Acts 2:12 (DBY)

Passage

And they were all amazed and in perplexity, saying one to another, What would this mean?

Nearby Context

Acts 2:10 both Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt, and the parts of Libya which adjoin Cyrene, and the Romans sojourning [here], both Jews and proselytes,

Acts 2:11 Cretans and Arabians, we hear them speaking in our own tongues the great things of God?

Acts 2:12 And they were all amazed and in perplexity, saying one to another, What would this mean?

Acts 2:13 But others mocking said, They are full of new wine.

Acts 2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and spoke forth to them, Men of Judaea, and all ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give heed to my words:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "amazed", "perplexity", "saying", "another", and "mean". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "amazed" and "perplexity", 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 full...", so "amazed" and "perplexity" 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 "perplexity" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.