Acts 2:11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

"We hear them speaking in our own tongues the mighty works of God." They were not merely speaking, but speaking something wondrous. Therefore these people were justly perplexed, since nothing like this had ever happened before.

He also mentions hostile nations, Cretans, Arabs, and others. This was a symbol that they would conquer all. There were also many captives in Jerusalem. Thus there was testimony from everywhere, from citizens, foreigners, and proselytes.

The God-inspired apostles, who at the feast of Pentecost manifested the gift of tongues in praise of God, astonished the people gathered around them.

Devout Jews had come to Jerusalem for the feast from various countries of the world, from Asia, Africa, and Europe, from every historic nation under heaven. Suddenly they heard Galileans speaking in different languages.

These were men not naturally distinguished by knowledge of languages, and they marveled, as verse 7 says. In perplexity and confusion they said among themselves: "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?" as verse 8 says.

"How then do we hear from their mouths each our own dialect, in which and with which we were born?" as verse 9 says.

Soon after the ancient ark withstood the waters, the apostates wished to build a tower to heaven. But their impious hearts confused the meanings of words, and what the proud conspirators built perished with a crash. The confusion of language happened among the one people then. Now, for many peoples, there is one language, that of the Church, which rejoices in the image of Him Who is to come and strives to find harmonious sound. In the world the Church will restore eloquence to the meek, and the humble gather again what the proud scattered.

In this multitude of people, they said among themselves, there are Parthians, Medes, Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the regions of Libya near Cyrene.

There are also not only inhabitants of Jerusalem, but people who have come there from foreign lands, such as Romans and Jews. There are also those strangers who were converted from paganism to the Jewish faith, Cretans and Arabians.

Yet all of us hear these Galileans proclaiming the mighty works of God in our own languages.

No one should be surprised on hearing that the Jews were scattered through so many lands and lived together with pagans, from whom they also received their names.

Concerning the various peoples, see the interpretation on Acts 2:1.

Meanwhile the people, struck by the extraordinary events that had occurred, were thrown into confusion and rushed to the house where the apostles, enlightened by God, were staying. The apostles came out of the house.

Their eyes shone like lightning, piercing the crowds of people. Joyfully they looked over those immeasurable masses, which offered a rich harvest for the laborers and builders of the Kingdom of Christ.

Then they began their inspired speech. It poured irresistibly from their mouths, woven from words in which each one was their heart, their faith made flesh, and their love for their heavenly Teacher.

Cretans were inhabitants of the island of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea. They spoke Greek, with a distinct and somewhat different dialect.

Arabians were inhabitants of Arabia, which borders Palestine on the southeast. Jews lived there chiefly for commercial reasons and spoke Arabic, a language rather similar to Hebrew.

"Speaking in our own tongues of the mighty works of God": this expression also clearly shows that different languages and dialects are meant, in which the disciples of the Lord spoke.

By the expression "speaking of the mighty works of God," or more precisely, of God's greatnesses, is meant a solemn and fervent glorification of God.

The apostolic hearers, of course, themselves said where they were from. The writer of Acts recorded this, and also stated what these people of many languages substantially heard.

They heard words concerning the mighty works of God, that is, glorifications, praises, and thanksgivings to God for the great gifts of which the apostles were then deemed worthy.

They were witnesses of the distribution of these gifts in Christ Jesus, as the chief Cause of all that had been accomplished both in their own destiny and in the ordering of salvation for all people throughout the world.

According to Saint John Chrysostom, "they did not merely speak, but spoke something wondrous. Therefore these people were rightly perplexed, for nothing like this had ever happened before."