2:15a
These men are not drunk, as you suppose: The believers were not drunk. Peter corrected those who had said that the believers were drunk. Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
These people are not drunk, as some of you believe.
-or-
In spite of what you think, these men are not drunk (NET Bible)
-or-
You are wrong to think that these people are drunk. (Contemporary English Version)
These men: This phrase refers to the other believers. (Peter was not drunk either, which was clear by the way he acted in front of the crowd.)
The Greek here is just “these.” It can include both men and women.
drunk: This word refers to becoming intoxicated from drinking wine or another alcoholic beverage.
2:15b
It is only the third hour of the day: The Greek is literally “for it is the third hour of the day.” At that time of year in Jerusalem, this would refer to about 8:30am to 9:30am. This is the reason that Peter gave for why the believers were not drunk. Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
since it is only the third hour of the day; (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
it is only nine o’clock in the morning (New Century Version)
-or-
It is only the middle of the morning
At that time people typically got drunk at night. In many cultures people might get drunk any time of the day or night. If that is true in your culture, you may want to:
• Explain this statement in a footnote. Here is an example footnote:
At that time people in Jerusalem who got drunk typically only did so at a meal. The first meal was typically at ten o’clock. So being nine o’clock in the morning is a good reason for the believers not to be drunk.
• Explain this statement in your translation. For example:
It’s only nine in the morning ⌊and people are not drunk at this time⌋
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