When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The text emphasizes that Pentecost had "fully come," suggesting the day was not just arriving but completed or fulfilled. This highlights that the outpouring of the Spirit wasn't random but perfectly timed to coincide with a significant Jewish harvest festival, symbolizing the ingathering of both Jewish and Gentile believers into God's new spiritual harvest.
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The disciples have been waiting in Jerusalem as Jesus commanded, specifically after he ascended into heaven. They have just elected Matthias to replace Judas and are now gathered together in anticipation of the promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The arrival of the Feast of Pentecost, a major Jewish festival drawing people from all over the known world to Jerusalem, sets the stage for this miraculous event.
Why was this particular day, Pentecost, so significant for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit?
The feast of Pentecost, also known as the Feast of Weeks or the Harvest Festival, held deep meaning for the Jewish people.
A Harvest of Divine Law and Gratitude
A Symbolic Parallel
Luke intentionally places the coming of the Spirit on this day. It draws a powerful parallel:
The timing wasn't accidental; it highlighted how Christianity was the fulfillment and perfection of the Old Testament, not a rejection of it.
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What does it mean that they were 'all together in one place' and 'with one accord'?
The disciples weren't just physically gathered; they were united in spirit, waiting with a shared purpose.
More Than Just Proximity
The Foundation for the Spirit's Work
This unity was essential. God’s Spirit was poured out upon a community that was already bound together in shared faith and anticipation. This collective readiness created fertile ground for the miraculous outpouring that followed, demonstrating that God’s power often moves powerfully when His people are united in purpose.
Understand the original words
pentēkostē · Greek Noun
A Jewish festival (Shavuot) occurring fifty days after Passover, celebrating the wheat harvest and later associated with the giving of the Law at Sinai; in the New Testament, it marks the descent of the Holy Spirit.
ouranos · Greek Noun
A word used in the Bible to describe the invisible, spiritual realm where God dwells and from which He exerts His sovereign authority over creation.
pnoē · Greek Noun
A term often associated with the presence, breath, or power of God, representing the invisible force of the Holy Spirit moving or acting in the world.
c. 30 AD
Jesus' Crucifixion and Resurrection
The Passover festival, during which Jesus was crucified, marks the beginning of the sequence of events leading to Pentecost. His resurrection a few days later set the stage for the promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
c. 30 AD
Jesus' Ascension
Following His resurrection, Jesus ascends to heaven, instructing His followers to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Holy Spirit.
c. 30 AD
The 120 Disciples Wait in Jerusalem
The followers of Jesus, numbering about 120, gather together in Jerusalem to obey His command and wait for the promised empowerment.
c. 30 AD— this verse
The Day of Pentecost Arrives
The Feast of Pentecost, a major Jewish festival occurring 50 days after Passover, arrives. This was a time when many Jewish pilgrims from various nations were gathered in Jerusalem.
This passage describes the institution of the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), highlighting its timing 50 days after Passover and its connection to harvest, which provides the historical and agricultural backdrop for the event in Acts.
Exodus 19:16-19This passage describes God giving the Law on Mount Sinai with thunder and fire, creating a powerful parallel to the giving of the Holy Spirit with wind and fire-like tongues on Pentecost, symbolizing a new covenant.
Jeremiah 31:31-34This prophecy foretells a new covenant where God's law will be written on hearts, directly fulfilled by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit described in Acts 2, empowering believers to live out God's will.
Joel 2:28-29Peter explicitly quotes this prophecy in Acts 2:17-18, showing that the outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost was a direct fulfillment of God's promise to pour out His Spirit on all people.
John 14:15-17Jesus promises the coming of the Holy Spirit as a 'Helper' who will abide with believers forever, foreshadowing the unity and divine empowerment experienced by the disciples when the Spirit arrived on Pentecost.
barnesActs 2:1: "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place."
And when the day of Pentecost - The word "Pentecost" is a Greek word signifying the 50th part of a thing, or the 50th in order. Among the Jews it was a applied to one of their three great feasts which began on the 50th day after the Passover. This feast was reckoned from the 16th day of the month Abib, or April, or the second day of the Passover. The paschal lamb was slain on the 14th of the mo…
vincentActs 2:1: "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place."
Was fully come (συμπληροῦσθαι)Used by Luke only. See on Luke 9:51. Lit., as Rev., margin, was being fulfilled. The day, according to the Hebrew mode, is conceived as a measure to be filled up. So long as the day had not yet arrived, the measure was not full. The words denote in process of fulfilment.PentecostMeaning fiftieth; because occurring on the fiftieth day, calculated from the second da…
The text emphasizes that Pentecost had "fully come," suggesting the day was not just arriving but completed or fulfilled. This highlights that the outpouring of the Spirit wasn't random but perfectly timed to coincide with a significant Jewish harvest festival, symbolizing the ingathering of both Jewish and Gentile believers into God's new spiritual harvest.
The disciples have been waiting in Jerusalem as Jesus commanded, specifically after he ascended into heaven. They have just elected Matthias to replace Judas and are now gathered together in anticipation of the promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The arrival of the Feast of Pentecost, a major Jewish festival drawing people from all over the known world to Jerusalem, sets the stage for this miraculous event.
The disciples have been waiting in Jerusalem as Jesus commanded, specifically after he ascended into heaven. They have just elected Matthias to replace Judas and are now gathered together in anticipation of the promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The arrival of the Feast of Pentecost, a major Jewish festival drawing people from all over the known world to Jerusalem, sets the stage for this miraculous event.
"When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting." — The text emphasizes that Pentecost had "fully come," suggesting the day was not just arriving but completed or fulfilled. This highlights that the outpouring of the Spirit wasn't random but perfect…
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Last reviewed October 2026