Acts 2:11

Cretans and Arabians, we hear them speaking in our tongues the mighty works of God.

'CRETANS'-inhabitants of the island of Crete, which contained. good size Jewish population.

'ARABIANS'-'Arabia in NT is the kingdom of the Nabatean Arabs, east of Syria and Palestine, stretching from the Red Sea to the Euphrates, with its capital at Petra. This kingdom was at the height of its power under Aretas IV (9 B.C.-A.D. 40).' (Bruce p. 64)

'SPEAKING IN OUR TONGUES THE MIGHTY WORKS OF GOD'-Indicating that the audience understood precisely what was being said. For if the "tongues" were babbling-then how did such. diverse audience all reach the same conclusion concerning the specific message of what was being spoken, i.e. 'the mighty works of God'? If you can't understand what. person is saying, for all you know they might be cursing God.

Point to Note:

Some have said that the miracle happened in the ears of the people. But the Holy Spirit didn't come upon those who heard. Stott notes, 'it was not. mistake or. miracle of hearing..so that the audience supposed that the believers spoke in other languages when they did not.' (p. 66) Luke is very clear: The apostles spoke in the languages (Acts 2:4), and what people were hearing was true and accurate-they were hearing their own dialects (Acts 2:33).