They saw tonguesThe phrase "they saw" indicates a visible, supernatural event witnessed by those present. This aligns with the biblical theme of God revealing Himself through signs and wonders. The "tongues" symbolize communication and the spreading of the Gospel, reflecting the reversal of the confusion of languages at the Tower of Babel (
Genesis 11:1-9). This event marks the beginning of the Church's mission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations.
like flames of fire
Fire in the Bible often represents God's presence, purity, and judgment. InExodus 3:2, God appears to Moses in a burning bush, and inExodus 19:18, Mount Sinai is covered with smoke because the Lord descends on it in fire. The "flames of fire" here signify the Holy Spirit's purifying and empowering presence, preparing the disciples for their mission. This imagery also connects to the prophecy inJoel 2:28-29, where God promises to pour out His Spirit on all people.
that separated
The separation of the flames indicates the individual empowerment of each believer. This signifies that the Holy Spirit's presence and gifts are not limited to a select few but are available to all who believe. This democratization of the Spirit's power fulfills the promise of the New Covenant, where God writes His law on the hearts of His people (Jeremiah 31:33).
and came to rest on each of them
The resting of the flames on each person signifies the personal and abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. This fulfills Jesus' promise inJohn 14:16-17 that the Spirit would dwell with and in the believers. The individual indwelling of the Holy Spirit marks the believers as God's temple (1 Corinthians 6:19) and empowers them for witness and service, as seen throughout the Acts of the Apostles.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
The DisciplesThe primary recipients of the Holy Spirit's outpouring, gathered in one place as instructed by Jesus.
2.
JerusalemThe city where the event of Pentecost took place, a significant location for Jewish festivals and early Christian gatherings.
3.
PentecostA Jewish feast occurring fifty days after Passover, marking the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church.
4.
Holy SpiritThe third person of the Trinity, whose presence is manifested through the tongues of fire.
5.
Upper RoomThe likely location where the disciples were gathered, symbolizing a place of prayer and waiting.
Teaching Points
The Symbolism of FireFire represents God's presence, purity, and power. Just as fire refines and purifies, the Holy Spirit works in believers to sanctify and empower them for service.
Unity and Diversity in the SpiritThe tongues of fire rested on each disciple individually, yet they were all together in one place. This illustrates the unity and diversity within the body of Christ, where each member is uniquely gifted by the Spirit.
The Fulfillment of ProphecyThe event of Pentecost fulfills Old Testament prophecies about the outpouring of the Spirit, demonstrating God's faithfulness to His promises.
Empowerment for WitnessThe Holy Spirit empowers believers to be witnesses for Christ. Just as the disciples were transformed from fearful followers to bold proclaimers, we too are called to share the Gospel with courage.
The Importance of Waiting on GodThe disciples were instructed to wait for the Holy Spirit. This teaches us the importance of patience and reliance on God's timing and provision in our spiritual journey.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Acts 2:3?
2.How does Acts 2:3 demonstrate the Holy Spirit's power in believers' lives today?
3.What significance do "tongues like flames of fire" have in biblical symbolism?
4.How can we prepare our hearts to receive the Holy Spirit's presence like Acts 2:3?
5.How does Acts 2:3 connect with Old Testament instances of God's fiery presence?
6.In what ways can we apply the Holy Spirit's transformative power in daily life?
7.What does "tongues as of fire" symbolize in Acts 2:3?
8.How does Acts 2:3 relate to the Holy Spirit's role in the early Church?
9.Why were "tongues as of fire" necessary for the apostles in Acts 2:3?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Acts 2?
11.How can “tongues of fire” (Acts 2:3) be scientifically or physically explained?
12.What are cloven tongues of fire?
13.What does being on fire for God mean?
14.What is Pentecost Sunday?What Does Acts 2:3 Mean
They saw tongues• The disciples literally witnessed this manifestation; it was not imagined or symbolic but a real, observable event (cf.1 John 1:1;Luke 24:39).
