Acts 2:8

Acts 2:8 Meaning and Explanation

And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

King James Version (KJV)

Read this verse in context with translation switching:

Read Full Chapter →

The crowd asks how each of them can be hearing the message in his own native language.

What Does Acts 2:8 Mean?

The pilgrims press their astonishment into words. The miracle is intimate: not a trade language or a learned tongue, but the speech each one was born into — the language of home, of childhood, of the heart.

God addresses people in the tongue wherein they were born because he aims for the heart and not merely the ear. The wonderful works of God are not announced from a distance; they are spoken into the most familiar room of a person's life. Whoever has ever felt far from home in the world may hear in this verse a promise: when God speaks, he speaks as one who knows where you come from.

Frequently Asked Questions About Acts 2:8

What does Acts 2:8 mean?

The crowd asks how each of them can be hearing the message in his own native language.

Keep Studying Acts 2

Read the whole chapter in KJV, ASV, or WEB, or go deeper with the chapter study guide and key themes.