The Meaning of Acts 2:29 Explained

Acts 2:29

KJV: Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.

YLT: 'Men, brethren! it is permitted to speak with freedom unto you concerning the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is among us unto this day;

Darby: Brethren, let it be allowed to speak with freedom to you concerning the patriarch David, that he has both died and been buried, and his monument is amongst us unto this day.

ASV: Brethren, I may say unto you freely of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us unto this day.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Men  [and] brethren,  let  me  freely  speak  unto  you  of  the patriarch  David,  that  he is  both  dead  and  buried,  and  his  sepulchre  is  with  us  unto  this  day. 

What does Acts 2:29 Mean?

Context Summary

Acts 2:25-36 - David's Lord And Ours
When one considers the vast result of this address, one wonders at its simplicity. It is almost entirely a string of apt quotations. But what may not the Word of God do, when it is wielded by the mighty Spirit! Our Lord might have chanted to Himself Acts 2:26-28, when He descended, step by step, the dark staircase of death. God can never leave us in despair. At our lowest, He is nearest. There are ways up to life from the lowest deeps. David spake deeper than he knew, Acts 2:30. Here is an illustration of 1 Peter 1:11-12.
In Acts 2:33 we see the fulfillment of John 14:16. We can almost hear the Father asking what guerdon or reward He should give the Son for His obedience unto blood, and our Lord replying: "Father, I want nothing for myself, but only that I may receive into my divine-human nature the same fullness of the Holy Spirit that I had with thee before the worlds were made." And it pleased the Father that the fullness of the Godhead should dwell in Him bodily, Colossians 2:9. Then, because He was united to man by His humanity, He was able to impart to him the fullness of Pentecost. [source]

Chapter Summary: Acts 2

1  The apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit, and speaking various languages,
12  are admired by some, and derided by others;
14  whom Peter disproves;
37  he baptizes a great number who were converted;
41  who afterwards devoutly and charitably converse together;
43  the apostles working many miracles,
46  and God daily increasing his church

Greek Commentary for Acts 2:29

I may say [εχον ειπειν]
Supply εστιν — estin before εχον — exon periphrastic present indicative of εχειμι — exeimi to allow, permit. The Authorized Version has “Let me speak,” supplying εστο — esto present imperative. [source]
Freely [μετα παρρησιας]
Telling it all It is a new start for Simon Peter, full of boldness and courage. The patriarch (πατρια — tou patriarchou). Transliteration of the word, from αρχω — patria family, and εταπη — archō to rule, the founder of a family. Late word in lxx. Used of Abraham (Hebrews 7:4), of the twelve sons of Jacob as founders of the several tribes (Acts 7:8), and here of David as head of the family from whom the Messiah comes. Was buried Second aorist passive indicative of thaptō His tomb was on Matthew. Zion where most of the kings were buried. The tomb was said to have fallen into ruins in the time of the Emperor Hadrian. Josephus (Ant. XVI. 7, 1) attributes most of the misfortunes of Herod‘s family to the fact that he tried to rifle the tomb of David. [source]
The patriarch [πατρια]
Transliteration of the word, from αρχω — patria family, and εταπη — archō to rule, the founder of a family. Late word in lxx. Used of Abraham (Hebrews 7:4), of the twelve sons of Jacob as founders of the several tribes (Acts 7:8), and here of David as head of the family from whom the Messiah comes. [source]
Was buried [ταπτω]
Second aorist passive indicative of thaptō His tomb was on Matthew. Zion where most of the kings were buried. The tomb was said to have fallen into ruins in the time of the Emperor Hadrian. Josephus (Ant. XVI. 7, 1) attributes most of the misfortunes of Herod‘s family to the fact that he tried to rifle the tomb of David. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Acts 2:29

