Acts 2:6, commentary and pictures

At Pentecost a sound from heaven drew devout Jews from every nation gathered at Jerusalem for the feast, and they were confounded and amazed because unlearned Galilean disciples filled with the Holy Spirit spoke fluently in each hearer's own birth language. The Spirit in a moment gave them pure foreign tongues they had never studied, confirming that their commission to preach Christ came from heaven with heaven's authority. They used the gift to proclaim the risen Saviour and the wonderful works of God, and thousands were convicted, converted and baptized in a day. The gathering shows God's field is the whole world and the gospel is for every country, as visitors carried the truth home to many peoples and nations. The same outpouring will come again in the latter rain when consecrated, united believers proclaim the truth with power to people of all languages.

Setting at Pentecost

Acts 2:6 belongs to the Pentecost account in Acts 2:1-47. It records what happened on the day of Pentecost very soon after Christ's ascension to heaven. It is part of the history of the early church, whose experiences God's people today are to study and undergo in similar ways. The chapter's events lead to Peter's witness about the risen Jesus, the conversion and baptism of many hearers, and a church devoted to teaching, fellowship, prayer, and loving unity, with the descent of the Holy Spirit sending the disciples out to proclaim the Saviour.

When the sound from heaven was noised abroad at Jerusalem, the multitude came together. They were confounded, amazed and astonished, because every man heard the Galilean disciples, filled with the Holy Ghost, speak in his own birth language. The visitors had come from many nations and spoke different languages, so this miraculous gift overcame a language barrier that would otherwise have hindered the apostles' work. It enabled them to speak accurately to the people they were sent to reach and confirmed that their testimony and commission to spread the gospel as witnesses for Christ came from Heaven and bore Heaven's authority. This was one of the spiritual gifts displayed when the Christian age opened and began.

The crowd was devout Jews and devout men out of every nation under heaven dwelling at Jerusalem. They had come to Jerusalem for the great religious festival and annual worship and for the religious festivals, come from many nations and parts of the world. They included Parthians, Medes, Elamites, dwellers in Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, Libya about Cyrene, strangers of Rome, Cretes and Arabians, whose different languages had been an obstacle to spreading the gospel. Jerusalem was a great center of influence where light from heaven was to shine in its most powerful rays.

They were all amazed and marveled and were in doubt, asking what it meant. Others who did not recognize the Spirit's work and were not influenced by the Holy Spirit mocked that the speakers were full of new wine and drunk. Peter then stood up with the eleven to explain this as the pouring out of God's Spirit spoken by the prophet Joel, as the beginning of the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy. The spectacle so overawed opponents that for a time they stopped resisting the work.

Gift of Tongues

The Holy Spirit miraculously enabled the Galilean disciples to speak foreign languages they had not learned, with pure and simple words spoken accurately and with correct accent in both native and foreign tongues. This was done without study in the schools of the prophets and without the toil and delay of learning, overcoming in a moment a barrier of different languages that they could not have overcome in a lifetime. The visitors had come to Jerusalem from many nations and spoke different languages, so the gift met the exact hindrance to carrying the gospel to them and enabled the apostles to speak accurately to the people they were sent to reach. Their accurate speech in the hearers' own languages confirmed that their testimony and commission to spread the gospel as witnesses for Christ came from Heaven and bore Heaven's authority. The power to speak in the languages of people gathered from many nations testified that God's field is the whole world and that the gospel is not limited to any particular country or region.

The event was one of the spiritual gifts displayed when the Christian age opened and began. Angels of God opened the subjects before the hearers in such a way that they could take hold of them, so that every man heard in his own language. The same angelic help is given now to bring oneness in understanding, and humbling oneself before God as a little child enables learning a language not now understood. When rightly related to the work a wonderful work is done, with heavenly agencies impressing hearts so that impressions are made even when everything spoken is not understood.

The public manifestation drew the multitude together and left them amazed, making God's power and majesty known through human witnesses. It serves as a pattern for heavenly revelations to God's people through warnings, reproofs, and explanations of Scripture, so people may recognize the prophetic period they have reached and remain watchful.

Witness and Confirmation

The languages were given so the assembled multitudes at the great religious festival could receive the message of the risen Saviour, every man hearing in his own tongue. The disciples told the story of Jesus' life and ministry and the wonderful works of God, preaching Christ with signs and wonders to people from many nations. That preaching was the Spirit's unfolding and glorifying of Jesus before eyes that before saw no beauty in Him to desire Him, lifting Him up as exalted by God to be a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance and forgiveness of sins. It was the fulfillment of the call to be witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth.

The accuracy of that speech in many languages confirmed that their testimony and commission as witnesses for Christ came from Heaven and bore Heaven's authority. The visitors had come from many nations with different tongues, and that difference had been a barrier that would otherwise have hindered the work. The miracle overcame in a moment an obstacle they could not have overcome in a lifetime of learning, enabling them to speak accurately to the very people they were sent to reach. The same gift that enabled them to teach people from many nations thus proved their divine commission.

The power to speak in the languages of people gathered from many nations testified that God's field is the whole world and that the gospel is not limited to any particular country or region.

