Acts 2:1-4:
2:1And in the fulfillment (of) the day of Pentecost they were all together on the same-place, .2and there became suddenly out-from heaven a sound wholly-as (the) carrying of a violent blowing and it filled the whole house where they were sitting-down, .3and tongues being throughly-distributed were seen by them as-though of fire and it sat-down on each one of them, .4and they were all filled of holy spirit, and they began to utter-forth with different tongues according as the spirit gave to them (the words) to precisely-speak-out.
It is specifically stated what day is being referred to: the day of Pentecost, detailed by writing that it was in the fulfillment (the filling altogether, the complete or whole fullness) of the day of Pentecost, not the day before it nor the day after it. It was the day of Pentecost – exactly ten days after the ascension of the resurrected Christ Jesus into heaven.
Pentecost was an important feast for the children of Israel. The word "Pentecost" is taken from the Greek word meaning "fiftieth" because it was celebrated on the fiftieth day from the day after the weekly sabbath during their Passover/Unleavened-bread feast. Pentecost is sometimes called the "Feast of Harvest" or the "Day of the First-fruits" or the "Feast of Weeks." [Reference: Exodus 23:16, Deuteronomy 16:9-12, Numbers 28:26-31, Leviticus 23:15-22 for further details.]
On this day of Pentecost, the twelve were doing what they had been doing ever since the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ into heaven - they were all together at the same place, the temple, for this is where they could all (the twelve and the other learning-disciples including the women) be together praying at the appropriate hours of temple-prayer. That day there would have been a lot of people present in the Jerusalem temple because of it being the day of Pentecost, and according to the Law of Moses all the Judean/Israeli adult-males were obligated to attend this feast.
Suddenly (without any warning), there became (came to pass) out from heaven a sound wholly-as the sound of blowing moving forward vehemently (the motion of a blast of wind, a strong breathing, as Acts 17:25). The root of “blowing” also gives us the words “wind” and “breath” and “spirit.” The sound of blowing filled the whole house (the house of God which is the temple) where they were sitting-down praying.
And at the same time, tongues being throughly distributed (fully divided, completely parted, divided up, divided into parts with the different parts being imparted, apportioned among them) were seen by them as-though of fire. These tongues were presented to their eyes to be known by them as if they were fire, and each-distributed-part sat down-on each one of them. The word translated "as-though" is an adverb describing the verb translated "were seen" – they saw the tongues as though they consisted of fire. Fire symbolizes or indicates God's presence and His acceptance and purification of what was happening. It is interesting to note that when Jesus received God's spirit following his water baptism by John, the spirit was seen as if it were a dove (refer to Matthew 3:11-17).
There was to be no mistaking what the twelve heard and what they saw – the time had definitely arrived!
And they were all caused to be filled of (filled up with) holy spirit. This holy (sanctified) spirit is the spirit that God had promised by means of the Lord Jesus Christ! They already had soul/breath life within their physical bodies which made them living beings in the flesh category, but now they had just received holy spirit life which made them living in the spirit category. This is what they were waiting for as Christ Jesus had instructed them just before his ascension into heaven.
What did the twelve do once they were filled of holy spirit? Did they fall down on the floor wriggling, or screaming, or crying, or were they controlled or forced to become unsightly or completely insane? No, no, no!
Let us read what God's Word says:
Verse 4:
.4and they were all filled of holy spirit, and they began to utter-forth with different tongues according as the spirit gave to them (the words) to precisely-speak-out.
The Greek word translated "utter-forth" means: to utter sound, voice, speak words - it is used independently of any reason why the words are uttered or what is uttered.
The apostles began to utter-forth with different tongues (different languages other-than their own known languages) according as the spirit, which they had just received, was giving them the words to speak-out. They had seen tongues as-though of fire and so they knew to speak. They spoke what their spirit was continuing to give them to speak. The holy spirit gave to them the clear utterance of words to speak aloud, and the apostles knew to speak with their own physical tongue and mouth and throat in order to express in the physical realm what the spirit within each one of them wanted them to speak.
