FocusPower for witness
Connection to the wholeJesus directs the apostles to await the Holy Ghost and defines their witness before His ascension, establishing the book's opening expectation.
interpretation Acts 1:8
KJVBut ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Read it in context
Promise and ascension
Start reading at Acts 1:1 (Acts 1:1 to Acts 1:11).
An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
Jesus directs the apostles to await the Holy Ghost and defines their witness before His ascension, establishing the book's opening expectation.
- 1:1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
- 1:2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
- 1:3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
- 1:4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
- 1:5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
- 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
- 1:7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
- 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
- 1:9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
- 1:10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
- 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
Who
- Who wrote the book? Luke, the physician and companion of Paul, is the traditional author of Acts and the Gospel of Luke. Biblical references: Acts 1:1; Luke 1:3; Colossians 4:14. Historical source: Anchor Bible Dictionary, Luke–Acts. traditionally held
- Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Acts 1:1–1:26): The risen Jesus instructs the apostles; after His ascension the believers gather with the women, Mary, and Jesus' brothers, and Matthias is selected among the assembled disciples. stated in the text
- Who was the book written to? Theophilus, the same named recipient as Luke's Gospel, with the account also serving the wider Christian readership. Biblical references: Acts 1:1; Luke 1:3. stated in the text
What
- What is the topic of this reading unit? Promise and ascension. Read Acts 1:1 through Acts 1:11 as a connected unit. interpretation
- How does it contribute to the book? Jesus directs the apostles to await the Holy Ghost and defines their witness before His ascension, establishing the book's opening expectation. interpretation
When
- When are the events or message set? Acts begins after Jesus' resurrection and follows the witness through Pentecost, expansion among peoples, and Paul's arrival in Rome. It does not give a final publication date. book background
Where
- What is the book’s geographic setting? The movement extends from Jerusalem through Judea and Samaria toward wider regions and Rome, as announced in Acts 1:8. book background
- Where does the context start? This passage sits in Promise and ascension (Acts 1:1 to Acts 1:11). Start reading at Acts 1:1. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
- How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? The risen Jesus commissions the witnesses, and their preaching centers on Him. The accounts include repentance, baptism in Jesus' name, and reception of the Holy Ghost; keep the details and order stated for each event. See Acts 1:8, Acts 2:38, Acts 10:44, Acts 10:48, Acts 19:5, Acts 19:6. interpretation
- How should this book guide our response? Compare conversion accounts carefully, preserving what each one actually narrates. Do not invent an omitted detail or flatten every episode into an identical sequence. interpretation
Cited: Acts 1:1, Acts 1:11, Acts 1:8, Acts 2:38, Acts 10:44, Acts 10:48, Acts 19:5, Acts 19:6
Who wrote it, and how we know
Luke
Named in Scripture
What Scripture saysThe book opens by referring to the author's former treatise to Theophilus, tying it to Luke, and shifts into first-person plural in the travel accounts.
Acts 1:1Acts 16:10
Early traditionEarly testimony names Luke.
What is debatedThe name is not in the text.
Other accounts of this event
The ascension of Jesus
Parallel accounts
Luke's closing account and Acts' opening account describe the ascension with different levels of detail.
Related passages
- ye shall Acts 2:1-4 Acts 6:8 Acts 8:19 Mic 3:8 Zech 4:6 Luke 10:19 Rev 11:3-6
- power, etc Luke 1:35 Luke 24:29 Rom 15:19
- and ye Acts 1:22 Acts 2:32 Acts 3:15 Acts 4:33 Acts 5:32 Acts 10:39-41 Acts 13:31 Acts 22:15
- in Samaria Acts 8:5-25
- unto Ps 22:27 Ps 98:3 Isa 42:10 Isa 49:6 Isa 52:10 Isa 66:19 Jer 16:19 Matt 24:14
Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).
Time stated in this passage
40 days
Stated in Scripture
Jesus appears to His apostles before the ascension
Acts 1:3 states forty days of Jesus’ appearances after His resurrection, before His ascension. This is not a total for the whole of Acts 1–2.
View passage notes and sources
This duration is stated in the text. It does not establish an AD year or an exact interval from the ascension to Pentecost.
Time covered by Acts
About 30 years
- AD 30 or 33Approximate beginning · Acts 1
The risen Jesus instructs His apostles
Acts begins after Jesus’ resurrection and describes His ascension. - About AD 62Approximate ending · Acts 28
Paul teaches while confined in Rome
The account closes with Paul receiving visitors and teaching during two full years in his rented lodging.
The narrative moves from Jerusalem to Rome over roughly three decades. Chapters do not represent equal amounts of time.
View historical notes and sources
Using a beginning in AD 30 or 33 and an ending around AD 62 gives approximately 29–32 years. These are reconstructed dates for the events, not a date for the writing of Acts. The book does not explicitly total its elapsed years.
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Acts 1
Acts addresses Theophilus as a continuation of the earlier account and follows the witnesses empowered by the Holy Ghost. Acts 1:8 supplies an important geographical frame: Jerusalem, Judaea and Samaria, and the uttermost part of the earth.
The gathered disciples
Acts 1:12–26FocusPrayer and apostolic witness
Connection to the wholeThe disciples continue together in prayer and address Judas' place among the witnesses before the promised outpouring.
interpretation Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Acts
Acts addresses Theophilus as a continuation of the earlier account and follows the witnesses empowered by the Holy Ghost. Acts 1:8 supplies an important geographical frame: Jerusalem, Judaea and Samaria, and the uttermost part of the earth.
FocusWitness begins
Connection to the wholeJesus' promise, the coming of the Holy Ghost, Peter's preaching, and the hearers' response establish the beginning of the church's witness.
interpretation Witness and opposition in Jerusalem
Acts 3:1–7:60FocusBoldness, order, and rejection
Connection to the wholePublic testimony and growth are accompanied by internal needs and increasing opposition, culminating in Stephen's death.
interpretation The witness moves outward
Acts 8:1–12:25FocusSamaria, Saul, and Gentile hearers
Connection to the wholePersecution scatters believers; new fields open, Saul is called, and the reception of Gentiles becomes a matter publicly explained to the church.
interpretation Mission and the Gentile question
Acts 13:1–15:35FocusChurches established and the council
Connection to the wholeThe first missionary journey and the Jerusalem deliberation address the place of Gentile believers without making circumcision the entrance requirement.
interpretation Further journeys and growing churches
Acts 15:36–21:16FocusStrengthening and expanding witness
Connection to the wholePaul and his companions travel through new regions and revisit churches, moving toward the journey to Jerusalem despite coming danger.
interpretation Arrest, hearings, and Rome
Acts 21:17–28:31FocusTestimony through imprisonment
Connection to the wholePaul's custody becomes a setting for witness before authorities and brings him to Rome, where the account closes with continued proclamation.
interpretation Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.