Acts 2:28

New Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does Acts 2:28 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Thou madest known unto me the ways of life; Thou shalt make me full of gladness with thy countenance.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Thou madest known unto me the ways of life; Thou shalt make me full of gladness with thy countenance.
Acts 2:28 — American Standard Version

Context — Acts 2

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
28Thou madest known unto me the ways of life; Thou shalt make me full of gladness with thy countenance.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Thou hast made known to me the ways of life, etc.] That is, thou hast raised me from the dead. When God raised Christ from the dead, he showed him, or made him to know experimentally the way of life, or the way of the resurrection from death to life; and this path of life, or of the resurrection to an immortal and eternal life, was first shown to Christ, who is the first fruits of them that slept, and the first begotten from the dead. Thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance; or glorious presence, in which is fulness of joy; which Christ, as man, is in, and fully possessed of, being exalted at the right hand of God, and crowned with glory and honour, and has all the joy that was…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Thou hast made known to me the ways of life--that is, resurrection-life. thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance--that is, in glory; as is plain from the whole connection and the actual words of the sixteenth Psalm.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Thou hast made known ... - The Hebrew is, “Thou wilt make known to me,” etc. In relation to the Messiah, it means, Thou wilt restore me to life. The ways of life - This properly means the path to life; as we say, the road to preferment or honor; the path to happiness; the highway to ruin, etc. See Proverbs 7:26-27. It means, thou wilt make known to me life itself, that is, thou wilt restore me to life. The expressions in the Psalm are capable of this interpretation without doing any violence to the text; and if the preceding verses refer to the death and burial of the Messiah, then the natural and proper meaning of this is, that he would be restored to life again. Thou shalt make me full of…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Thou hast made known to me the ways of life - That is, Thou hast raised me from the dead. Thou wilt fill me with joy by thy countenance - When I ascend to thy right hand. Acts 2:29”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“made: Psa 16:11, Psa 21:4, Psa 25:4; Pro 2:19, Pro 8:20; Joh 11:25, Joh 11:26, Joh 14:6 make: Psa 4:6, Psa 4:7, Psa 17:15, Psa 21:6, Psa 42:5; Heb 12:2 Acts 2:29”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification