Acts 2:39 · Bible study
Acts 2:39 Commentary: Study: The Promise to You, Your Children, and All Who Are Far Off
Greek · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Who receives the promise of the Spirit in Acts 2:39? This study explores the call to Jews, their children, and Gentiles far off, all whom God calls.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The promise of the Holy Spirit extends to Jews, their children, and all nations, limited only by God's effectual call (proskalesētai).
- Key words: ἐπαγγελία (epangelia, promise), τέκνοις (teknois, children), προσκαλέσηται (proskalesētai, call to Himself).
- Main debate: Whether “children” implies covenant inclusion of infants or refers to descendants in general who believe.
- Theological theme: God's sovereign call is the basis for the universal scope of salvation, from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.
- Best use: Cornerstone text for understanding the expanding covenant in Acts and pastoral encouragement for praying for children and reaching the lost.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off—to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.”
KJV King James Version 1769
For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
for to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all those afar off, as many as the Lord our God shall call.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
For to you is the promise and to your children, and to all who [are] afar off, as many as [the] Lord our God may call.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, whomsoever the Lord our God shall call.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Porque para vosotros es la promesa, y para vuestros hijos, y para todos los que están lejos|strong="G1519, G3112"; para cuantos el Señor nuestro Dios llamare.
Porque a promessa é para vós, e para vossos filhos, e para todos que ainda estão longe, a tantos quantos Deus, nosso Senhor, chamar.
Car la promesse est pour vous, pour vos enfants, et pour tous ceux qui sont au loin, en aussi grand nombre que le Seigneur notre Dieu les appellera.
Denn euer und eurer Kinder ist diese Verheißung und aller, die ferne sind, welche Gott, unser HERR, herzurufen wird.
Want u komt de belofte toe, en uw kinderen, en allen, die daar verre zijn, zo velen als er de Heere, onze God, toe roepen zal.
Poiché per voi è la promessa, e per i vostri figliuoli, e per tutti quelli che son lontani, per quanti il Signore Iddio nostro ne chiamerà.
Albowiemci wam ta obietnica należy i dziatkom waszym, i wszystkim, którzy daleko są, którekolwiek by powołał Pan, Bóg nasz.
Ибо вам принадлежит обетование и детям вашим и всем дальним, кого ни призовет Господь Бог наш.
因為 這應許 是 給你們 和 你們的 兒女，並 一切 在 遠方的人，就是 主─我們 神 所召來的。」
For the word of God is for you and for your children and for all those who are far off, even all those who may be marked out by the Lord our God.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Acts 2:39
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across the Reformed, Methodist, and Anglican traditions agree that this verse extends the promise of the Holy Spirit (the outpouring foretold in Joel 2, cited at the start of Peter's sermon) beyond the immediate Jewish audience. The promise is “to you”, the Jews of Judea who had just crucified the Messiah (Clarke), and “to your children”, not merely as infants (Barnes), but as a pledge that salvation flows to future generations (Matthew Henry). “All who are far off” is widely understood to refer to the Gentile nations (Calvin, Vincent, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown), though some note that Peter may initially have thought of the Jewish diaspora (Barnes). The final clause, “as many as the Lord our God will call,” is the key qualification: the promise applies to everyone, but only as God effectually calls them by His grace (Gill). The compound verb proskalesētai, “call to Himself”, underscores God's active, sovereign summoning (Vincent). This verse thus opens the covenant to all peoples, but the precise extent of the inclusion of children remains a point of divergence among traditions.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Covenantal inclusion view: Emphasizes 'you and your children' as linking to Abrahamic covenant (Gen 17:7); children are heirs of the promise and should receive the sign of baptism.
- Effectual call view: Points to the qualifying clause 'as many as the Lord our God will call'; only the elect, whether children or adults, actually receive the promise.
- Universal offer view: Reads 'all who are far off' as an open invitation to everyone, conditioned on repentance and baptism; the call is general, not effectual.