Their teaching of Jesus and the plan of salvation convicted and converted thousands in a day. Three thousand souls were brought to repentance in one day, baptized and joining the church, as the people took hold of the Word that had been declared during Christ's ministry. Many who had ridiculed Jesus became convinced and openly accepted Him as Saviour and promised Messiah. They went out and preached the Word everywhere, and thousands were converted in a day.

Spread of the Gospel

Jerusalem on that day was a great center of influence where people from many nations were gathered, and the light from heaven was to shine in its most powerful rays upon witnesses bearing the gospel message. Devout Jews out of every nation under heaven were dwelling there, Parthians and Medes and Elamites and dwellers in Mesopotamia and Judea and Cappadocia and Pontus and Asia and Phrygia and Pamphylia and Egypt and Libya about Cyrene and strangers of Rome and Cretes and Arabians, and every man heard the Spirit-filled preaching in his own language. This use of a city’s influence to spread the message is an example supporting the making of centers for representing and proclaiming present truth.

The disciples spoke so that hearers from many lands could understand in their own languages, with speech pure and simple and accurate in word and accent whether in native tongue or foreign language, though they had not studied in the schools of the prophets, and they presented elevated and pure truths. The crowd gathered when the news spread and was astonished because each heard them in his own language, having come from many countries and parts of the world and many language groups for worship and the festivals. Visitors at the feast carried those truths and seeds of truth home to their own peoples and places, where they won people to Christ and spread the truth among many peoples and nations and classes of society, helping the gospel spread widely.

Representatives from many parts of the world gathered there had heard the false reports about Christ circulated after His crucifixion. Before that multitude the disciples, with the power of the Holy Spirit resting upon them, boldly bore witness to the truth of His words, I am the Resurrection and the Life, meeting falsehood with positive testimony. They heard the gospel message of repentance and remission of sins preached in Christ’s name, and witnessed events connected with His crucifixion and with Pentecost. What they heard and witnessed they carried to their homes in many places and beyond.

The coming together of Jews who had come to Jerusalem to worship at the annual festivals began busy years of ministry in which Peter joined others in untiring efforts to reach them.

Pattern for Today

At Pentecost people of many different nationalities were gathered so that each could hear in his own language, and hearing in their own tongue was meant to carry conviction to them so that the message would then go broadcast everywhere. The same kind of representation of the Spirit's work will come again when God's people follow on to know the Lord, for the history of the early church is to be studied and undergone in similar ways. In the latter rain many voices will be empowered to proclaim God's truth and timid speakers will be made courageous, as people heard the truth in their own languages at Pentecost.

The outpouring came after the disciples had spent several days together confessing their sins and praying for the Holy Spirit in obedience to Jesus' command not to depart from Jerusalem until they received the promise of the Father, to be witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. On the day of Pentecost they were all with one accord in one place, of one accord and one mind, and the Spirit of God wrought mightily through those who were harmoniously united. Their prayers ascended to God and the Holy Spirit came upon them so that every man heard the Word spoken in his own language and thousands were converted in a day as the people took hold of the Word declared during Christ's ministry. The same blessings of the Holy Spirit can be received now by consecration to God, working in harmony with His Word, exalting the Word, and honoring its precepts by a consistent course of action in compliance with the conditions.

When messengers are sent to those of unfamiliar speech, God may give missionaries ability to learn the language quickly and local people may help them, preparing people to hear the gospel in their own tongue. As servants in the primitive church were miraculously endowed with knowledge of the languages in which they were called to preach without the toil and delay of learning, so God's willingness to help then proves His blessing will rest on efforts now to train and use those who naturally possess foreign tongues to bear truth to their own countrymen, supplying more laborers for the foreign field and fulfilling the command to preach the gospel to every creature. Believers have something to do by getting the self-denying life of Christ and taking the Bible from house to house to read to people, which brings many souls to the knowledge of the truth.

What happened when the outpouring was noised abroad at Jerusalem has special bearing now in connection with solemn responsibilities resting on those whose salvation was purchased at infinite cost, when devout Jews out of every nation under heaven heard Galilean disciples speak in birth language through the Holy Ghost, were amazed and in doubt asking what it meant while others mocked, leading to Peter standing with the eleven to explain the pouring out of the Spirit spoken by Joel. A mighty power from heaven works to give the truth to people of all languages and heaven will cooperate with workers, for in the last days there is a large work among people of all languages who are all to receive a large measure of grace. Therefore every believer whatever his country or speech should search the Scriptures and walk humbly with God, humbling himself as a little child, gaining intelligent knowledge of the truths of the third angel's message and of the righteousness of Christ with faith placed on the sure foundation of the word, striving to obtain the white robes. When rightly related to the work God will open understanding and give power to do an intelligent work, with angels opening subjects so hearers can take hold and with heavenly agencies impressing hearts even when everything spoken is not understood.

The public drawing together of the multitude amazed because each heard in his own language made God's power known publicly and serves as a pattern for heavenly revelations through warnings, reproofs, and explanations of Scripture, so people may recognize the prophetic period they have reached and remain watchful. The same work is needed now, for there is a world to save and a message to be given, with sinners to be converted and thousands to be converted in a day as the disciples went out preaching everywhere, and no one is to sleep in this judgment hour but must shake off stupor and indifference, arouse, and be converted.