Now
there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under the sky. When this sound was heard, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because everyone heard them speaking in his own language. They were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Behold, aren’t all these who speak Galileans? How do we hear, everyone in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the parts of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians: we hear them speaking in our languages the mighty works of God!” They were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” Others, mocking, said, “They are filled with new wine.”
Acts 2:5-13
Acts 2 [1.] Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all with one accord in one place. Suddenly there came from the sky a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. Tongues like fire appeared and were distributed to them, and one sat on each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak.
Acts 2 [5.] Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under the sky. When this sound was heard, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because everyone heard them speaking in his own language. They were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Behold, aren’t all these who speak Galileans? How do we hear, everyone in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the parts of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians: we hear them speaking in our languages the mighty works of God!” They were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” Others, mocking, said, “They are filled with new wine.”
Acts 2 [14.] But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spoke out to them, “You men of Judea, and all you who dwell at Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to my words. For these aren’t drunken, as you suppose, seeing it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel:
Meaning:
The Holy Spirit had just filled the believers, and they “began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak” (Acts 2:4). Now Luke turns to the crowd outside. Jews from many lands hear the disciples praising God in their own languages. Some are amazed and ask what it means; others mock. The scene shows the gospel reaching out to the nations on the very first day of the church’s mission.
- “Jews, devout men, from every nation under the sky”
Since the exile, Jews had settled across the Roman and Parthian worlds. Many came back to Jerusalem for the great feasts. The law said, “Three times in a year all of your males shall appear before Yahweh your God in the place which he chooses: in the feast of unleavened bread, in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tents” (Deuteronomy 16:16). Others had moved to Jerusalem to live near the temple in their later years. Luke calls them “devout men”, people who feared God and took his law seriously.
- “Everyone heard them speaking in his own language”
The crowd was “bewildered” because simple Galileans were speaking languages they had never learned. Galileans had a recognizable accent; in the high priest’s courtyard Peter was told, “your speech makes you known” (Matthew 26:73). Yet now each visitor heard “our own native language.”
Luke clearly describes real human languages that the listeners understood. Christians have explained the event in different ways. Most see a miracle of speaking: the disciples spoke actual languages they did not know. Some suggest there was also a miracle of hearing. Readers also ask how this gift relates to the speaking in tongues Paul discusses in Corinth, where an interpreter was needed because “no one understands” (1 Corinthians 14:2). Some regard them as the same gift used in different settings; others think they differ. All agree that at Pentecost the gift served to declare God’s works to people of many nations.
- “Parthians, Medes, Elamites”
The list moves roughly from east to west: from Parthia and Mesopotamia, through Judea and Asia Minor, to Egypt, Libya and Rome, with Cretans and Arabians at the end. It recalls the table of nations in Genesis 10 and the story of Babel, where “Yahweh confused the language of all the earth” (Genesis 11:9). At Babel proud people were scattered and could no longer understand one another. At Pentecost God brought people of many languages together to hear one message. Babel’s languages were not abolished but made servants of the gospel.
“Both Jews and proselytes” were present. Proselytes were Gentiles who had converted to Judaism. Their presence hints at what Jesus had promised: the witness would go “to the uttermost parts of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
- “The mighty works of God!”
The disciples were not preaching yet; they were praising God for his great deeds, above all the death and resurrection of Jesus. The psalmist had called God’s people to “Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples” (Psalm 96:3). That call was now being answered.
- “What does this mean?” and “new wine”
The crowd divided. Some were open and asked a sincere question. Others mocked and said the disciples were drunk. People still react to God’s work in these two ways. Paul later contrasts the two kinds of filling: “Don’t be drunken with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). The question of the sincere led directly to Peter’s sermon (Acts 2:14-16).
The Significance of Acts 2:5-13
- A gospel for every nation
From its first day the church spoke the languages of the world. No language or culture is outside God’s concern. John later saw “a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of all tribes, peoples, and languages” (Revelation 7:9).
- Responding to God’s work
The same event produced wonder in some and mockery in others. Honest questions open the way to understanding; scorn closes it.
Cross-References:
Genesis 11:9: "there Yahweh confused the language of all the earth." The scattering at Babel.
Ephesians 5:18: "Don’t be drunken with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit," Two kinds of filling.
Acts 1:8: "You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth." The worldwide witness.
Conclusion: At Pentecost devout Jews from many nations heard Galilean disciples praising the mighty works of God in their own languages. The event reversed the confusion of Babel and showed that the gospel is for every people. Some marveled and asked what it meant, while others mocked, and their question opened the way for Peter to explain.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible