Acts 2:11 (ASV)

Passage

Cretans and Arabians, we hear them speaking in our tongues the mighty works of God.

Nearby Context

Acts 2:9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, in Judaea and Cappadocia, in Pontus and Asia,

Acts 2:10 in Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and sojourners from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,

Acts 2:11 Cretans and Arabians, we hear them speaking in our tongues the mighty works of God.

Acts 2:12 And they were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying one to another, What meaneth this?

Acts 2:13 But others mocking said, They are filled with new wine.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "cretans", "arabians", "hear", "speaking", "tongues", "mighty", and "works". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "cretans" and "arabians", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "in Phrygia and Pamphylia in Egypt and..." into verse 12's "And they were all amazed and were...", so "cretans" and "arabians" belong inside that flow. In Acts context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "cretans" and "arabians" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.