Acts 2:9 (DBY)

Passage

Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and those who inhabit Mesopotamia, and Judaea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,

Nearby Context

Acts 2:7 And all were amazed and wondered, saying, Behold, are not all these who are speaking Galilaeans?

Acts 2:8 and how do *we* hear [them] each in our own dialect in which we have been born,

Acts 2:9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and those who inhabit Mesopotamia, and Judaea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,

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?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "parthians", "medes", "elamites", "inhabit", "mesopotamia", "judaea", "cappadocia", and "pontus". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "parthians" and "medes", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "and how do we hear them each..." into verse 10's "both Phrygia and Pamphylia Egypt and the...", so "parthians" and "medes" 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 "parthians" and "medes" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.