Page 19 - acts_study_book1

Jews from all around the world are gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of
Pentecost. The crowds hear the 120 speaking in other tongues and are amazed because
they hear the disciples speaking their different languages, and even specific dialects. The
disciples are speaking praise and worship to God in tongues unknown to them, but
understood by certain Jews who had gathered for the Feast of Pentecost. Some of those
who hear accuse the disciples of being drunk because they cannot explain what they are
hearing.

THE MULTITUDE IS CONFOUNDED

Act 2:5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under
heaven.

These Jews dwelling in Jerusalem are religious Jews from all over the known world. The
Jews had gone into all the world to spread the Jewish law and religion (Matthew 23:15)
and had returned to Jerusalem to celebrate this feast day.

God chose this day not only as a fulfillment of Pentecost but also for this crowd of religious
Jews to hear and receive. These men are bilingual and trilingual and probably speak
Hebrew and Greek in addition to the language of the nation they are evangelized. Most
of these men had not been born in Jerusalem, but in the nations in which they are
presently living. Many all of these Jews receive the Lord on this day and take the gospel
back into their own countries.

Act 2:6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded,
because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

The Greek for the first part of this verse says, “When this noise was heard abroad.” The
“sound” from verse 2 is heard all over the city of Jerusalem and brings the crowd together.
When the devout, religious Jews come together, they are shocked and speechless
because they all hear these illiterate men speaking in the dialects of the nations in which
they are living!

Act 2:7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these
which speak Galilaeans?

And they were all amazed (shocked) and marveled (wondered), saying one to another,
Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans?

Galileans were usually illiterate, poorly educated, and spoke only Aramaic.

Act 2:8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

These Jews born in other countries are amazed because the disciples speak the language
as if they are natives. They even speak the dialects of the parts of the countries the Jews
are from.