Acts 2:16 (ASV)

Passage

but this is that which hath been spoken through the prophet Joel:

Nearby Context

Acts 2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spake forth unto them, [saying], Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and give ear unto my words.

Acts 2:15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose; seeing it is [but] the third hour of the day.

Acts 2:16 but this is that which hath been spoken through the prophet Joel:

Acts 2:17 And it shall be in the last days, saith God, I will pour forth of my Spirit upon all flesh: And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, And your young men shall see visions, And your old men shall dream dreams:

Acts 2:18 Yea and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days Will I pour forth of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hath", "been", "spoken", "through", "prophet", and "joel". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hath" and "been", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "For these are not drunken as ye..." into verse 17's "And it shall be in the last...", so "hath" and "been" belong inside that flow. In Acts context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "hath" and "been" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.