Acts 2:47

Study note

Setting — Luke narrates the daily rhythm of the Jerusalem community in the weeks after Pentecost, continuing the description begun in verse 46. The subject is the collective "they" of the believing group, not a single speaker.

The words — χάριν (charin), accusative of χάρις, is the same Greek word translated "grace" throughout the New Testament; here it appears as the object the community "has" (ἔχοντες) in its relationship with the surrounding people.

The thread — The pattern of daily numerical growth recurs in Acts 16:5, where churches "grew daily in numbers," and in Acts 2:41, where three thousand are added in a single day. Acts 5:13 sharpens the contrast: the same public regard that drew people in also made others afraid to join.

Why it lands — The verse attributes the increase to the Lord, not to the community's methods, and presents the public favor as a byproduct of their internal life rather than a strategy. It asks the reader to notice that growth is described as something that happens to a community, not something it produces.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.