What is clear: The promise originates from God's initiative and extends beyond the immediate hearers to include future generations and distant peoples.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Children of believers | The promise extends to the offspring of believing parents. | Does it include infants in the covenant community (infant baptism) or only children who come to personal faith (believer's baptism)? Both sides find support: covenant traditions point to Gen 17:7 and the household baptisms in Acts; Baptist traditions emphasize the qualifying clause 'as many as the Lord our God will call.' |
| Identity of 'those far off' | The phrase refers to people not currently part of the Jewish covenant community. | Some see it primarily as the Jewish diaspora (Barnes); most modern scholars and many older commentators (Calvin, Vincent) read it as the Gentiles. Peter's vision in Acts 10 suggests the Gentile interpretation was confirmed later. |
| Nature of the promise | The promise includes the gift of the Holy Spirit (v.38), connecting to Joel 2. | Some broaden it to include every spiritual blessing, forgiveness, sanctification, eternal life (Gill). Others restrict it to the special outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost and subsequent conversions. |
| Condition of calling | God's call is necessary for the promise to be received. | Does 'call' refer to an effectual, irresistible call (Reformed/Calvinist view) or a general, resistible invitation that requires a human response (Arminian view)? The compound verb <em>proskalesētai</em> suggests a summoning that accomplishes its purpose, but the debate remains. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Peter delivered these words on the day of Pentecost, fifty days after the resurrection. The crowd was made up of devout Jews from every nation (Acts 2:5), and they had just heard Peter accuse them of crucifying the Messiah (v.36). Their response was visceral: “cut to the heart,” they cried, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (v.37). Peter's answer, repent and be baptized, included the promise of the Holy Spirit (v.38). Verse 39 then grounds that promise in the covenantal language of the Old Testament.
The phrase “to you and to your children” echoes the Abrahamic covenant: “I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you” (Genesis 17:7). For a Jewish audience, this signaled that God's grace did not stop with the current generation. It also addressed a specific anxiety: the crowd had shouted “His blood be on us and on our children!” (Matthew 27:25). Peter offers hope that God's promise overrides their curse.
“All who are far off” draws on Isaiah 57:19 (“Peace, peace, to him who is far off and to him who is near”). Jewish readers would know this referred to Gentiles, but Peter's understanding of how and when Gentiles would enter was still unfolding (Barnes; Cambridge Bible notes that he needed the vision in Acts 10). The verb “call” is proskalesētai, a compound of pros (“to”) and kaleō (“call”). It means “summon to oneself” (Vincent), emphasizing God's initiative. The particle an with the aorist subjunctive makes the clause indefinite: whoever God may call, a category only God determines.
This verse sits at the pivot of Acts: the gospel moves from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). The promise is not locked to one time or place. It reaches forward to every generation and outward to every people.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Acts 2:39. The manuscript tradition is stable across the major codices (Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Alexandrinus). The wording of the final clause, “even as many as the Lord our God will call”, is consistent in both the Western and Alexandrian text types.
Reception History
From the early church, Acts 2:39 was cited in discussions of the scope of salvation. Augustine used it to argue that the promise included children of believers, supporting the practice of infant baptism in North Africa. During the Reformation, both Luther and Calvin appealed to this verse to defend infant baptism as a sign of the covenant. The Anabaptist tradition, however, emphasized the conditional clause “as many as the Lord our God shall call,” insisting that baptism requires personal faith. In modern missiology, the verse is often used to justify preaching to all nations, echoing the expanding geography of Acts. It remains a touchstone for debates about covenant theology, the sacraments, and the extent of God's grace.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The promise is grounded in God's grace, not human worth. Peter addresses people who had just been called murderers of the Messiah. If they can receive the promise, no one is beyond hope. The gospel begins with God's initiative.
- The promise spans generations. “To your children” does not mean automatic salvation, but it does mean that God's covenant loves to flow through families. Parents can pray and trust that the promise comes to their children too.
- The promise reaches the whole world. “All who are far off” tears down every barrier, distance, ethnicity, former ignorance. The only limit is that God calls people to Himself, and He calls freely.
Five-point outline
- The context: guilt and repentance. Peter answers the crowd's question “What shall we do?” with a call to repent and be baptized, then shows why they can have hope.
- The foundation: God's covenant promise. Echoing Abraham, God's promise is reliable because He made it, not because they deserved it.
- The first recipients: you and your children. The promise belongs to the present hearers and their offspring, a pledge that God works through generations.
- The expansion: all who are far off. This cracks open the door to the Gentiles, though Peter would need more revelation to walk through it.
- The condition: as many as the Lord our God will call. The promise is universal in scope but particular in application, only those whom God effectively summons receive it.
Illustration hooks
- A family heirloom passed down. A parent gives a treasured object to a child, and the child gives it to the next. The promise is like that, not earned, but gifted across generations.
