Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Acts 2:17

"And it shall be in the last days, saith God, I will pour forth of my Spirit upon all flesh: And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, And your young men shall see visions, And your old men shall dream dreams:" — Acts 2:17 (ASV)

Positively, Peter explains the phenomena taking place among the early Christians at Pentecost as fulfilling Joel 2:28–32. His use of the Joel passage employs a then-current method of OT interpretation that lays all emphasis on the fulfillment motif without attempting to exegete the details of the biblical prophecy it “interprets.” The note of fulfillment is heightened by Peter’s alteration of the OT’s “afterwards” to “in the last days” and by his interruption of the quotation to insert the words “and they will prophesy” (v.18), thus highlighting the restoration of prophecy. The solemnity and importance of the words are emphasized by the addition of “God says” at the beginning (v.18).

The way Peter uses Joel 2:28–32 is of great significance for an appreciation of early Christian exegetical practices and doctrinal commitments and as a pattern for our own treatment of the OT. For Peter, we should note, what Joel said is what God says. And while what God said may have been somewhat enigmatic when first uttered, in the light of what has just happened it is clarified. Thus Peter can proclaim from the perspective of the Messiah’s resurrection and living presence with his people (1) that “this” that he and the infant church were experiencing in the outpouring of God’s Spirit “is that” prophesied by Joel, (2) that these are the long-awaited “last days” of God’s redemptive program, and (3) that the validation of all this is the fact of the return of prophesying. By including the prophet Joel’s call for response (v.21), Peter is also suggesting that a prophetic message of salvation and a call for repentance will go out from Jerusalem.