Bible Strands
Acts 2:12
Astounded and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — A crowd of Jews, converts to Judaism, Cretans, and Arabs stands together after hearing the disciples speak in their native languages. They turn to one another and ask what this event means.
The words — The text records ἐξίσταντο (existanto), meaning "were amazed," and διηπόρουν (diēporoun), meaning "were perplexed." These terms describe the crowd's simultaneous awe and confusion as they process the phenomenon.
The thread — This pattern of questioning the meaning of an unexpected event appears in Luke 15:26, Luke 18:36, and Acts 17:20. Each instance shows observers seeking clarification when confronted with something outside their expectations.
Why it lands — The passage demands that a reader examine how divine action disrupts human understanding before producing belief or mockery. It requires acknowledging that encountering the supernatural forces an initial pause for interpretation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?
Cross-references
- Luke 15:26 So he called one of the servants and asked what was going on.
- Luke 18:36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening.
- Acts 17:20 For you are bringing some strange notions to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.”
- Acts 2:7 Astounded and amazed, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?
- Acts 10:17 While Peter was puzzling over the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house and approached the gate.