Acts 2:7-8

2:7 Completely baffled, they said, ¹  “Aren’t ²  all these who are speaking Galileans? 2:8 And how is it that each one of us hears them ³  in our own native language? ⁴ 

[2:7]  ¹ tn Grk “They were astounded and amazed, saying.” The two imperfect verbs, ἐξίσταντο (existanto) and ἐθαύμαζον (eqaumazon), show both the surprise and the confusion on the part of the hearers. The verb ἐξίσταντο (from ἐξίστημι, existhmi) often implies an illogical perception or response (BDAG 350 s.v. ἐξίστημι): “to be so astonished as to almost fail to comprehend what one has experienced” (L&N 25.218).

[2:7]  ² tn Grk “Behold, aren’t all these.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[2:8]  ³ tn Grk “we hear them, each one of us.”

[2:8]  ⁴ tn Grk “in our own language in which we were born.”