Acts 2:3 (DBY)

Passage

And there appeared to them parted tongues, as of fire, and it sat upon each one of them.

Nearby Context

Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was now accomplishing, they were all together in one place.

Acts 2:2 And there came suddenly a sound out of heaven as of a violent impetuous blowing, and filled all the house where they were sitting.

Acts 2:3 And there appeared to them parted tongues, as of fire, and it sat upon each one of them.

Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with [the] Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave to them to speak forth.

Acts 2:5 Now there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, pious men, from every nation of those under heaven.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "appeared", "parted", "tongues", "fire", "upon", and "each". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "appeared" and "parted", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "And there came suddenly a sound out..." into verse 4's "And they were all filled with the...", so "appeared" and "parted" 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 "appeared" and "parted" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.