Hechos 2:7-11

Most of the disciples were Galileans at this time. They were identifiable by their rural appearance and their accent (cf. Matthew 26:73).

"Galileans had difficulty pronouncing gutturals and had the habit of swallowing syllables when speaking; so they were looked down upon by the people of Jerusalem as being provincial (cf. Mark 14:70). Therefore, since the disciples who were speaking were Galileans, it bewildered those who heard because the disciples could not by themselves have learned so many different languages." [Note: Longenecker, p. 272.]

Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and Mesopotamians lived to the east and north of Palestine. Some of them were probably descendants of the Jews who did not return from the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities. Many texts do not include "Judea," but if authentic it probably refers to the Roman province of Judea that included Syria. Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia were all provinces in Asia Minor to the northwest. Egypt, Libya, and Cyrene lay to the south and west. Simon of Cyrene, in North Africa, had carried Jesus’ cross (Luke 23:26). Rome, of course, lay farther northwest in Europe. Luke had a special interest in the gospel reaching Rome, so that may be the reason he singled it out for special mention here. It may be that some of these Roman expatriates returned to Rome and planted the church there. Ambrosiaster, a fourth-century Latin father, wrote that the Roman church was founded without any special miracles and without contact with any apostle. [Note: Ibid., p. 273.] Josephus wrote that visitors to Jersalem for a great feast could swell the population to nearly 3,000,000. [Note: Flavius Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, 6:9:3.]

"The Roman Empire had an estimated population of fifty to eighty million, with about seven million free Roman citizens (Schnabel 2004: 558-59). About two and a half million people inhabited Judea, and there were about five million Jews altogether in the empire, 10 percent of the whole population." [Note: Bock, Acts, p. 43.]

A proselyte was a Gentile who had adopted Judaism and had become a part of the nation of Israel by submitting to three rites. Acts and Matthew are the only New Testament books that mention proselytes. These rites were circumcision (if a male), self-baptism before witnesses, and ideally the offering of a sacrifice. [Note: F. F. Bruce, Commentary on the Book of Acts, p. 64.] Cretans lived on the island of Crete, and "Arabs" refers to the Arabians who lived east of Palestine between the Red Sea and the Euphrates River. All these heard the mighty deeds of God (i.e., the gospel) in their own languages. This was a reversal of what took place at Babel (Genesis 11) and illustrated the human unity that God’s unhindered working produces.

"Although every Jew could not be present for Peter’s speech, the narrator does not hesitate to depict representatives of the Jews of every land as Peter’s listeners. This feature shows a concern not just with Gentiles but with a gospel for all Jews, which can bring the restoration of Israel as a united people under its Messiah." [Note: Tannehill, 2:27.]

"The point [of Luke’s list] is not to provide a tour of the known world but to mention nations that had known extensive Jewish populations, which of course would include Judea. [Note: See D. J. Williams, Acts, pp. 28-29.] More to the point, Luke’s arrangement involves first listing the major inhabited nations or regions, then those from the islands (Cretans), then finally those from desert regions (Arabs)." [Note: Witherington, p. 136.]