Translation
for they were hearing them speaking in [_________] tongues
Go to footnote numberand making THEOS great. Then PETER gave his conclusion,
Go to footnote numberParaphrase
for they heard them speaking in [foreign] languages and magnifying THE CREATOR AND OWNER OF ALL THINGS. Then SOLID AS A ROCK expressed his conclusion of the matter,
Footnotes
1
“A tongue” meant a language. The phrase “speaking in tongues” always begs for the insertion of an adjective, and the most natural adjectives are “unknown” or “foreign.” If someone is speaking to another person in a language they both understand we never say, “they are speaking in a known language,” or “they are speaking in a language they both understand.” It is unnecessary to say that because communication assumes comprehension and comprehension assumes a common medium. When this phrase is used it strongly implies that there is no common medium.
2: “conclusion”:
This is a compound Greek word coming from the preposition “from” and the verb “to judge,” hence, “to judge from.” It carries the following meanings, “to separate, to be separated, to conclude, to give forth a legal sentence (as a judge), to give forth one’s decision, to respond, to answer.” It was always preceded by something which needed some kind of conclusion or response.
When was speaking in foreign languages used in Acts?
From the precedent set at Pentecost, the gift of speaking in languages unknown by the speaker was employed by the Holy Spirit when there were people present who needed spiritual truths communicated in their mother tongue in order to fully understand them.
Most of our knowledge of ancient cultures and their languages comes from people who could write, not the poor classes that could not read or write. It is likely that the poor people could only get along for basic needs in the type of koine Greek used in their region, much less understand spiritual concepts and matters of the heart.
The fact that the Holy Spirit used other languages/dialects to communicate with people who came from other lands for the feast of Pentecost demonstrates the fact that not everyone understood koine Greek well enough to properly understand God’s message about salvation, even if it were communicated in Greek rather than Aramaic.
There was the need for foreign languages to be spoken occasionally in a church service in that part of the world. If some of those present could barely understand the trade language (koine Greek) and if no one else present could translate things into their language for them, they would be at a disadvantage. Those were the situations in which God used public tongues in the early church. Some missionaries report that God still uses proper public tongues in similar situations today, although it appears to be very rare.
CLOSURE
Notice that verse 46 says they were “magnifying God” which is a form of closure or completion. They were not stuck in the stage of asking God a burning question and never getting an answer. They received the illumination they were seeking (Urim) and praised God for it (Thummim).