Acts 2:16 (WEB)

Passage

But this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel:

Nearby Context

Acts 2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spoke out to them, “You men of Judea, and all you who dwell at Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to my words.

Acts 2:15 For these aren’t drunken, as you suppose, seeing it is only the third hour of the day.

Acts 2:16 But this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel:

Acts 2:17 ‘It will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams.

Acts 2:18 Yes, and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days, I will pour out my Spirit, and they will prophesy.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "For these aren t drunken as you..." into verse 17's "It will be in the last days...", so "been" and "spoken" 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 "been" and "spoken" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.