Acts 2:9 (LSB)

Passage

Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,

Nearby Context

Acts 2:7 So they were astounded and marveling, saying, “Behold, are not all these who are speaking Galileans?

Acts 2:8 And how is it that we each hear them in our own language in which we were born?

Acts 2:9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,

Acts 2:10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the district of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,

Acts 2:11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "parthians", "medes", "elamites", "residents", "mesopotamia", "judea", "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 is it that we each..." into verse 10's "Phrygia and Pamphylia Egypt and the district...", 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.