Let us recap: the apostles were in the temple behaving decently and orderly. Then they heard the sound from heaven wholly-as the carrying of a violent blowing (a strong breathing). Then they saw the tongues being throughly-distributed as-though of fire and it sat on each one of them while they were being filled with holy spirit. Then they began to utter-forth with different tongues according as the holy spirit within them gave to them the words to precisely speak-forth. They did not understand the words they were saying but they knew that they were speaking supernaturally because the spirit within each one of them was what was giving them the words to speak, not their fleshy, intellectual minds. This was supernatural!
The apostles continued to behave decently and orderly. They were NOT shouting antagonistically at one-another, nor were they falling down on the floor in an ugly manner! The spirit did NOT force them to do anything – it was the apostles who chose to speak the words that the spirit gave to them to speak in a decent and orderly manner.
[Reference: Genesis 2:7; Luke 24:49; John 7:38 and 39, 16:7-16, 20:21 and 22; Acts 1:4-8 and14, 17:25, 26:25; I Corinthians 12:7-13; II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:21. For more information regarding the manifestation of the spirit, you may read chapters 12 to 14 of my study on I Corinthians. Speaking with tongues is evidence of God’s continuing to fulfill His promise originally made in Genesis 3:15 - you may read my study of Appendix to Romans to get a greater understand of Genesis 3:15 and this promise.]
Verses 5-13:
.5But there were Judeans dwelling-down into Jerusalem, devout adult-males from every nation of the (nations) under heaven, .6and this sound having come-to-pass, the multitude came-together and was confused because they heard them uttering-forth, each one with (his) own dialect, .7and they were bewildered and they marveled saying, "Look!, aren't all these-people uttering-forth Galileans, .8and how do we hear, each of us with (his) own dialect in which we were born? - .9Parthians and Medes and Elamites and the (people) dwelling-down (in) Mesopotamia, both Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, .10both Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya throughout Cyrene, and the residing Romans, .11both Judeans and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians - we hear them uttering-forth with our tongues the great-things of God." .12And they all were bewildered and wholly-despaired another towards another saying, "What does this intend to be?", .13but different-people, throughly-jeering, said that, "They are having been filled2 of sweet (wine)."
Because it was the day of Pentecost which was one of the three major feasts for the Israeli/Judean people at that time, there were many from other areas gathered-together in Jerusalem to pray in that temple on that day. So when the twelve were speaking with tongues, the people heard them speaking words in their particular dialects and they did not understand what was happening. They were bewildered (awestruck, standing out of their normal senses caused by this inexplicable occurrence to their mind's thoughts and comprehension) and they marveled (were astonished, they looked-on with wonder and amazement) at this occurrence.
The Judeans were definitely certain that they knew that they could hear these Galilean men speaking, not in the Galilean's dialect but in the people's own different distinctive language dialects. They understood the words being spoken by the Galileans – the great-things of God. The twelve were expressing the greatnesses, magnitudes, the magnificent things pertaining to God. Peter spoke a language, Philip spoke another language, Matthew spoke another language, etc. Those listening could hear the apostles speaking the great things of God (refer to also Acts 10:44-46).
Again God’s Word records that the people hearing the twelve speaking with tongues were bewildered, and now it adds that they wholly-despaired (they were throughly or thoroughly perplexed, entirely without resource as to what to do regarding this occurrence) asking one another questions such as, "What is the intent of such a thing, what is the meaning of this?"
But other people were thoroughly jeering at the apostles (they were scoffing and making a complete joke of the apostles' speaking via the holy spirit) saying that they were full of new wine and 'high' in their celebration of the feast.
Verses 14-21:
.14But Peter, having been caused-to-stand together with the eleven, lifted-up his sound and he precisely-spoke-out to them, "Adult-males, Judeans, and all the (people) dwelling-down (in) Jerusalem, this must be known to you and you must receive my spoken-matters in-your-ears, .15for these-people are not drunk as you take-from-underneath (into your minds) for it is (the) third hour of the day, .16but this is the-thing having been said2 by means of the Prophet Joel: .17'And there will be in the last days God says, I will pour-out from My Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your young-men will see sights, and your elders will dream dreams, .18and indeed on My male-slaves and on My female-slaves in those days I will pour-out from My Spirit and they will prophesy, .19and I will give wonders in heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and vapor of smoke, .20the sun will be turned into darkness and the moon (will be turned) into blood before (the) coming (of) the great and shining-light day of (the) Lord, .21and it will be (that) all who ever may call-upon the name of (the) Lord to-himself will be saved.'
