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[Ephesians 5:18 NASB] And do not get drunk with wine, in which there is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,

[Acts 2:13 NASB] But others were jeering and saying, “They are full of sweet wine!”

I was reading parallel commentaries on Ephesians 5:18 (https://biblehub.com/commentaries/ephesians/5-18.htm), and noticed that several commentators made references to Acts 2:13. For example:

Ellicot:

But be filled with the Spirit.—The antithesis is startling, but profoundly instructive. To the artificial and degrading excitement of drunkenness St. Paul boldly opposes the divine enthusiasm of the Spirit, one form of which was scoffingly compared to it on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:13). He is not content with warning us of its ruinous excess, or urging the strictness of stern self-restraint. Drunkenness comes from an unnatural craving for excitement, stimulated by unwholesome conditions of life, physical and mental. He would satisfy the craving, so far as it is natural, by a divine enthusiasm, brighter and stronger than even duty to God and man, breaking out in thanksgiving, adoration, and love.

Meyer:

ἀλλὰ πληροῦσθε ἐν πνεύματι] but become full by the Spirit. The imperative passive finds its explanation in the possibility of resistance to the Holy Spirit and of the opposite fleshly endeavour; and ἐν is instrumental, as at Ephesians 1:23; Php 4:19. The contrast lies not in οἶνος and πνεῦμα (Grotius, Harless, Olshausen, and others), because otherwise the text must have run μὴ οἴνῳ μεθύσκ., ἀλλʼ ἐν πνεύματι πληρ., but in the two states—that of intoxication and that of inspiration. This opposition is only in appearance strange (in opposition to de Wette), and has its sufficient ground in the excitement of the person inspired and its utterances (comp. Acts 2:13).

Matthew Poole:

But be filled with the Spirit; the Holy Spirit, often compared to water; or the joy of the Spirit, in opposition to being filled with wine, Acts 2:13, and that carnal mirth which is caused by it: q.d. Be not satisfied with a little of the Spirit, but seek for a greater measure, so as to be filled with the Spirit. See Psalm 36:8 John 3:34 John 4:14.

Ephesians 5:18 is part of a larger exhortation which is arguably applicable to all Christians in general, so I found it quite intriguing that several commentators noticed a clear relationship to Acts 2:13, which belongs to a very particular event in the history of the Church.

What exactly is the relationship between Ephesians 5:18 (a general exhortation) and Acts 2:13 (a particular and quite extraordinary event)? How is the latter (particular) applicable to the former (general)?

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    There is no connection. One is a comment made during a particular event. The other is an ehortation generally. Commented Sep 18, 2025 at 12:11
  • @NigelJ So you disagree with Ellicot, Meyer, and Matthew Poole. Did I understand correctly? Commented Sep 18, 2025 at 13:04
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    Yes, your accepted answer also indicates the same. Commented Sep 19, 2025 at 5:17
  • @NigelJ Sorry, what? We must be reading different answers. Commented Sep 19, 2025 at 7:35
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    Yes, that could be the case. Commented Sep 19, 2025 at 7:52

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It is possible that when Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:18, "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit," he had in mind the public reaction recorded in Acts 2:13, where Spirit-filled disciples were mockingly accused of being drunk. The parallel is striking: both passages involve visible, emotional expressions that drew attention - one from intoxication, the other from divine inspiration.

However, it is important to recognize that these two verses are not directly connected in meaning. Paul is not equating spiritual fullness with drunkenness. Rather, he offers a deliberate contrast. For those who seek the thrill of euphoria that comes with intoxication, Paul points to a higher, holier alternative - the joy and vitality that come from being fill with the Spirit.

Meyer's commentary underscores this distinction, describing two distinct states - one of physical intoxication, the other of spiritual inspiration. Both may appear unusual or ecstatic in their outward expression, but only one leads to life. As Paul warns, drunkenness will lead to debauchery. In contrast, the Spirit brings joy and purpose.

Matthew Poole also highlights the joy of being filled with the Spirit, in opposition to being filled with wine. Ellicot goes further, calling this contrast an "antithesis" - a deliberate opposition between two ways of living: one that degrades, and one that uplifts.

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I note that Eph 5:18 and Acts 2:13 have zero words in common; therefore, from a purely linguistic standpoint, the two verses have nothing in common and no connection. Let me be more specific:

Ephesians 5:18 vocabulary

  • μεθύσκω (methuskó, hence our English word "methanol") = "get drunk", "to intoxicate". It only occurs in Luke 12:45, Eph 5:18, 1 Thess 5:7, Rev 17:2 and always in a very negative sense.
  • ἀσωτία (asótia is literally "unsaved") = "dissipation", "profligacy". It only occurs in Eph 5:18, Titus 1:6, 1 Peter 4:4.
  • πληρόω (pléroó) = "to make full, to complete, to fulfill" (BDAG), eg, Matt 1:22, 2:15, 17, 22, 3:15, 4:14, 5:17, etc, (occurs 88 times in the NT).
  • οἶνος (oinos) = "wine", eg, Matt 9:17, 27:34, Mark 2:22, 15:23, Luke 1:15, 5:37, 38, 7:33, 10:34, John 2:3, etc (34 times in the NT).

The sense in this verse is that Paul is using being filled with wine as the metaphoric opposite of being "filled with the [Holy] Spirit". Note that "being drunk" is not explicitly mentioned.

Acts 2:13 vocabulary

  • γλεῦκος (gleukos) = "sweet new wine, commonly referred to as must" (BDAG). This word only occurs here in the NT. According to Lexical Summary, "(properly) fresh, unfermented juice, but used of the more sugary, fermented wine (and therefore highly inebriating)".
  • μεστόω (mestoó) = "to fill" (BDAG) and only here in the NT.

Acts 2:13 records the fact that when some in the crowd at Pentecost witnessed the apostles speaking in tongues, they believed they were drunk.

Conclusion

Thus, the two verses are not closely related at all. However, in one sense they could be seen as opposites because:

  • they use different words for being "filled"
  • they use different words for the intoxicating drink
  • Eph 5:18 uses being full of wine as the opposite of being filled with the Spirit, but, Acts 2;13 records some people confusing being filled with the Spirit with being intoxicated.

It is in this last sense that the OP's Bible commentators agree - they see the two verses as opposites.

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  • It is in this last sense that the OP's Bible commentators agree - they see the two verses as opposites. - I'm not entirely sure this conclusion is supported by the commentaries I referenced. By opposites do you mean "contradictory"? I don't think the commentators are saying Ephesians 5:18 contradicts Acts 2:13. Rather, they seem to me to be citing Acts 2:13 as providing complementary information to Eph 5:18, not contradictory information. Unless I'm missing something? Commented Sep 17, 2025 at 23:44
  • @user117426 - they are NOT contradictory but showing the opposite. Note the language in each. Ellicott: "Paul boldly opposes the divine enthusiasm of the Spirit". Meyer uses a similar word, "opposition". Poole again, "in opposition to being filled with wine". Commented Sep 17, 2025 at 23:55
  • But what's being opposed in each case is the Spirit and wine, not the verses. The Spirit and wine are opposites. The verses are NOT opposites. Commented Sep 18, 2025 at 0:03
  • @user117426 - as documented above, that is what your commentators are saying - each uses a form of the word "opposite". Commented Sep 18, 2025 at 0:07
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    @Dieter - actually, the Lexical summary is probably most correct - they took a very strong wine and mixed it with must to make it sweet - still intoxicating. Commented Sep 18, 2025 at 3:46

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