “after this,” and ends with “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Formula: τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ εἰρημένον διὰ τοῦ προφήτου Ἰωήλ “this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:16)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: Καὶ ἔσται ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις λέγει ὁ θεός ἐκχεῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός μου ἐπὶ πᾶσαν σάρκα καὶ προφητεύσουσιν οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν καὶ αἱ θυγατέρες ὑμῶν καὶ οἱ νεανίσκοι ὑμῶν ὁράσεις ὄψονται καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι ὑμῶν ἐνυπνίοις ἐνυπνιασθήσονται καί γε ἐπὶ τοὺς δούλους μου καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς δούλας μου ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις ἐκχεῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός μου καὶ προφητεύσουσιν καὶ δώσω τέρατα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἄνω καὶ σημεῖα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς κάτω αἷμα καὶ πῦρ καὶ ἀτμίδα καπνοῦ ὁ ἥλιος μεταστραφήσεται εἰς σκότος καὶ ἡ σελήνη εἰς αἷμα πρὶν ἢ ἐλθεῖν ἡμέραν κυρίου τὴν μεγάλην καὶ ἐπιφανῆ καὶ ἔσται πᾶς ὃς ἐὰν ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου σωθήσεται

Hebrew (Masoretic text): וְהָיָה אַחֲרֵי כֵן אֶשְׁפּוֹךְ אֶת רוּחִי עַל כָּל בָּשָׂר וְנִבְּאוּ בְּנֵיכֶם וּבְנוֹתֵיכֶם זִקְנֵיכֶם חֲלֹמוֹת יַחֲלֹמוּן בַּחוּרֵיכֶם חֶזְיֹנוֹת יִרְאוּ וְגַם עַל הָעֲבָדִים וְעַל הַשְּׁפָחוֹת בַּיָּמִים הָהֵמָּה אֶשְׁפּוֹךְ אֶת רוּחִי וְנָתַתִּי מוֹפְתִים בַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ דָּם וָאֵשׁ וְתִימֲרוֹת עָשָׁן הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ יֵהָפֵךְ לְחֹשֶׁךְ וְהַיָּרֵחַ לְדָם לִפְנֵי בּוֹא יוֹם יְהוָה הַגָּדוֹל וְהַנּוֹרָא וְהָיָה כֹּל אֲשֶׁר יִקְרָא בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה יִמָּלֵט כִּי בְּהַר צִיּוֹן וּבִירוּשָׁלִַם תִּהְיֶה פְלֵיטָה כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר יְהוָה וּבַשְּׂרִידִים אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה קֹרֵא

Septuagint (Joel 2:27-32 in the Septuagint numbering): καὶ ἐπιγνόσεσθε ὅτι ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἐγὼ εἰμι, καὶ ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἔτι πλὴν ἐμοῦ, καὶ οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθῶσιν ἔτι ὁ λαός μου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Καὶ ἔσται μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ ἐκχεῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός μου ἐπὶ πᾶσαν σάρκα, καὶ προφητεύσουσιν οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν καὶ αἱ θυγατέρες ὑμῶν, καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι ὑμῶν ἐνύπνια ἐνυπνιασθήσονται, καὶ οἱ νεαυίσκοι ὑμῶν ὁράσεις ὄψονται· καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς δούλους μου καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς δούλας ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις ἐκχεῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός μου· καὶ δώσω τέρατα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς αἷμα καὶ πῦρ καὶ ἀτμίδα καπνοῦ· ὁ ἥλιος μεταστραφήσεται εἰς σκότος καὶ ἡ σελήνη εἰς αἵμα πρὶν ἐλθεῖν ἡμέραν Κυρίου τὴν μεγάλην καὶ ἐπιφανῆ· καὶ ἔσται πᾶς ὅς ἂν ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου σωθήσεται ὅτι ἐν τῷ ὄρει Σειὼν καὶ ἐν Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἔσται ἀνασωζόμενος, καθότι εἶπεν Κύριος, καὶ εὐαγγελιζόμενοι οὓς Κύριος προσκέκληται.

The Greek of the NT matches the Septuagint word for word in 19 consecutive words: “ἐκχεῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός μου ἐπὶ πᾶσαν σάρκα καὶ προφητεύσουσιν οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν καὶ αἱ θυγατέρες ὑμῶν καὶ οἱ.”

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Acts 2:17, word by word

it will beἔσταιestai

there is

Something exists somewhere, or happens.

Where else “estai” appears
the lastἐσχάταιςeschatais

last in time

Last in time: "the last day".

Where else “eschatais” appears
daysἡμέραιςhēmerais

lifetime

The time or the years of someone's life.

Where else “hēmerais” appears
saysλέγειlegei

say

To express something in words to others.

Where else “legei” appears
Godθεόςtheos

God

The Creator and Lord of all, the one God of Israel.

Where else “theos” appears
that I will pour outἐκχεῶekcheō

pour abundantly

To give something in abundance, like the Spirit.

Where else “ekcheō” appears
Spiritπνεύματόςpneumatos

Spirit

God himself at work, giving life and dwelling in believers.

Where else “pneumatos” appears
fleshσάρκαsarka

mortal

Human beings, frail and mortal.

Where else “sarka” appears
sonsυἱοὶhuioi

son

A son.

Where else “huioi” appears
daughtersθυγατέρεςthygateres

daughter

The girl or woman born to a father and mother.

Where else “thygateres” appears
will prophesyπροφητεύσουσινprophēteusousin

prophesy

Prophesy: speak on God's behalf.

Where else “prophēteusousin” appears
young menνεανίσκοιneaniskoi

young man

Young man, youth.

Where else “neaniskoi” appears
will seeὄψονταιopsontai

see

To perceive with sight, to look and notice what is in front.

Where else “opsontai” appears
visionsὁράσειςhoraseis

vision

An image God shows someone, beyond what the eyes see.

Where else “horaseis” appears
old menπρεσβύτεροιpresbyteroi

older

A person older than others, or advanced in years.

Where else “presbyteroi” appears
will dreamἐνυπνιασθήσονταιenypniasthēsontai

dream

To see things while asleep, sometimes sent by God.

Where else “enypniasthēsontai” appears
dreamsἐνυπνίοιςenypniois

dream

Dream.

Where else “enypniois” appears

Translation note

Joel 2:28-32, following the Greek. Where Joel says “after this,” Peter says “in the last days.”

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Quotation · Joel 2:28-32

Peter quotes Joel 2:28-32. He begins with “in the last days” where the Hebrew says “after this,” and ends with “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

See them side by side

Acts 2:17

17‘And it will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out from my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams;

Joel 2:28-32

28And it will happen afterward that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.

The context

16But this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

17 · This verse (above)

18and even on my male slaves and on my female slaves in those days I will pour out from my Spirit, and they will prophesy.

Read all of Acts 2

To study Acts 2 in a group

  1. 1. What it says

    What happened on the day of Pentecost when the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, and what did the crowd hear? (vv. 4-8)

  2. 2. What it means

    Peter explains what happened using the Scriptures and Jesus. What does he want the people to understand about Jesus? (vv. 22-36)

  3. 3. How I live it

    The first believers shared teaching, meals and possessions (vv. 42-45). What could you share this week with someone close to you?

How to use it