Acts 9:27 Had preached boldly [ἐπαῥῤησιάσατο]
See on freely, Acts 2:29. [source]
Acts 4:13 Boldness []
See on freely, Acts 2:29. [source]
2 Corinthians 3:12 Plainness [παῤῥησίᾳ]
Rev., boldness. See on openly, John 7:13; see on confidence, 1 John 2:28; see on freely, Acts 2:29. The contrast is with the dissembling with which his adversaries charged him. [source]
1 Thessalonians 1:4 Beloved by God [ηγαπημενοι υπο του τεου]
Perfect passive participle of αγαπαω — agapaō the verb so common in the N.T. for the highest kind of love. Paul is not content with the use of αδελποι — adelphoi here (often in this Epistle as 1 Thessalonians 2:1, 1 Thessalonians 2:14, 1 Thessalonians 2:17; 1 Thessalonians 3:7; 1 Thessalonians 4:1, 1 Thessalonians 4:10), but adds this affectionate phrase nowhere else in the N.T. in this form (cf. Judges 1:3) though in Sirach 45:1 and on the Rosetta Stone. But in 2 Thessalonians 2:13 he quotes “beloved by the Lord” from Deuteronomy 33:12. The use of αδελποι — adelphoi for members of the same brotherhood can be derived from the Jewish custom (Acts 2:29, Acts 2:37) and the habit of Jesus (Matthew 12:48) and is amply illustrated in the papyri for burial clubs and other orders and guilds (Moulton and Milligan‘s Vocabulary). Your election (την εκλογην υμων — tēn eklogēn humōn). That is the election of you by God. It is an old word from εκλεγομαι — eklegomai used by Jesus of his choice of the twelve disciples (John 15:16) and by Paul of God‘s eternal selection (Ephesians 1:4). The word εκλογη — eklogē is not in the lxx and only seven times in the N.T. and always of God‘s choice of men (Acts 9:15; 1 Thessalonians 1:4; Romans 9:11; Romans 11:5, Romans 11:7, Romans 11:8; 2 Peter 1:10). The divine εκλογη — eklogē was manifested in the Christian qualities of 1 Thessalonians 1:3 (Moffatt). [source]
Hebrews 7:4 How great [πηλικος]
Geometrical magnitude in contrast to arithmetical Out of the chief spoils Old word from ακρος — akros top, and τις — this a heap (the top of the pile). Patriarch lxx word (πατρια — patria tribe, αρχω — archō to rule) transferred to N.T. (Acts 2:29). [source]
1 John 2:28 We may have confidence [σχῶμεν παῤῥησίαν]
Rev., boldness. For the phrase have boldness, see 1 John 3:21; 1 John 4:17; 1 John 5:14; Hebrews 3:6; Hebrews 10:19; Philemon 1:8. For the word παῤῥησία boldnesssee on John 7:13; see on Acts 2:29. It is opposed, as here, to αἰσχύνομαι tobe ashamed, in Proverbs 13:5, where the Septuagint reads “a wicked man is ashamed ( αἰσχύνεται ) and shall not have boldness ( παῤῥησίαν ). Also in Philemon 1:20. Compare 2 Corinthians 3:12. The idea of free, open speech lies at the bottom of the word: coming before God's bar with nothing to conceal. The thought is embodied in the general confession of the Book of Common Prayer: “That we should not dissemble nor cloke them before the face of Almighty God our Heavenly Father, but confess them.” So John Wesley's Hymn:“Jesus, Thy blood and righteousnessMy beauty are, my glorious dress: 'Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed,-DIVIDER-
With joy shall I lift up my head.Bold shall I stand in Thy great day,For who aught to my charge shall lay? Fully absolved through these I am, - From sin and fear, from guilt and shame.” [source]

What do the individual words in Acts 2:29 mean?

Men brothers it is permitted [me] to speak with freedom to you concerning the patriarch David that both he died and was buried the tomb of him is among us unto the day this
Ἄνδρες ἀδελφοί ἐξὸν εἰπεῖν μετὰ παρρησίας πρὸς ὑμᾶς περὶ τοῦ πατριάρχου Δαυὶδ ὅτι καὶ ἐτελεύτησεν καὶ ἐτάφη τὸ μνῆμα αὐτοῦ ἔστιν ἐν ἡμῖν ἄχρι τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης

Ἄνδρες  Men 
Parse: Noun, Vocative Masculine Plural
Root: ἀνήρ  
Sense: with reference to sex.
ἀδελφοί  brothers 
Parse: Noun, Vocative Masculine Plural
Root: ἀδελφός  
Sense: a brother, whether born of the same two parents or only of the same father or mother.
ἐξὸν  it  is  permitted  [me] 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: ἔξεστι 
Sense: it is lawful.
εἰπεῖν  to  speak 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Infinitive Active
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
παρρησίας  freedom 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: παρρησία  
Sense: freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech.
περὶ  concerning 
Parse: Preposition
Root: περί 
Sense: about, concerning, on account of, because of, around, near.
πατριάρχου  patriarch 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: πατριάρχης  
Sense: patriarch, founder of a tribe, progenitor.
Δαυὶδ  David 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Δαβίδ 
Sense: second king of Israel, and ancestor of Jesus Christ.
ὅτι  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
καὶ  both 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: καί  
Sense: and, also, even, indeed, but.
ἐτελεύτησεν  he  died 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: τελευτάω  
Sense: to finish, bring to and end, close.
ἐτάφη  was  buried 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: θάπτω  
Sense: to bury, inter.
μνῆμα  tomb 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: μνῆμα  
Sense: a monument or memorial to perpetuate the memory of any person or thing.
αὐτοῦ  of  him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
ἡμῖν  us 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative 1st Person Plural
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
ἄχρι  unto 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἄχρι  
Sense: until, unto, etc.
ἡμέρας  day 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: ἡμέρα  
Sense: the day, used of the natural day, or the interval between sunrise and sunset, as distinguished from and contrasted with the night.
ταύτης  this 
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: οὗτος  
Sense: this.