Acts 2:16 (LSB)

Passage

but this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

Nearby Context

Acts 2:14 But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words.

Acts 2:15 For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is the third hour of the day;

Acts 2:16 but this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

Acts 2:17 ‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says, ‘That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; 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 Even on My male slaves and female slaves, I will in those days pour out My Spirit And they shall prophesy.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "For these men are not drunk as..." into verse 17's "And it shall be in the last...", so "spoken" and "through" 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 "spoken" and "through" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.