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

Generated Verse: Acts 2:15

What does "Acts 2:15" mean?


This verse, Acts 2:15, is a direct response to the accusation that the apostles were drunk during the event of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon them and they began speaking in other languages. Let's break it down:

"For these aren't drunken, as you suppose...": Peter, the speaker, is refuting the claim that the apostles are intoxicated. The people witnessing the event were confused and some assumed the only explanation for their strange behavior was drunkenness.
"...seeing it is only the third hour of the day.": This is the key to understanding the verse. The "third hour" refers to 9:00 AM in the morning. It was socially unacceptable and uncommon for people in that time to be drunk at 9:00 AM. This was generally a time for work, prayer, or morning meals. It would have been considered scandalous and highly unlikely that a group of religious men would be drunk so early in the day.

In essence, Peter is using the time of day as a common-sense argument against the charge of drunkenness. He's saying, "It's only 9 AM! These men are not drunk; something else is happening here."

The overall message of the verse is to dismiss the idea that the apostles' behavior was simply the result of intoxication. Peter is setting the stage for explaining the true cause of their behavior: the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

In summary, this verse demonstrates that the extraordinary event witnessed by the crowds during Pentecost could not be simply explained away by drunkenness and sets the stage for Peter to explain the true source of this extraordinary phenomenon.

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