Acts 2:19
in Acts 2I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And I will show wonders in the heaven above, And signs on the earth beneath; Blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke:
KJV
And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
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This verse in Acts 2
Commentary
14 notes on this verseNow, "The sun shall be turned into darkness," and the preceding, "blood and fire and vapor of smoke," these refer to the coming judgment. More appropriately and specifically they speak of Jerusalem and its then captivity, as is shown by the nature of those suffering. …
This site's exposition
wonders in the heavens above
on Acts 2:19-21
The quotation ends on the widest promise in the prophets, that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Paul cites it at Romans 10:13.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
The worst to come first; namely, the inhabitants to be taken, and then the city to be razed and burnt. Then he dwelt upon the metaphor, bringing before the eyes of the hearers the overthrow and the taking. "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood." What means, the moon turned into blood? It denotes the excess of the slaughter. The language is fraught with helpless dismay.
"Blood and fire, and vapor of smoke." Observe how he describes the capture. "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood." This results from the internal affection of the sufferers. It is said, indeed, that many such phenomena actually did occur in the sky, as Josephus attests. At the same time the Apostle strikes fear into them, by reminding them of the darkness which had lately occurred, and leading them to expect things to come.
Then he goes on with the prophecy, which has in it also something terrible. "And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath." In these words he speaks both of the judgment to come, and of the taking of Jerusalem.
The Medieval Church2 voices
Blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke. About fire and smoke it has been said in the previous book: he speaks of blood not only of the Lord's wounds, but also of the Lord's sweat, when, praying before the betrayal, His sweat became like drops …
With these words the prophet clearly foretells in advance both the future judgment, and the destruction of Jerusalem, and the captivity of the Jews, and the events that were to take place at the cross of Christ, and finally, what happened to the Jews as …
7 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church1 voice
Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The blood of the Lord's side, the fire of the Holy Spirit, the vapor of compunction and weeping. For as from fire comes smoke, so from the ardor of the Holy Spirit proceeds compunction. For it remains to …
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
And I will show wonders in heaven above,.... The word above is not in Joel, nor in the Syriac version here, as neither the word "beneath", in the next clause.
It refers to the last days, the times of the gospel, which are called the last days because the dispensation of God's kingdom among men, which the gospel sets up, is the last dispensation of divine grace, and we are to look for no other than the continuation of this to the end of time.
The blood points at the wars of the Jews with the neighbouring nations, with the Samaritans, Syrians, and Greeks, in which abundance of blood was shed, as there was also in their civil wars, and the struggles of the seditious (as they called them), which were very bloody; there was no peace to him that went out nor to him that came in.
And I will show prodigies in heaven above, and signs on earth beneath - Great Revelations of grace are usually attended with great judgments on those who reject it.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
I will show wonders - Literally, “I will give signs” - δώσω τέρατα dōsō terata. The word in the Hebrew, מופתים mowpatiym, means properly “prodigies; wonderful occurrences; miracles performed by God or his messengers,” Exo 4:21; Exo 7:3, Exo 7:9; Exo 11:9; Deu 4:34, etc. It is the common word to denote a miracle in the Old Testament. Here it means, however, a portentous appearance, a prodigy, a remarkable occurrence. It is commonly joined in the New Testament with the word “signs” - “signs and wonders,” Mat 24:24; Mar 13:22; Joh 4:
I will show wonders - It is likely that both the prophet and the apostle refer to the calamities that fell upon the Jews at the destruction of Jerusalem, and the fearful signs and portents that preceded those calamities. See the notes on Mat 24:5-7 (note), where these are distinctly related. Blood, fire, and vapour of smoke - Skirmishes and assassinations over the land, and wasting the country with fire and sword.
The words behind it
19 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| δώσω | doso | I will show | G1325 → | 412 times |
| τέρατα | terata | wonders | G5059 → | 16 times |
| ἐν | en | in | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| τῷ | to | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| οὐρανῷ | ourano | heaven | G3772 → | 272 times |
| ἄνω | ano | above | G507 → | |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| σημεῖα | semeia | signs | G4592 → | 75 times |
| ἐπὶ | epi | on | G1909 → | 883 times |
| τῆς | tes | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| γῆς | ges | earth | G1093 → | 248 times |
| κάτω, | kato | below, | G2736 → | |
| αἷμα | haima | blood | G129 → | 97 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| πῦρ | pur | fire | G4442 → | 70 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἀτμίδα | atmida | vapor | G822 → | |
| καπνοῦ. | kapnou | of smoke. | G2586 → |
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
δώσωI will show
dosoG1325 →412 times
τέραταwonders
terataG5059 →16 times
ἐνin
enG1722 →2738 times
τῷ<the>
toG3588 →19766 times
οὐρανῷheaven
ouranoG3772 →272 times
ἄνωabove
anoG507 →
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
σημεῖαsigns
semeiaG4592 →75 times
ἐπὶon
epiG1909 →883 times
τῆςthe
tesG3588 →19766 times
γῆςearth
gesG1093 →248 times
κάτω,below,
katoG2736 →
αἷμαblood
haimaG129 →97 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
πῦρfire
purG4442 →70 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἀτμίδαvapor
atmidaG822 →
καπνοῦ.of smoke.
kapnouG2586 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies34
On this chapter
- Afterlife Vocabulary
- Baptism in the Holy Spirit (the Acts Evidence)
- The Twelve
- Bread
- David, a Type of Christ
- The Fall Feasts
Show the next 6 titles
Show the next 6 titles
About Acts
This page draws on 12 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Acts of the Apostles; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Retractions on Acts; Bede, Commentary on Acts; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homily on Acts 5; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Oecumenius, Commentary on Acts and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Acts.