- A radio broadcast. The signal goes out to everyone within range, but only those who turn on the receiver hear it. God's call goes to all; His effectual call activates faith.
- A desperate parent's hope. A mother who has struggled with her teenager's rebellion finds Peter's words a lifeline: the promise is for your children. God has not given up.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does this verse mean my children are automatically saved because I believe? (No, the promise is to them, but they must be called by God.)
- Am I among the “far off” even if I don't feel close to God? (Yes, the phrase describes distance, not disqualification.)
- How can I know if God has called me? (The same promise that invites you to repent and be baptized is itself the call.)
Leading a Discussion
Acts 2:39 stands at the end of Peter's Pentecost sermon. The crowd has been cut to the heart. Peter offers them hope: the promise of the Holy Spirit is for them, their children, and even people far away. This small group session explores the scope of that promise and what it means for us today.
Discussion questions
- Observation: Read Acts 2:38-40. What specific promise does Peter refer to in verse 39? (Look back at verse 38 and Joel 2.)
- Interpretation: The phrase “you and your children” echoes Genesis 17:7. What does it mean that God's covenant with Abraham included his offspring? How does that shape Peter's argument?
- Interpretation: Who are “all who are far off”? Consider the different possibilities, Jewish diaspora, Gentiles, sinners far from God. Which view does Peter's later experience with Cornelius support (Acts 10)?
- Interpretation: The final clause “as many as the Lord our God will call” seems to limit the promise. Is this a restriction or a comfort? How does it emphasize God's sovereignty?
- Application: If the promise is for your children, how should that affect the way you pray for them and speak to them about faith?
- Application: Are there people in your life who seem “far off”, distant from God or the church? How does this verse encourage you to share the gospel with them?
- Application: In what ways might you be tempted to think the promise is only for certain kinds of people? How does Peter's expansive language challenge that?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 17:7 | I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to you and to your offspring after you. |
| Genesis 17:8 | I will give to you, and to your offspring after you, the land where you are traveling, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession. I will be their God.” |
| Psalms 115:14 | May Yahweh increase you more and more, you and your children. |
| Psalms 115:15 | Blessed are you by Yahweh, who made heaven and earth. |
| Isaiah 44:3 | For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and streams on the dry ground. I will pour my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your offspring; |
| Isaiah 54:13 | All your children will be taught by Yahweh, and your children’s peace will be great. |
| Isaiah 57:19 | I create the fruit of the lips: Peace, peace, to him who is far off and to him who is near,” says Yahweh; “and I will heal them.” |
| Isaiah 59:19 | So they will fear Yahweh’s name from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come as a rushing stream, which Yahweh’s breath drives. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke observes that when Peter said the promise was for those far off, the Holy Spirit speaking through him already included the Gentile nations, even though Peter himself did not yet fully understand that the gospel would go to them. The Spirit had this in view from the beginning.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes stresses that Peter's application of the promise reaches beyond the immediate crowd to their descendants and to all far off. The word "children" means posterity generally, not just infants, so parents may devote them to God in baptism. The promise is not limited to Jews and carries a duty for the church to extend it to every person.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin insists that a general promise is not enough for saving faith; each person must be personally persuaded that it applies to them. He traces the promise's extension from the Jews to their children and then to the Gentiles. Certainty of faith depends on knowing that you are included among those God addresses.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Peter already understood that Gentiles would receive the same promises as Israel, but he needed the vision of the sheet to know God's timing for extending the work. The commentator also notes that "shall call" means "shall call unto him," using a compound verb that deepens the sense of personal summons.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note emphasizes that the promise belongs to Jews, their children, and Gentiles far away, but only to those whom God himself calls. This highlights divine sovereignty: the offer is universal in scope but effective only for those the Lord selects.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill focuses on how the limiting clause "as many as the Lord our God shall call" defines the promise's reach. He comforts Jews distressed by their curse on their children, explaining the promise extends even to those children whom God effectually calls, and also to Gentiles far off. Only the elect receive this promise.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
For the promise —of the Holy Ghost, through the risen Saviour, as the grand blessing of the new covenant. all afar off —the Gentiles, as in Eph 2:17 ), but "to the Jew first."
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent notes that the Greek phrase for “afar off” literally means “unto a long way” and points to the Gentiles, as used in both Old and New Testaments. He adds that Peter understood Gentiles would be saved, but expected them to come through Judaism, and the Greek verb for “call” carries the force of “call unto him.”