• God often allows His people to see tangible signs when launching a new phase of His redemptive work—think of the pillar of cloud and fire inExodus 13:21.
• The visual element underscores that Pentecost was a public, verifiable act of God, not a hidden spiritual experience (Acts 2:6 shows the crowd’s reaction).
Like flames of fire• Fire in Scripture signals God’s holy presence and purifying power—Exodus 3:2,Deuteronomy 4:24,Matthew 3:11,Hebrews 12:29.
• Flames give light; likewise, the Spirit illuminates hearts (John 16:13).
• Fire also refines metal; the Spirit refines believers’ character (Malachi 3:2-3;1 Peter 1:7).
That separated• The single source of fire dividing into many flames pictures one Spirit distributing varied gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4-11).
• Similar pattern inNumbers 11:25, where the Spirit resting on Moses is shared with seventy elders.
• Separation shows God’s desire to reach every individual, not merely a select leader or group (Acts 10:44-45).
And came to rest• “Rest” implies permanence, echoingIsaiah 11:2 andJohn 1:32 where the Spirit remained on Jesus.
• No fleeting visitation—this indwelling endures (Ephesians 1:13-14).
• Their immediate filling (Acts 2:4) proves the Spirit’s settled residence, empowering obedience (Ezekiel 36:27).
On each of them• Fulfillment ofJoel 2:28: “I will pour out My Spirit on all people.”
• No distinctions—men and women, Galileans and proselytes alike received (Galatians 3:28).
• Affirms personal salvation and gifting: every believer, not just apostles, is Spirit-indwelt (1 Corinthians 12:13;Acts 2:39).
summaryActs 2:3 records a literal, sensory sign marking the Spirit’s arrival. Visible, dividing tongues of fire signaled God’s holy presence, His refining power, and His intent to indwell every believer permanently and personally. The single flame becoming many tells us one Spirit equips a diverse body, and the resting on each disciple confirms an enduring, individual relationship with the living God.
(3) Lastly, the Feast of Pentecost had--traditionally, at least--also a commemorative character. On that day--so it was computed by the later Rabbis, though the Book of Exodus (
Exodus 19:1) seems to leave the matter in some uncertainty--the Israelites had encamped round Sinai, and there had been thunders and darkness and voices, and the great Laws had been proclaimed. It was, that is, an epoch-making day in the religious history of Israel. It was fit that it should be chosen for another great epoch-making day, which, seeming at first to be meant for Israel only, was intended ultimately for mankind.
Was fully come.--Literally,was being accomplished. The word seems chosen to express the fact that the meeting of the disciples was either on the vigil of the Feast-day, or in the early dawn. Assuming the Passover to have occurred on the night of the Last Supper, the Day of Pentecost would fall on the first day of the week, beginning, of course, at the sunset of the Sabbath. So the Churches of East and West have commemorated the day as on the eighth Sunday after Easter. In the Latin nations the name of Pentecost remains scarcely altered. ThePfingst of the Germans shows it still surviving in a very contracted form. Some eminent scholars have thought that ourWhitsun-day represents it after a still more altered form, and that this is a more probable etymology of the word than those which connect it with thewhite garments worn on that day by newly-baptised converts, or with the gift of "wit, or wisdom."
With one accord in one place.--Probably in the same large upper room as inActs 1:13. We may reasonably think of the same persons as being present. The hour, we may infer fromActs 2:15, was early in the morning, and probably followed on a night of prayer. It is said, indeed, that devout Jews used to solemnise the vigil of Pentecost by a special thanksgiving to God for giving His Law to Israel; and this may well have been the occasion that brought the disciples together (Sch”ttgen,Hor. Hebr. inActs 2:1). It was, in the mystic language of the Rabbis, the night on which the Law, as the Bride, was espoused to Israel, as the Bridegroom. The frequent occurrence of the Greek word for "with one accord" (Acts 1:14;Acts 2:46;Acts 4:24;Acts 5:12) is significant as showing the impression made on the writer by the exceptional unity of the new society. Outside the Acts it is found only inRomans 15:16. . . .
