Classical writers employed the cognate adjective “full” for vessels brimming with grain, wine, or even emotions. By New Testament times the perfect-passive idea of “having been filled and remaining so” could convey literal saturation or metaphorical domination. In Acts 2:13 the crowd seizes the term to accuse the disciples of being “soaked” with sweet wine, suggesting a settled state rather than a passing sip.

Single New Testament Occurrence

Acts 2:13: “But others mocked them and said, ‘They are drunk on new wine!’” (Berean Standard Bible).

The perfect participle underscores permanence: the mockers allege that intoxication already controls the speakers. This sharpens Luke’s literary contrast: the same audience that observes supernatural utterance (Acts 2:4) attributes it not to the promised Spirit but to excess drink.

Pentecostal Context

The feast of Weeks drew devout Jews from “every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5). At nine in the morning (Acts 2:15) pilgrims would not yet have broken the post-Passover fast with wine; Peter exploits this cultural fact to rebut the slander. The term therefore supplies the rhetorical pivot for Peter’s sermon: the crowd’s misdiagnosis of drunkenness is corrected by Joel’s prophecy of spiritual outpouring.

Fullness of Wine versus Fullness of the Spirit

Luke deliberately juxtaposes two kinds of filling:
• Acts 2:4 – “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit…”
• Acts 2:13 – “They are drunk on new wine.”
• Ephesians 5:18 – “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion; instead, be filled with the Spirit.”

The vocabulary of saturation exposes a spiritual choice: fleshly exhilaration that dissipates, or divine empowerment that equips for witness.

Old Testament Echoes

While the specific form does not appear in the Septuagint, Israel’s Scriptures repeatedly set wine-filled revelry against God-filled obedience (for example, Isaiah 5:11–12; Joel 1:5). Joel’s future “pouring out” (Joel 2:28–29) intentionally reverses scenes of drunken judgment (Joel 1:5, 13). Luke inherits this prophetic tension and resolves it at Pentecost.

Doctrinal Significance

1. Authentic Spiritual Experience: The accusation of intoxication compels Peter to explain the Spirit’s work through Scripture, rooting Christian experience in revelation rather than sensation.
2. Apologetic Lesson: When supernatural phenomena are misunderstood, believers answer with rational, biblical exposition.
3. Ethical Implication: Scripture consistently commands sobriety (1 Thessalonians 5:6–8; 1 Peter 5:8). The Pentecost narrative affirms that true joy and prophetic utterance flow from Spirit-control, not chemical alteration.

Pastoral and Homiletical Uses

• Contrast sermons: “Under the Influence—Wine or the Spirit?”
• Youth teaching on substance abuse: employ Acts 2:13 as an example of worldly misinterpretation versus godly reality.
• Communion meditations: emphasize that the cup signifies covenantal joy without compromising self-control.

Historical Reception

Early Church Fathers (for example, Chrysostom, Homilies on Acts) highlighted the irony that spiritual ecstasy is slandered as physical drunkenness. Reformers like John Calvin saw in the verse a reminder that God’s works are often ridiculed by the undiscerning.

Related Themes

Sobriety: Romans 13:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:8

Joy in the Spirit: Romans 14:17; Galatians 5:22

Public Witness: Acts 1:8; Philippians 2:15

Conclusion

Strong’s Greek 3325 functions not merely as a descriptive verb but as a theological signpost. By exposing the crowd’s misinterpretation, it invites every generation to discern the genuine fullness God supplies in the Holy Spirit.