Pentecost
And when this sound rang out, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking his own language. Acts 2:6 · Berean Standard Bible
When the sound drew a crowd outside, each person heard the disciples speaking in their own native language, which completely bewildered them.
The wind and commotion brought people running. But what made them stop in their tracks was hearing Galilean fishermen speaking in Egyptian, Parthian, Arabic — whatever language each person had grown up speaking. This wasn't translation; this was the Spirit enabling speech in languages they'd never learned.
Luke, describing the crowd's reaction
This reverses the Tower of Babel, where God scattered people by confusing their languages. Now God is using different languages as a sign of His Spirit bringing people together and making His works known to all nations.
When the supernatural sound occurred, crowds gathered in astonishment because each person heard the disciples speaking in their own native language.
The verb συνῆλθον (synēlthan)—'came together'—suggests rapid assembly in response to the commotion. The Greek ἠκούοντο—'were hearing'—uses the imperfect tense, indicating sustained, repeated hearing rather than momentary perception. Ἴδιος (idios), 'own' or 'native,' appears twice in this verse, emphasizing the personal, particular nature of the linguistic phenomenon: each hearer recognized their own dialect.
Luke the evangelist, narrating
This is the first public proclamation of the gospel following the Resurrection. The miracle of comprehensible speech across linguistic boundaries becomes the vehicle for witnessing—communication itself becomes part of the gospel's sign-character, demonstrating divine power breaking through human limitations.
4And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.
6And when this sound rang out, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking his own language.
7Astounded and amazed, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?
8How is it then that each of us hears them in his own native language?
Read all of Acts 2 — The Spirit arrives like wind and fire. The church is born in a single day. A movement that will never stop starts in one room.
This page covers one. BibleKey does all 31,102 — tap any verse for its meaning, any word for its Hebrew or Greek root, and keep reading without leaving the chapter.
Not just the famous ones. BibleKey is free on iPhone and iPad.
Download on the App StoreFree on iPhone & iPad