What Does Acts 2:22 Mean?
Men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man shown forth by God among you through works of strength and wonders and signs, which God did through him in the midst of you, as you yourselves also know.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:THE KEY
God’s signs make his action visible through Jesus; each one points beyond wonder to its source.
THE MEANING
You are addressed as one who can hear and recognize what stands before you: Jesus is a man God openly attests through acts of power, wonders, and signs. The verse locates their source in God, who acts through him among you.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the idea that divine action must remain invisible: the verse locates God’s work in acts seen among people, through a human being.
THE ROOT
σημεῖα
sēmeia
GROWS FROM
σημ
σημ (sēm): mark, sign, indication; the Greek consonantal base of words for marking or signifying.
“signs” in this verse is sēmeia. The Greek term names an identifying indication. These are visible marks whose direction leads beyond themselves: God is the one acting through Jesus.
ALSO GROWS
sēma: Mark, sign, token
σῆμα
This related noun makes clear that a sign is a mark that indicates beyond itself, so the works carry meaning as well as wonder.
sēmainō: To signify, indicate
σημαίνω
This word names what a sign does: it indicates, making the visible act point to God working through Jesus.
ἀποδεδειγμένον
apodedeigmenon
GROWS FROM
δεικ
δεικ (deik): show, point out, make evident.
The participle presents Jesus as one God has demonstrated and publicly shown forth among the people. Jesus’ name is Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ, yēshūaʿ, “deliverance”), carrying the nature of bringing out from constriction into spaciousness, while Nazareth (נָצְרַת, Natsrat, “watcher”) echoes natzar (נָצַר, natsar, “watch, guard”).
ALSO GROWS
deiknymi: To show, point out
δείκνυμι
The base verb reveals the image within “approved”: Jesus is shown forth before the people.
endeiknymi: To show, demonstrate, give evidence
ἐνδείκνυμι
This related verb keeps the sense of making evident, echoing the public attestation described in the verse.
δυνάμεσιν
dynamesin
GROWS FROM
δυνα
δυνα (dyna): ability, capacity, power; the shared stem of this Greek word family.
“works of strength” in this verse is dynamesin. Alongside the sense of miracles, the Greek names these deeds as powers (δυνάμεις, dynameis): effective capacity made visible. The verse names God as the source and Jesus as the one through whom that power moves.
ALSO GROWS
dynamai: To be able, have power
δύναμαι
The verb names capacity; here that capacity takes visible form in acts God does through Jesus.
dynatos: Able, powerful
δυνατός
This adjective carries the same capacity into what can act or be accomplished.
THE PATTERN
God’s action becomes recognizable when visible signs and works point beyond the human agent to the one acting through him.
And Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses, and did the signs before the eyes of the people.But I have a greater witness than that of John, for the works which the Father has given me to finish, these same works that I do, bear witness about me, that the Father has sent me.God also bearing witness alongside them, with signs and wonders, and with many-colored powers, and portions of the Set-Apart Breath, according to his own will.THE THREAD
And truly Jesus did many other signs before the eyes of his disciples, which are not written in this book.John uses the same Greek word, σημεῖα (sēmeia, “signs”), for acts Jesus performs before witnesses. The shared root sharpens Acts: these works point past the wonder toward the one acting through Jesus.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us