Verse 3.- Tongues parting asunder for
cloven tongues, A.V.;
each one for
each, A.V.
There appeared. They had
heard the sound, now they see the tongues of fire, and then they
feel the Spirit working in them (see ver. 34).
Tongues parting asunder. The idea of the
cloven tongue, i.e. a tongue parted into two, which is thought to have been the origin of the miter, is not suggested either by the Greek or by the circumstances, and is clearly a mistaken one.
Διαμεριζόμεναι means
distributing themselves or
being distributed. From the central apparition, or rather place of sound, they saw issuing forth many several tongues, looking like small flames of fire, and one such tongue sat upon each one of the brethren or disciples present.
Each one. That Chrysostom is right ('Hom.'4.) in interpreting the each one of this verse of the hundred and twenty, and not of the twelve, and the
ell in ver. 4 of all present besides the apostles, may be demonstrated. For not only must the
all of ver. 1 refer to the same company as was described in the preceding chapter (vers. 15-26), but it is quite clear in ver. 15 of this chapter that Peter and the eleven (ver. 14), standing up separate from the body of the disciples, say of them, "These are not drunken, as ye suppose;" which is a demonstration that those of whom they thus spoke had been speaking with tongues (see also
Acts 10:44). St. Augustine, too, says that the hundred and twenty all received the Holy Spirit. To the same effect Meyer, Wordsworth, Alford (who adds, "Not the hundred and twenty only, but all the believers in Christ then congregated at Jerusalem;" so also Lange). Farrar well remarks, "It was the consecration of a whole Church to be all of them a chosen generation, a royal priest- hood, a holy nation, a peculiar people" ('Life of St. Paul,'
Acts 5.). Lange says, "Not only the apostles, but all the disciples, were filled with the Holy Ghost. There is a universal priesthood of all believers, and the Holy Ghost is the anointing which consecrates and qualifies for this priesthood" ('On the Acts,' Clark's edit., p. 67).
Parallel Commentaries ...
Greek
Theyαὐτοῖς(autois)Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 846:He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.sawὤφθησαν(ōphthēsan)Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 3708:Properly, to stare at, i.e. to discern clearly; by extension, to attend to; by Hebraism, to experience; passively, to appear.tonguesγλῶσσαι(glōssai)Noun - Nominative Feminine Plural
Strong's 1100:The tongue; by implication, a language.likeὡσεὶ(hōsei)Adverb
Strong's 5616:As if, as it were, like; with numbers: about. From hos and ei; as if.flames of a fireπυρός(pyros)Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular
Strong's 4442:Fire; the heat of the sun, lightning; fig: strife, trials; the eternal fire. A primary word; 'fire'.that separatedδιαμεριζόμεναι(diamerizomenai)Verb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Feminine Plural
Strong's 1266:To divide up into parts, break up; I distribute. From dia and merizo; to partition thoroughly.andκαὶ(kai)Conjunction
Strong's 2532:And, even, also, namely.came to restἐκάθισεν(ekathisen)Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2523:Another form for kathezomai; to seat down, i.e. Set; intransitively, to sit; figuratively, to settle.onἐφ’(eph’)Preposition
Strong's 1909:On, to, against, on the basis of, at.eachἕκαστον(hekaston)Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 1538:Each (of more than two), every one. As if a superlative of hekas; each or every.of them.αὐτῶν(autōn)Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 846:He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.
Links
Acts 2:3 NIVActs 2:3 NLTActs 2:3 ESVActs 2:3 NASBActs 2:3 KJV
Acts 2:3 BibleApps.comActs 2:3 Biblia ParalelaActs 2:3 Chinese BibleActs 2:3 French BibleActs 2:3 Catholic Bible
NT Apostles: Acts 2:3 Tongues like fire appeared and were distributed (Acts of the Apostles Ac) 