Peter, having heard the questions and accusations of the people, was caused to stand up as the spokesman for himself and the other eleven apostles because of his holy spirit-life working-within him giving him the boldness to do so. He was not afraid of the Judean religious-people as he had previously been. He lifted his voice high and began with clear utterance of words to speak aloud as his holy spirit directed him. Peter was again receiving information from his holy spirit-life as to what was going on and what to do about it and what to speak. This time he did not speak with tongues but he spoke in a language known to himself and known by most, if not all, of those listening to him.
He addressed the questioners and accusers as "adult-males, Judeans" plus he also addressed all the people of the Judean/Israeli background who were at that time residing in Jerusalem to be there for the feast of Pentecost.
"Adult-males, Judeans, and all the people dwelling-down in Jerusalem, this must be something that is personally known by you and you must listen with your ears to my spoken-matters (the portions of the whole Word of God that I am speaking to you, which in themselves contain the specific discourse needed for this situation).
In truth, it is not as emphatically you take up from below into your minds that these eleven and myself are drunk (affected by having drunk the sweet mulled wine made for the feast) for it is the third hour of the day (9:00 a.m. in the morning which is a time for prayer in the temple).
But contrary to being drunk, this (what is happening) is the-thing that was spoken (mindfully told) by means of the Prophet Joel: 'And there will be in the last days (the final or extreme days, the more remote, uttermost span of time) God says,…
This truth foretold by God by means of the Prophet Joel was at that time and still is today in the process of being fulfilled. Peter references what was written from the Book of Joel 2:28-32 which also includes references to events which are still future to us today because the great and shining-light day of the Lord that Joel is referring to has not come yet (refer to Matthew chapter 24 and II Thessalonians 2:8b).
Peter finishes up his reference to what Joel prophesied with: it will be that all who ever may call upon to himself (whatever person would invite by turning appealingly towards) the name of the Lord will be saved (referring to that still-future time, and also true today, see Romans 10:8-17). The resurrected Christ Jesus now has the name of "Lord Jesus Christ."
Verses 22-24:
.22Adult-males, Israelites, you must hear these words - Jesus the Nazarene, an adult-male having been pointed-out2 from God into you with abilities and wonders and signs which God did by means of him in your midst according as you yourselves knew2, .23this-person - given by the deliberate-determination and foreknowledge of God having been marked-out-definitely2 - you eliminated by means of (the) hand of lawless-people having affixed (him), .24whom God resurrected having loosened the pangs of death as-because it was not possible (for) him to be strongly-held by it,
Peter continues by reminding these people that they were grown-men, and this time calls them "adult-males, Israelites" and thus includes every one of them no matter what part of Israel they may have originally come from. They were to listen to the words he was speaking. Jesus was brought up in Nazareth and called "the Nazarene" even though he was born in Bethlehem.
Peter continues: Adult-males, Israelites, you must hear these words - Jesus the Nazarene, an adult-male having been pointed-out and continuing pointed-out from God (demonstrated, exhibited, indicated as pointing-out with God's finger and so made public by God) into, directed to you with abilities (able-powers, capabilities) and wonders and signs which God did by means of him in your midst (the things which God performed through him during his ministry among you) according as you yourselves knew and continue to know (perceive), this-person…
…you eliminated by means of the hand of lawless-people having affixed him (you put him out of your way by killing him, and you used the authority and power of those people who do not abide-by nor do they want to abide-by God's law, in this context referring to Roman Gentiles, and they fastened this man to the wooden-stake on which he died)…
The devil's death-power (Hebrews 2:14) was not powerful enough against God's resurrection-power and so God was able to raise Jesus Christ up from among the rest of the dead-people!
[Reference: Acts 10:39 and 42, 13:28, 17:26; Romans 1:4.]
Verses 25-28:
.25for David says into him, 'I saw-for-myself-beforehand the Lord before me continually because He is out-from my right-sides in order that I may not be shaken, .26because-of-this my heart was made glad-minded and my tongue exulted, and yet also my flesh will lodge on hope .27because You will not leave my soul down into gravedom nor will You give Your holy-one to see through-corruption, .28You have made known to me ways of life, You will fill me of glad-mindedness with Your face.'
