Acts 2:11 (YLT)

Passage

Cretes and Arabians, we did hear them speaking in our tongues the great things of God.'

Nearby Context

Acts 2:9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and those dwelling in Mesopotamia, in Judea also, and Cappadocia, Pontus, and Asia,

Acts 2:10 Phrygia also, and Pamphylia, Egypt, and the parts of Libya, that <FI>are<Fi> along Cyrene, and the strangers of Rome, both Jews and proselytes,

Acts 2:11 Cretes and Arabians, we did hear them speaking in our tongues the great things of God.'

Acts 2:12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one unto another, `What would this wish to be?'

Acts 2:13 and others mocking said, --`They are full of sweet wine;'

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "Phrygia also and Pamphylia Egypt and the..." into verse 12's "And they were all amazed and were...", so "cretes" 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 "cretes" and "arabians" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.