Acts 2:12 (ASV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Acts 2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spake forth unto them, [saying], Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and give ear unto my words.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "amazed", "perplexed", "saying", "another", and "meaneth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "amazed" and "perplexed", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "Cretans and Arabians we hear them speaking..." into verse 13's "But others mocking said They are filled...", so "amazed" and "perplexed" 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 "amazed" and "perplexed" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.