As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, just as He had fallen upon us at the beginning.
Parallel translations
- WEB As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, even as on us at the beginning.
- KJV And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning.
- NKJV And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning.
- NASB And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning.
- NLT “As I began to speak,” Peter continued, “the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as he fell on us at the beginning.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
As Peter began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on the apostles at the beginning. God plainly equated the Gentiles' experience with Pentecost.
Overview
The Spirit's coming upon the Gentiles 'as on us at the beginning' deliberately recalls Pentecost (Acts 2). This parallel was Peter's strongest evidence that God had received the Gentiles on the same terms as Jewish believers. God's sovereign act, not human approval, settled the matter.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Acts 19:6And when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
- Acts 10:34–46Then Peter began to speak: “I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism,
- Acts 2:2–12Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
- Acts 4:31After they had prayed, their meeting place was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.
How Acts 11:15 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.