Acts 2:28
in Acts 2You have made known to me the paths of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence.’
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Thou madest known unto me the ways of life; Thou shalt make me full of gladness with thy countenance.
KJV
Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
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This verse in Acts 2
Commentary
12 notes on this verse"The path of life," that is, that path which the souls of the righteous traversed together with the Redeemer, coming out from the nethermost places. In the words "You will fill me with joy before Your face," by "face" one should understand the manifestation of …
This site's exposition
David says about Him
on Acts 2:25-28
In Psalm 16:8 to 11 David says to God, You will not abandon my soul to Hades. Hades translates the Hebrew sheol, the place of the dead, which the King James renders hell.
This site's exposition
the paths of life
John Wesley and John Gill read the paths of life as the Father raising Him from the dead. Wesley places the joy of God's presence at His ascent to the right hand. Theophylact adds that the righteous dead walked this path with Him.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
He overcame the opposition of the world because he moved not an inch from contemplation of the Father. There He has laid aside the hardships of this world; and His humanity is filled with the glorification of His whole majesty and rules united to the …
The Medieval Church2 voices
You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy with your face. These words are rightly understood not only of the Lord, who did not need any other guide to overcome the kingdom of death, but, once receiving …
For You have made known to me the paths of life, by which we proceed to eternity. In these, after the sorrow of passion, You will fill me with joy with Your face (Psalm XV). And ascending to heaven, You will give the delights of …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Thou hast made known to me the ways of life - That is, Thou hast raised me from the dead. Thou wilt fill me with joy by thy countenance - When I ascend to thy right hand.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:80%@v24-29
Thou hast made known to me the ways of life,.... That is, thou hast raised me from the dead.
4 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
Thou hast made known to me the ways of life - That is, the way from the region of death, or state of the dead and separate spirits; so that I shall resume the same body, and live the same kind of life, as I had before I gave up my life for the sin of the world.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Thou hast made known to me the ways of life--that is, resurrection-life. thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance--that is, in glory; as is plain from the whole connection and the actual words of the Psalm.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
a man approved of God--rather, "authenticated," "proved," or "demonstrated to be from God." by miracles . . . which God did by him--This is not a low view of our Lord's miracles, as has been alleged, nor inconsistent with Joh 2:11, but is in strict accordance with His progress from humiliation to glory, and with His own words in Joh 5:19.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Thou hast made known ... - The Hebrew is, “Thou wilt make known to me,” etc. In relation to the Messiah, it means, Thou wilt restore me to life. The ways of life - This properly means the path to life; as we say, the road to preferment or honor; the path to happiness; the highway to ruin, etc. See Pro 7:26-27. It means, thou wilt make known to me life itself, that is, thou wilt restore me to life. The expressions in the Psalm are capable of this interpretation without doing any violence to the text; and if the preceding verses refer to the death and burial of the Messiah, then the natural and proper meaning of this is, that he would be restored to life again. Thou shalt make me full of joy - This expresses the feelings of the Messiah in view of the favor that would thus be showed him; the resurrection from the dead, and the elevation to the right hand of God. It was this which is represented as sustaining him the prospect of the joy that was before him, in heaven, Heb 12:2; Eph 1:20-22. With thy countenance - Literally, “with thy face,” that is, in thy presence. The words “countenance” and “presence” mean the same thing, and denote “favor,” or the “honor and happiness” provided by being admitted to the presence of God. The prospect of the honor that would be bestowed on the Messiah was what sustained him. And this proves that the person contemplated in the Psalm expected to be raised from the dead, and exalted to the presence of God. That expectation is now fulfilled, and the Messiah is now filled with joy in his exaltation to the throne of the universe. […]
The words behind it
11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἐγνώρισάς | egnorisas | You have made known | G1107 → | |
| μοι | moi | to me | G3165 → | 1936 times |
| ὁδοὺς | hodous | [the] paths | G3598 → | 101 times |
| ζωῆς, | zoes | of life, | G2222 → | 135 times |
| πληρώσεις | pleroseis | You will fill | G4137 → | 86 times |
| με | me | me | G3165 → | 1936 times |
| εὐφροσύνης | euphrosunes | with joy | G2167 → | |
| μετὰ | meta | in | G3326 → | 461 times |
| τοῦ | tou | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| προσώπου | prosopou | presence | G4383 → | 75 times |
| σου.¶ | sou | of You.’ | G4771 → | 2973 times |
ἐγνώρισάςYou have made known
egnorisasG1107 →
μοιto me
moiG3165 →1936 times
ὁδοὺς[the] paths
hodousG3598 →101 times
ζωῆς,of life,
zoesG2222 →135 times
πληρώσειςYou will fill
pleroseisG4137 →86 times
μεme
meG3165 →1936 times
εὐφροσύνηςwith joy
euphrosunesG2167 →
μετὰin
metaG3326 →461 times
τοῦthe
touG3588 →19766 times
προσώπουpresence
prosopouG4383 →75 times
σου.¶of You.’
souG4771 →2973 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 42:5Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him for the salvation of His presence.
it leads to
- Psalms 37:7
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men prosper in their ways, when they carry out wicked schemes.
- Hebrews 10:36–37
You need to persevere, so that after you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.
- Psalms 37:7
Through
Psalms 16:11You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.
it leads to
- Jude 1:24
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished in His glorious presence, with great joy—
- Psalms 36:7–8
How precious is Your loving devotion, O God, that the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings!
- Revelation 7:15–17
For this reason, they are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple; and the One seated on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them.
- Ephesians 3:19
of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
- Jude 1:24
Through
Psalms 25:4Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths.
it leads to
- Psalms 86:11
Teach me Your way, O LORD, that I may walk in Your truth. Give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name.
- Psalms 143:8
Let me hear Your loving devotion in the morning, for I have put my trust in You. Teach me the way I should walk, for to You I lift up my soul.
- Psalms 86:11
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies54
On this chapter
- Afterlife Vocabulary
- Baptism in the Holy Spirit (the Acts Evidence)
- The Twelve
- Bread
- David
- David, a Type of Christ
Show the next 6 titles
- Dreams in Scripture and in Egypt
- The Fall Feasts
- The Hebrew Feasts
- Fire
- Father, Forgive Them
- God and the Nations, from Abraham to the New Jerusalem
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- Head Coverings
- The Words Tiqvah and Elpis
- How Prophecy Works
- Infant Baptism and Believers' Baptism
- Jesus on the Holy Spirit
- Joel, the Study Guide
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Show the next 6 titles
Show the next 6 titles
About Acts
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Retractions on Acts; Bede, Commentary on Acts; Cassiodorus, Commentary (church-history corpus); J. A. Alexander, The Acts of the Apostles Explained; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Acts.