Acts 2:4 (DRB)

Passage

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost: and they began to speak with divers tongues, according as the Holy Ghost gave them to speak.

Nearby Context

Acts 2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming: and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

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

Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost: and they began to speak with divers tongues, according as the Holy Ghost gave them to speak.

Acts 2:5 Now there were dwelling at Jerusalem, Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.

Acts 2:6 And when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded in mind, because that every man heard them speak in his own tongue.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "filled", "holy", "ghost", "began", "speak", "divers", and "tongues". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "filled" and "holy", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "And there appeared to them parted tongues..." into verse 5's "Now there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews...", so "filled" and "holy" 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 "filled" and "holy" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.