Acts 2:23

Context

Chapter 2 of Acts records the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and the first sermon of Peter. Addressing his hearers as "Ye men of Israel" (Acts 2:22), Peter speaks to the Jewish crowd gathered in Jerusalem. This verse stands at the center of the sermon. The preceding verse describes Jesus as a man approved of God by miracles and signs, and the verses that follow proclaim the resurrection, declaring that God raised him up.

The verse affirms two things together. Jesus was "delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God." At the same time, the audience crucified and killed him "by the hands of lawless men," as Korean translations render the phrase. The "lawless men" are commonly understood to be Gentiles outside the Mosaic law, that is, the Romans who carried out the execution. Those who heard the sermon were "pricked in their heart" (2:37) and asked what they should do, and Peter urged them to repent and be baptized (2:38).

Interpretation

• Reformed (Calvinist) reading: This reading draws attention to the pairing of God's "determinate counsel" (decree) with his "foreknowledge." The tradition understands foreknowledge here not as mere foresight but as knowledge bound up with God's decree. It also reads the verse as a basis for the doctrine of providence, which holds that God governs even evil acts without removing the responsibility of those who commit them. The verse is reportedly cited as a proof text for the chapter on providence in the Westminster Confession of Faith.
• Arminian and Wesleyan reading: This reading holds that the decree mentioned in the verse concerns the plan of salvation, namely the sufferings of Christ. It does not extend the verse to support the view that the salvation of individuals is predetermined. It emphasizes that people bear responsibility because they sinned of their own will.
• Shared reading: Across denominational lines, many interpreters see two main points in the verse: the cross was not an accidental tragedy but lay within God's plan of salvation, and that plan does not erase human guilt.

Debates and Controversies

• Sovereignty and responsibility: Proponents of various positions cite this verse in the debate over predestination and free will. There is broad agreement that God's plan and human responsibility appear together in a single sentence. Views diverge on how the relationship between the two should be explained.
• Collective Jewish guilt: In Christian history, the words "ye … have crucified and slain" have at times been used as grounds for antisemitism, holding the entire Jewish people responsible for the death of Jesus. Critics respond that such use takes the words out of context, since they belong to a sermon calling a specific audience at a particular time and place to repentance. Critics also note that Acts 3:17 adds that the people acted "through ignorance." The Catholic Church, in the Second Vatican Council declaration Nostra Aetate (1965), rejected attributing collective guilt to the Jewish people as a whole.
• Manuscripts and translation: Byzantine manuscripts contain an additional word corresponding to "having taken." For this reason the King James Version reads "ye have taken, and … have crucified and slain." The King James Version also renders "the hands of lawless men" as "wicked hands." Korean translations retain the expression "lawless men."

In the Korean Church

The verse is frequently cited in sermons during Holy Week. It is also often used in catechetical instruction on predestination and providence.

Related Passages

• Acts 4:27-28 — a prayer stating that Herod and Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, did what God had determined before to be done
• Acts 3:17 — Peter's statement that the people acted "through ignorance"
• Genesis 45:5-8 — human wrongdoing and God's plan in the story of Joseph
• Isaiah 53:10-12 — the will of God, in that it pleased the Lord to bruise the suffering servant
• Luke 24:44-46 — Jesus' words that the sufferings of Christ took place as it was written