Acts 2:9 (YLT)

Passage

Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and those dwelling in Mesopotamia, in Judea also, and Cappadocia, Pontus, and Asia,

Nearby Context

Acts 2:7 and they were all amazed, and did wonder, saying one unto another, `Lo, are not all these who are speaking Galileans?

Acts 2:8 and how do we hear, each in our proper dialect, in which we were born?

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.'

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "parthians", "medes", "elamites", "dwelling", "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 do we hear each in..." into verse 10's "Phrygia also 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.