Peter now references what King David said, as recorded in the Book of Psalms 16:8-10 (also see Isaiah chapter 11).
“In truth, David says into (regarding) him, 'I was foreseeing to myself the Lord/Master (I was perceiving with my eyes and understanding the object-of-sight in my mind's thoughts, constantly mindful of the Lord, here referring to God) in my sight and presence continually (through all occasions, all the time) because He is out-from my right-sides (at all of my right-hand side, my place of honor and power, God is the One Who accomplishes what is needed for/to me) for the purpose and result that I would not be shaken (not be caused to rock in a waving motion, agitated to move to-and-fro)....' “
The phrases "out-from the right-sides“ and "with/by/at/in/to the right" are sometimes used literally, as being at the right-hand side or the right hand of someone or something; but it can also be used metaphorically referring to a place or position of authority, power, honor, blessing, grace, approval, and excellence; being an extension of the power, etc, of the one whose side he/she is at. Additionally, it is also used as the agency whereby someone is placed into such a position.
“For David says into him, 'I saw-for-myself-beforehand the Lord before me continually because He is from my right-sides in order that I may not be shaken, on account of this my heart was made glad-minded (the center/core of my being was caused to have a cheerful-mind, well-thoughts) and my tongue exulted (my tongue that I use for speaking was elated, as leaping a lot, springing, dancing), and yet also my flesh will lodge (dwell down, as pitching a tent) resting or based on hope because You will not leave my soul (the life of my fleshy body, the life evidenced by breathing) down into gravedom nor will You give Your holy-one to see through-corruption (to perceive or know utter decay), You have made personally known to me ways of life (the manners/methods of action, of proceeding pertaining-to life), You will fill me of glad-mindedness with Your face.' “
David kept God and His promise of the hope of the coming of the Messiah, the savior, the redeemer, in his mind during his living of everyday life, and he knew that God would not leave His holy-one remain dead. This word translated "holy-one" means: the one who practices holiness which is pure Godliness free from all crime, who is in the state of constantly observing all God says, who practices every duty and function and thereby fulfills every obligation which God has given to be believed and carried-out.
God would not leave His holy-one down within gravedom (the state of death) whereby he would corrupt. David knew that God would resurrect the holy-one (the Messiah, the Christ) from among the dead-people, and thus David also would be raised from the dead at a future time to be in the company of the Christ. God had revealed to David and made personally known to him the ways of life which God had planned in Christ Jesus, and that God will fill David with glad, good, well, cheerful thoughts in his mind by being in God's very presence, face-to-face at a future time. This will come to pass when David will be raised from death and given his spiritual body with its holy spirit-life.
[Reference: Acts 13:34 and 35; Hebrews 7:26.]
Verses 29-32:
.29Adult-males, brothers, (it is) permitting to speak with boldness towards you concerning the patriarch David that he both completed (his life) and he was buried, and his memorial is among us continuously-until this day, .30therefore being-from-the-beginning a prophet and having known2 that God swore with an oath to him (that) out-from (the) fruit of his loin (there will be someone) to sit-down on his throne, .31having seen-beforehand he uttered-forth concerning the resurrection of the Christ that 'neither was he left-down into gravedom nor his flesh saw through-corruption' - .32this Jesus God resurrected of whom we all are witnesses,
Peter repeats that he is addressing the adult-males calling them "brothers" to emphasize that they were all of the same background - the Judean/Israeli-people who claimed to love God and to believe and obey what He says. The reason Peter could be so bold now was because he was being energized by God working-within the holy spirit-life within him.
“Adult-males, brothers, I am permitted to speak with boldness (in freedom, frankness of speaking openly) towards you concerning the patriarch David (the beginning, starting, chief father, forefather) that he both completed his life (he ended, he is dead) and he was buried, and his memorial is among us continuously until this day (it is still there today). Therefore being a prophet from the start (when God gave him holy spirit) and having known and continuing knowing that God swore with an oath to him (an oath was used to prove something as being undeniable, like a fence that fences in what is spoken, a confinement, restraint or enclosure of a promise or declaration regarding what God said He will do truly for/to David) – that out-from the fruit of his loin (a descendant) there will be someone to sit-down on his throne – having seen this beforehand (by the revelation that God gave to him) he spoke about the resurrection of the Christ (the Anointed-one, the Messiah) that 'neither was he left-down into gravedom (he was not left behind down in the state of death) nor his flesh saw through-corruption (his flesh did not utterly decay)' – this is the Jesus that God resurrected (caused to stand up out from the state of death) of whom emphatically we all (all twelve of us) are witnesses…”.
