Acts 2:41 (KJV)

What does Acts 2:41 mean?

Acts 2:41 describes the response of many people to Peter’s message: they welcomed what he said and were baptized. Their response greatly enlarged the group of Jesus’ followers in Jerusalem, with about three thousand people added on that day.

The word “his” points to Peter, who had been speaking to the crowd. Following his appeal in verse 40, the account moves from his words to the crowd’s response. “Souls” refers to people, not just a part of a person.

The Greek behind Acts 2:41

• “received” — ἀποδέχομαι (apodechomai): The word carries the sense of welcoming or accepting something. Here, it describes a favorable response to Peter’s message, rather than simply hearing his words.
• “added” — προστίθημι (prostithēmi): The word means to add or join something to what is already there. Here, the new people are pictured as joining an existing group.
• “souls” — ψυχή (psychē): The word can refer to a person’s life or to a person. In the count given here, it refers to people.

Why Acts 2:41 matters

• The response was connected to a particular message. “His word” points back to Peter’s account of Jesus and his call to the crowd in the preceding verses.
• The number is an estimate, not an exact count. Acts says “about three thousand,” giving a sense of the size of the response.
• The people joined a community with a shared life. The following verse describes them learning from the apostles, sharing life together, breaking bread, and praying.