Acts 2:12
New International Version
Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”

New Living Translation
They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other.

English Standard Version
And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”

Berean Standard Bible
Astounded and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”

Berean Literal Bible
And all were amazed, and were perplexed, saying to one another, "What wishes this to be?"

King James Bible
And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?

New King James Version
So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?”

New American Standard Bible
And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”

NASB 1995
And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”

NASB 1977
And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”

Legacy Standard Bible
And they all continued in astonishment and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”

Amplified Bible
And they were beside themselves with amazement and were greatly perplexed, saying one to another, “What could this mean?”

Christian Standard Bible
They were all astounded and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They were all astounded and perplexed, saying to one another, “What could this be?”

American Standard Version
And they were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying one to another, What meaneth this?

Contemporary English Version
Everyone was excited and confused. Some of them even kept asking each other, "What does all this mean?"

English Revised Version
And they were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying one to another, What meaneth this?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
All of these devout men were stunned and puzzled. They asked each other, "What can this mean?"

Good News Translation
Amazed and confused, they kept asking each other, "What does this mean?"

International Standard Version
All of them continued to be stunned and puzzled, and they kept asking one another, "What can this mean?"

Majority Standard Bible
Astounded and perplexed, they asked one another, ?What does this mean??

NET Bible
All were astounded and greatly confused, saying to one another, "What does this mean?"

New Heart English Bible
They were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying one to another, "What does this mean?"

Webster's Bible Translation
And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?

Weymouth New Testament
They were all astounded and bewildered, and asked one another, "What can this mean?"

World English Bible
They were all amazed and were perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying to one another, “What would this wish to be?”

Berean Literal Bible
And all were amazed, and were perplexed, saying to one another, "What wishes this to be?"

Young's Literal Translation
And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one unto another, 'What would this wish to be?'

Smith's Literal Translation
And all were affected in mind, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What may this mean to be?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they were all astonished, and wondered, saying one to another: What meaneth this?

Catholic Public Domain Version
And they were all astonished, and they wondered, saying to one another: “But what does this mean?”

New American Bible
They were all astounded and bewildered, and said to one another, “What does this mean?”

New Revised Standard Version
All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And they were all amazed and stunned, saying one to another, what does this mean?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And they were all astonished and bewildered. They were saying one to another, “What is this phenomenon?”
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
And they were all in amazement and doubt, and said, one to another: What can this mean?

Godbey New Testament
And all were astounded and bewildered, saying one to another, What does this wish to be?

Haweis New Testament
And they were all amazed, and much perplexed, and knew not what to think, saying one to another, What can this mean?

Mace New Testament
and they were all amazed, and perplex'd, saying one to another, what can the meaning of this be?

Weymouth New Testament
They were all astounded and bewildered, and asked one another, "What can this mean?"

Worrell New Testament
And they were all amazed, and perplexed, saying one to another, "What does this mean?"

Worsley New Testament
And they were all amazed and in doubt, saying one to another, What can this mean?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Holy Spirit at Pentecost
11both Jews and converts to Judaism; Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12Astounded and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” 13But others mocked them and said, “They are drunk on new wine!”…

Cross References
Joel 2:28-32
And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. / Even on My menservants and maidservants, I will pour out My Spirit in those days. / I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. ...

John 7:37-39
On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. / Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’” / He was speaking about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. For the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Isaiah 28:11-12
Indeed, with mocking lips and foreign tongues, He will speak to this people / to whom He has said: “This is the place of rest, let the weary rest; this is the place of repose.” But they would not listen.

1 Corinthians 14:22-23
Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers, but for unbelievers. Prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers. / So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who are uninstructed or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your minds?

Numbers 11:25-29
Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and He took some of the Spirit that was on Moses and placed that Spirit on the seventy elders. As the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied—but they never did so again. / Two men, however, had remained in the camp—one named Eldad and the other Medad—and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those listed, but they had not gone out to the tent, and they prophesied in the camp. / A young man ran and reported to Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” ...

John 16:7-15
But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. / And when He comes, He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: / in regard to sin, because they do not believe in Me; ...

Ezekiel 36:26-27
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. / And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances.

Matthew 12:23
The crowds were astounded and asked, “Could this be the Son of David?”