Peter and the other eleven apostles with him were witnesses – they had information, knowledge regarding the Lord Jesus Christ and they could therefore give information concerning him, they could bring to light and confirm details about him, they supported the statements of the Lord Jesus Christ.
David used to be the king over God’s people during that time-period sitting on the throne which God gave to him, and the Lord Jesus Christ is the one who was promised by God to sit on David's throne being God's appointed king over all of God's people.
[Reference: I Samuel 16:1-13, II Samuel chapter 7; Psalm 132:11; Acts 1:8 and 22, 2:4, 7:8 and 9; Hebrews 7:4.]
Verses 32-36:
.32this Jesus God resurrected of whom we all are witnesses, .33therefore having been heightened to the right-side of God and having received the promise of the spirit, the holy (spirit), from the Father, he poured-out this which you observe and hear, .34for David has not ascended into the heavens, but he says, "(The) Lord said to my Lord, 'You must sit-down out-from My right-sides .35until ever I may put your enemies (the) footstool of your feet' "; .36therefore all (the) house of Israel must know safely that God made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."
“This is the Jesus whom God resurrected of whom emphatically we all are witnesses. Therefore after he had been heightened to God’s right-side (exalted, lifted high, elevated to God’s right-hand side, His place of honor, authority, power, blessing, grace, approval, and excellence) and having received (so as to use what is given to him) the promise of the spirit, emphatically and specifically the holy spirit, from the Father, the resurrected Jesus poured-out (shed forth) this which emphatically you presently observe and hear….” This is how God did part of what God had foretold to the Prophet Joel and the Prophet David.
All of those present in the temple saw and heard the twelve uttering-forth with tongues. The twelve had spoken by way of the holy spirit-life which was now within them because they had been baptized in holy spirit! This is what God had promised and this is what the Lord Jesus Christ had promised and told them to wait for in Jerusalem not many days from the day of his ascension into heaven. They did not have to beg for it, they did not have to work for it, they did not have to die for it, they did not have to pay for it - no! All they had to do that initial time was to wait until God by means of the Lord Jesus Christ made it available – that day was the day of Pentecost. Ever since that time nobody has to wait for it because it was made available on that day of Pentecost.
Again, Peter refers to David, explaining: "In truth, David has not ascended into the heavens (he is still dead, he is still among the dead-people), but emphatically he says (David has previously prophesied and it was written down also that), "The Lord (referring to God Himself) said to my Lord (referring to the Anointed-one, the Messiah, the Christ), 'You must sit-down out-from My right-sides (at My right-hand side with all the power, etc, that that position allows you to have) until ever I may put (place, set) your enemies (up to the time when I God would place, set those who oppose and exhibit enmity and hostility against you) in the position of being the footstool of your feet (underneath your feet in complete submission, subjection to you).' "
Therefore all the house of Israel (every house of Israel, emphasizing all of Israel together as one-unit) must personally know safely (for a surety and so this knowledge cannot be tripped-up or thrown-down) that God made this Jesus whom emphatically you crucified (you adult-males, brothers, Judeans, Israelites crucified by staking him to a wooden-stake) both Lord (Master) and Christ (the Anointed-one, the Messiah)."
This Jesus is now the Lord of God's people and he is now the Christ to God's people. There is no other Lord and Christ from God's viewpoint.
[Reference: Psalm 8:6, and 110:1; Matthew 22:44; I Corinthians 15:23-28; Ephesians 1:22; Hebrews 2:8, and 10:12 and 13.]
1) The word "Lord" refers to a master or an owner, one who has the authority or authoritative-power, the one from whom the directions and instructions are given and who is to be obeyed, the one who has the dominion over and exercises his lordship in relation to that-which his title of "Lord" is being associated.
