Acts 2:7 - They were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Behold, aren’t all these who speak Galileans?

Generated Verse: Acts 2:7

What does "Acts 2:7" mean?


This verse, Acts 2:7, is part of the narrative of the Pentecost event in the Bible. To understand its meaning, we need to consider the context:

The Setting: The disciples of Jesus are gathered in Jerusalem during the festival of Pentecost.

The Event: The Holy Spirit descends upon them, and they begin to speak in other languages (tongues) that they had not learned.

The Crowd: A diverse crowd of Jewish people from various regions are in Jerusalem for the festival.

Meaning of Acts 2:7:

The verse expresses the astonishment and disbelief of the crowd when they hear the disciples speaking in other languages. The key elements are:

"They were all amazed and marveled..." This emphasizes the shock and wonder of the onlookers. They were utterly surprised by what they were witnessing.

"...saying to one another..." This highlights the widespread nature of the astonishment. The crowd members are sharing their amazement with each other.

"Behold, aren’t all these who speak Galileans?" This is the core of the verse.
"Behold": An interjection used to draw attention to something remarkable or surprising.
"Aren't all these who speak Galileans?": This is the crucial point. Galileans were generally considered to be common, uneducated people from a rural area. They weren't expected to be fluent in multiple languages. The crowd is saying, "How is it possible that these simple, uneducated Galileans are speaking in all these different languages?"

Therefore, the meaning of the verse is:

The crowd is profoundly surprised and questioning how a group of seemingly uneducated Galileans are able to speak fluently in various languages they had never learned. It highlights the miraculous nature of the Pentecost event and the power of the Holy Spirit. The verse underscores the unlikeliness of the event, making it all the more remarkable and demonstrating the divine origin of the ability to speak in different languages. It sets the stage for Peter's explanation of what is happening and the subsequent growth of the early church.