Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Acts 2:3

"And there appeared unto them tongues parting asunder, like as of fire; and it sat upon each one of them." — Acts 2:3 (ASV)

Fire as a symbol of the divine presence was well known among first-century Jews (cf. the burning bush [Exodus 3:2–5], the pillar of fire that guided Israel by night through the desert [Exodus 13:21], the consuming fire on Mount Sinai [Exodus 24:17], and the fire that hovered over the wilderness tabernacle [Exodus 40:38]). John the Baptist explicitly linked the coming of the Spirit with fire (cf. Matthew 3:11). The “tongues of fire” here are probably not to be equated with the “other tongues” of v.4 but should be taken as visible representations of the overshadowing presence of the Spirit of God. Also significant is Luke’s statement that these tokens of the Spirit’s presence “separated and came to rest on each of them.” This seems to suggest that, though under the old covenant the divine presence rested on Israel as a corporate entity and upon many of its leaders for special purposes, under the new covenant, as established by Jesus and inaugurated at Pentecost, the Spirit now rests upon each believer individually. In other words, though the corporate and individual aspects of redemption cannot actually be separated, the emphasis in the proclamation of redemption from Pentecost onward is on the personal relationship of God to the believer through the Spirit, with all corporate relationships resulting from this.