2) The word "Jesus" is explained in Matthew 1:21 by the Angel Gabriel when he spoke to Joseph.
Matthew 1:21:
.21She [Mary] will bring-forth a son and you [Joseph] will call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."
The word "Jesus" means "God saves / Jehovah (Yahweh) the Savior," and the Lord Jesus Christ was given that name "Jesus" because he is the one who carried-out God's will to make it available for people to be saved, to be made-safe. It is by means of Jesus, the Christ, that people are able to be saved and thus have a true and vital spiritual relationship with the only true God.
3) The word "Christ" means the "anointed-one" or "Messiah." In the lands and during the time-period of the writing of the Bible, holy oil was poured on the high priest of God to begin his ministry for God. It was also used to anoint kings. Many people and things were anointed with holy oil to signify their making holy or sanctified for a specific purpose, etc, which can be read about in many scriptures in the Bible (refer to Exodus 30:22-33; Acts 4:27, and 10:38).
Returning to Acts chapter 2, let us continue with verse 37:
Acts 2:37-41:
.37And having heard they were pierced-down (in) the heart and they said towards Peter and the remaining apostles, "What may we do, adult-males, brothers?" .38And Peter (said) towards them, "You must repent and each of you must be baptized on the name of Jesus Christ into (the) dismissal of your sins and you will receive the free-gift of the holy spirit, .39for the promise is to you and to your children and to all the (people) into distant-places as-many-as ever (the) Lord our God may call-towards-Himself," .40and with more different words he throughly-witnessed and he encouraged them saying, "You must be saved away-from this generation of crookedness," .41therefore the (people) indeed having accepted his word were baptized, and as-though three-thousand souls were added in that day;
When the people heard what Peter was telling them, they were pierced-down (pricked-through) in their heart, meaning that they had great pain in the center of their being. They spoke towards Peter and the rest of the apostles asking what they should do in this situation, addressing them likewise as adult-males and brothers.
Peter replied in response to their asking for help:
"You must repent (change your minds to what I am telling you)…
…each one of you must be baptized (immersed, surrounded) resting-upon or based-on the name of Jesus Christ (which includes all the authority and power which that name involves and stands for now because he is the resurrected 'Lord') into, with a view to and resulting in the dismissal (discharge, the leaving or letting-go from concern, the setting-free, acquittal) of your sins and you will receive the free-gift of the holy spirit (you will take to yourselves the present which is given to you from God by means of the Lord Jesus Christ which is holy spirit-life)."
The word translated "free-gift" emphasizes the fact that the gift is freely given, even though the actual gift is a valuable quality item. The verb translated "receive" is an objective reception of what is given to a person, not only to accept it but to evidence it, to manifest what is received, to use it. In this context it includes speaking with tongues as the apostles did when they received the gift of holy spirit recorded in verses 1-4 above.
Sins are aberrations from God’s Word, missing the mark of what God says. The consequences of sins would justly result in punishment. However, Peter was giving those people the opportunity to receive remission of their sins because it was made available to all by the Lord Jesus Christ who paid the price, the punishment in full. Those who would be baptized on the name of Jesus Christ into the dismissal of their sins would receive the free-gift of holy spirit (refer to also Romans 10:8-10), just as Peter and the other eleven had received earlier that morning.
Peter continues:
"…for the promise (the proclamation, declaration of God’s intention of baptism in holy spirit) is to:
…as many people as ever the Lord Who is the God of us would invite to Himself."
Peter is making sure that the people know that God has issued His Word regarding salvation and now it is up to people everywhere to believe it or not. All who believe what the only true God says receive holy spirit as a free gift - meaning that they did not pay for it, they did not work for it, it is not a wage - why? Because the Lord Jesus Christ paid for it, he worked for it, he earned it on our behalf!
And with many other different words Peter throughly-witnessed. A 'witness' is someone who has information or knowledge of that-which he is attesting to, and can therefore confirm it on the strength of his own authority. Here the word is "throughly-witnessed" – Peter bore complete witness, fully affirmed, testified thoroughly making known the information and knowledge that he had to the people.
