Ecclesiastes 11:4-5
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
4 One who pays heed to the wind will never sow,
and one who watches the clouds will never reap.
5 Just as you do not know how the life breath
enters the human frame in the mother’s womb,
So you do not know the work of God,
who is working in everything.(A)
Acts 2:2-4
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
2 And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind,[a] and it filled the entire house in which they were.(A) 3 Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,[b] which parted and came to rest on each one of them.(B) 4 And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues,[c] as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.(C)
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2:2 There came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind: wind and spirit are associated in Jn 3:8. The sound of a great rush of wind would herald a new action of God in the history of salvation.
- 2:3 Tongues as of fire: see Ex 19:18 where fire symbolizes the presence of God to initiate the covenant on Sinai. Here the holy Spirit acts upon the apostles, preparing them to proclaim the new covenant with its unique gift of the Spirit (Acts 2:38).
- 2:4 To speak in different tongues: ecstatic prayer in praise of God, interpreted in Acts 2:6, 11 as speaking in foreign languages, symbolizing the worldwide mission of the church.
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