The Meaning of Acts 1:10 Explained

Acts 1:10

KJV: And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;

YLT: and as they were looking stedfastly to the heaven in his going on, then, lo, two men stood by them in white apparel,

Darby: And as they were gazing into heaven, as he was going, behold, also two men stood by them in white clothing,

ASV: And while they were looking stedfastly into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  while  they looked stedfastly  toward  heaven  as he  went up,  behold,  two  men  stood by  them  in  white  apparel; 

What does Acts 1:10 Mean?

Context Summary

Acts 1:1-14 - Beginning Afresh
Luke informs Theophilus (the name means "a lover of God") that his Gospel told the story of what the Lord began to do and teach. Evidently this further book is a continuation of His deeds and words. It ought to be called "The Acts of the Ascended Christ." The Gospel tells of what Jesus did through a mortal body; and this book what He did through the Church, which is His body, "the fullness of Him that filleth all in all." Here we learn that the time between the Resurrection and the Ascension was forty days; that our Lord issued commandments, no doubt about the ordering of the Church; and that He spoke with the Apostles of the coming kingdom of God-that ideal society which is God's great objective through the ages. It would not be established by the sword of the soldier, but by the witness-bearing of the evangelist, Acts 1:8.
Then the Lord rose before their eyes, and passed within a cloud, which dropped like a curtain before Him. He passed into heaven, Hebrews 9:24, to make intercession, to guide the course of His Church, and to sit at the right hand of the Father till His enemies should be made His footstool. [source]

Chapter Summary: Acts 1

1  Christ, preparing his apostles to the beholding of his ascension,
4  gathers them together unto the Mount of Olives,
6  commands them to expect in Jerusalem the sending down of the Holy Spirit,
9  and ascends into heaven in their sight
10  After his ascension they are warned by two angels to depart, and to set their minds upon his second coming
12  They accordingly return, and, giving themselves to prayer,
23  choose Matthias apostle in the place of Judas

Greek Commentary for Acts 1:10

Were looking steadfastly [ατενιζοντες ησαν]
Periphrastic imperfect active of ατενιζω — atenizō a late intensive verb (intensive α — a and τεινω — teinō to stretch). Common in Acts and also in Luke 4:20; Luke 22:56 as well as Acts 10:4, which see. [source]
As he went [πορευομενου αυτου]
Genitive absolute of present middle participle. They saw him slipping away from their eyes as the cloud bore him away. Stood by them (παρειστηκεισαν αυτοις — pareistēkeisan autois). Past perfect active indicative of παριστημι — paristēmi and intransitive (note ι — i in B instead of ει — ei for augment, mere itacism). [source]
Stood by them [παρειστηκεισαν αυτοις]
Past perfect active indicative of παριστημι — paristēmi and intransitive (note ι — i in B instead of ει — ei for augment, mere itacism). [source]
Looked steadfastly [ἀτενίζοντες ἦσαν]
See on Luke 4:20. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Acts 1:10

Acts 7:55 Looked up steadfastly []
Compare Acts 1:10; Acts 3:4, Acts 3:12; Acts 6:15; and see on Luke 4:20. [source]
Acts 3:4 Fastening his eyes [ἀτενἵσας]
See on Luke 4:20; and compare Acts 1:10. [source]
Acts 14:9 Heard [ηκουεν]
Imperfect active, was listening to Paul speaking Either at the gate or in the market place (Acts 17:17) Paul was preaching to such as would listen or could understand his Greek (Koiné). Ramsay (St. Paul the Traveller, pp. 114, 116) thinks that the cripple was a proselyte. At any rate he may have heard of the miracles wrought at Iconium (Acts 14:3) and Paul may have spoken of the work of healing wrought by Jesus. This man was “no mendicant pretender,” for his history was known from his birth. Fastening his eyes upon him (ατενισας αυτωι — atenisas autōi). Just as in Acts 13:9 of Paul and Acts 1:10 which see. Paul saw a new hope in the man‘s eyes and face. He had faith Present active indicative retained in indirect discourse. To be made whole (του σωτηναι — tou sōthēnai). Genitive of articular first aorist passive infinitive (purpose and result combined) of σωζω — sōzō to make sound and also to save. Here clearly to make whole or well as in Luke 7:50 (cf. Acts 3:16; Acts 4:10). [source]
Acts 14:9 Fastening his eyes upon him [ατενισας αυτωι]
Just as in Acts 13:9 of Paul and Acts 1:10 which see. Paul saw a new hope in the man‘s eyes and face. [source]
Acts 23:1 Looking steadfastly [ατενισας]
See note on this word Acts 1:10; note on Acts 3:12; Acts 6:15; Acts 7:55; Acts 13:9. Paul may have had weak eyes, but probably the earnest gaze was to see if he recognized any faces that were in the body that tried Stephen and to which he apparently once belonged. [source]
Acts 3:4 Fastening his eyes [ατενισας]
First aorist (ingressive) active participle of ατενιζω — atenizō For this verb see note on Luke 4:20 and note on Acts 1:10. Peter fixed his eyes on the beggar and invited him to look (βλεπσον — blepson) on them. [source]

What do the individual words in Acts 1:10 mean?

And as looking intently they were into the heaven as was going He then behold men two stood by them in apparel white
καὶ ὡς ἀτενίζοντες ἦσαν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν πορευομένου αὐτοῦ καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄνδρες δύο παρειστήκεισαν αὐτοῖς ἐν ἐσθήσεσι λευκαῖς

ἀτενίζοντες  looking  intently 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: ἀτενίζω  
Sense: to fix the eyes on, gaze upon.
ἦσαν  they  were 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: εἰμί  
Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present.
εἰς  into 
Parse: Preposition
Root: εἰς  
Sense: into, unto, to, towards, for, among.
οὐρανὸν  heaven 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: οὐρανός  
Sense: the vaulted expanse of the sky with all things visible in it.
πορευομένου  as  was  going 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Middle or Passive, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: πορεύομαι  
Sense: to lead over, carry over, transfer.
ἰδοὺ  behold 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Imperative Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: ἰδού  
Sense: behold, see, lo.
ἄνδρες  men 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: ἀνήρ  
Sense: with reference to sex.
δύο  two 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: δύο 
Sense: the two, the twain.
παρειστήκεισαν  stood  by 
Parse: Verb, Pluperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: παριστάνω 
Sense: to place beside or near.
ἐσθήσεσι  apparel 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Plural
Root: ἐσθής  
Sense: clothing, raiment, apparel.
λευκαῖς  white 
Parse: Adjective, Dative Feminine Plural
Root: λευκός  
Sense: light, bright, brilliant.