Peter throughly witnessed regarding God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the free-gift of holy spirit. And he was encouraging (exhorting) them saying that they must be saved away from this generation of crookedness. The word “generation” means: race, descent or kind of living-beings. The word “crookedness” means: in the state of being bent, as though being bent-sideways from dryness, lacking liquid. The generation of crookedness is refusing the water and nourishment from God, rejecting His Word and the promised gift of holy spirit, and therefore it is not straight-forward but is bent away from living towards the only true God and the Lord Jesus Christ and all the things of God.
This is the record of Peter using the keys to the kingdom of God unlocking the door to allow admission, access for these people to also become sons of God by receiving holy spirit (refer to Matthew 16:19).
Following-on logically from what Peter told them, the people who indeed accepted his word (who fully welcomed, subjectively received, willingly took what was presented to them which was what he said, which ultimately were God's words) were baptized. They were baptized just as Peter said - baptized on the name of Jesus Christ into or resulting-in the dismissal of their sins and they received the free-gift of the holy spirit. This is baptism in holy spirit – the promise of the Father which the resurrected Christ Jesus had spoken about in Luke 24:46-49 and Acts 1:4-8. This was not a physical water baptism - all of these people were in Jerusalem to attend the feast of Pentecost and so they had already washed themselves according to the Levitical washings and many of them may have previously been washed with John's baptism - they didn't need anymore physical water!
And about three-thousand souls were added, by the Lord, among those having received holy spirit-life within them during that day of Pentecost. Now all these people had become three-part-beings: they all still had a physical body, they all still had soul/breath-life evidenced by the fact that they were still breathing, and they all had received holy spirit-life which was the life they had been missing before their reception of it.
[Reference: Matthew 26:28; Luke 24:46-49; Acts 1:4-8, 5:31, 8:25, 10:42-45, 11:17, 13:38, 20:24, 23:11, 26:18, 28:23; Romans 10:8-10; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14.]
Verses 42-47:
.42and they were being strong-with the teaching of the apostles and the sharing-in-common, the breaking of bread and the prayers, .43and fear came-to-pass on every soul, and many wonders and signs came-to-pass by means of the apostles, .44and all the (people) believing were on the same-objective, and they had all-things-together common, .45and they sold (their) acquisitions and (their) beginning-things, and they throughly-distributed them to all-people according-that ever someone had a need, .46and daily being strong like-mindedly in the temple and breaking bread according to a house they received nourishment in exultation and smoothness of heart, .47speaking-in-praise-of God and having grace towards the whole people; and the Lord added the (people) being saved daily on the same-objective.
The "as-though three-thousand souls,” who were added on the day of Pentecost to the twelve, were being strong (attending-constantly, persevering or occupying themselves) with:
Fear came-to-pass on every soul. Every holy-person became this way. They had fright, being afraid at the consequences of the performance of any wrong behavior, and so they manifested the awe and respect that is rightfully due and ought to be shown towards the Lord Jesus Christ and towards God his Father.
A lot of both supernatural occurrences and designated signals of authentication came to pass (became) through the apostles.
And because they were daily (every day and throughout each day) persevering like-mindedly (passionately of the same mind regarding what they were doing) within the temple in Jerusalem and breaking bread (eating a meal as verse 42; refer to also I Corinthians 10:15-17 and 11:17-34) together in their homes – they were receiving nourishment (taking, participating of what is given to them which was sustenance from food) in company and association with one-another in exultation (as though dancing, springing, leaping) and in smoothness of heart (being level and not as though it were stony-ground where a person would have to watch-out where he was walking or stepping in case he might hurt himself or be hurt by someone else).
Both in the temple and in their-own homes they were praising God and having grace (‘grace’ refers to freely bestowing things without any merit on the recipient's part; this could also be translated ‘thanks’ which is the expression of gratitude for what one has gracefully received from another) towards every one of themselves. Nobody was excluded from being graceful and thankful towards one-another.
And continuing on in response to the people behaving in this manner, the Lord added the people being saved daily on the same-objective. Who added? The Lord Jesus Christ was adding (putting, placing towards others) the people who were being saved (who were believing God's Word and thus receiving the promised holy spirit) daily for the same purpose.
[Reference: Acts 4:32, 5:14, 11:24; II Timothy 2:6. Note: verbs with a superscript 2 (2) immediately following them indicate the "perfect" tense - details are provided in the "Relevant Notes" link of this study.]