1 Samuel 10:10-11
When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a group of prophets met him. Then the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied along with them. / When all those who had formerly known Saul saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”

Zechariah 12:10
Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son.

Luke 24:49
And behold, I am sending the promise of My Father upon you. But remain in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

Jeremiah 31:31-34
Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. / It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant they broke, though I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. / “But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people. ...

John 14:16-17
And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever— / the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.

1 Corinthians 2:12-14
We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. / And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. / The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Isaiah 44:3
For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and currents on the dry ground. I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring.


Treasury of Scripture

And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What means this?

What.

Acts 10:17
Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate,

Acts 17:20
For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.

Luke 15:26
And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.

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Amazed Amazement Astounded Bewildered Continued Doubt Great Mean Mean Meaneth Perplexed Perplexity Reason Surprised Wish
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Amazed Amazement Astounded Bewildered Continued Doubt Great Mean Mean Meaneth Perplexed Perplexity Reason Surprised Wish
Acts 2
1. The apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit, and speaking various languages,
12. are admired by some, and derided by others;
14. whom Peter disproves;
37. he baptizes a great number who were converted;
41. who afterwards devoutly and charitably converse together;
43. the apostles working many miracles,
46. and God daily increasing his church.














Astounded and perplexed
The words "astounded" and "perplexed" capture the emotional and intellectual response of the crowd witnessing the events of Pentecost. The Greek word for "astounded" is "existanto," which conveys a sense of being amazed or astonished beyond comprehension. This reflects the supernatural nature of the Holy Spirit's outpouring, which defied natural explanation. The word "perplexed" comes from the Greek "diaporeo," meaning to be entirely at a loss or in doubt. This indicates the depth of their confusion and the challenge of understanding divine intervention. Historically, this moment marked a pivotal shift in God's interaction with humanity, as the Holy Spirit was now actively working within believers, fulfilling the prophecy of Joel 2:28-29.

they asked one another
This phrase highlights the communal nature of the inquiry. The crowd, composed of devout Jews from every nation under heaven (Acts 2:5), engaged in dialogue to make sense of the miraculous signs they were witnessing. This reflects a common human response to the divine: seeking understanding through community and shared experience. Theologically, it underscores the importance of fellowship and collective discernment in the Christian faith. The early church would continue to grow through such communal interactions, as believers gathered to study the apostles' teachings and break bread together (Acts 2:42).

'What does this mean?'
This question is central to the narrative of Acts 2. It signifies a moment of spiritual awakening and curiosity, as the crowd grapples with the implications of the Holy Spirit's arrival. Theologically, this question invites reflection on the fulfillment of God's promises and the inauguration of a new covenant through Jesus Christ. The Greek phrase "Ti thelei touto einai?" can be seen as an open door to revelation and understanding, prompting Peter's subsequent sermon, which explains the significance of the events in light of Scripture. This question remains relevant for believers today, encouraging a continual pursuit of understanding God's work in the world and in our lives.

(12) They were all amazed, and were in doubt.--The last word is somewhat stronger in the Greek: "were much perplexed," as in Luke 24:4. No New Testament writer uses it except St. Luke.

What meaneth this?--Better, What may this mean? The same phrase occurs in Acts 17:18.

Verse 12. - Perplexed for in doubt, A.V. and T.R.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Amazed
Ἐξίσταντο (Existanto)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 1839: From ek and histemi; to put out of wits, i.e. Astound, or become astounded, insane.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

perplexed,
διηπόρουν (diēporoun)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 1280: To be in trouble, doubt, difficulty; To be at a loss. From dia and aporeo; to be thoroughly nonplussed.

they asked
λέγοντες (legontes)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3004: (a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command.

one another,
ἄλλος (allos)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 243: Other, another (of more than two), different. A primary word; 'else, ' i.e. Different.

“What
Τί (Ti)
Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 5101: Who, which, what, why. Probably emphatic of tis; an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what.

does
θέλει (thelei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2309: To will, wish, desire, be willing, intend, design.

this
τοῦτο (touto)
Demonstrative Pronoun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3778: This; he, she, it.

mean?”
εἶναι (einai)
Verb - Present Infinitive Active
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.


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