Translation
Now when this sound happened,
Go to footnote numbera large crowd came together and was confused, for each one was hearing them speak in his own dialect.
Go to footnote numberParaphrase
Now when the sound [of the followers of Jesus speaking loudly] was heard by many in the temple complex, a large crowd gathered around them, but those in the crowd soon became confused about what was going on because each visitor heard these Jews speaking the dialect that was specific to his own region.
Footnotes
1
This participle is from the verb meaning “to become, to occur, to happen.” In English we do not use any of these verbs when speaking about a sound, or a noise, but they did. Therefore, my translation is a bit awkward, but my paraphrase focuses on the sound being heard, which is the intended meaning. In my paraphrase I have also given my opinion about which sound I think it was. I believe the crowds heard both the sound of the wind, and the sound of the followers of Jesus speaking excitedly. The first sound made them wonder what was going on, but they did not gather in one place until they heard the speaking.
2
The word used here is the word from which we get our word “dialect,” although it can also mean “language.” The Meyer’s Commentary makes the case that they did not speak different languages, but different dialects of a few major languages. He gives the following examples: “the Asiatics, Phrygians, and Pamphylians, respectively spoke Greek, but in different idioms; the Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, [spoke] Persian, but also in different provincial forms.” The Greek-speaking visitors in Jerusalem that day were not surprised that these Jews could speak Koine Greek, but that they could speak it with the regional peculiarities of their hometown.
EACH FOLLOWER OF JESUS SPOKE TO A CLUSTER OF MEN
First of all, those from other lands whose first language (mother tongue) was not the same as that spoken in Judea or Galilee would naturally be clumped together in small clusters with others who spoke their language or dialect. There may have been more than one such cluster for each language or dialect; my point here is that they were not mixed evenly throughout the crowd but were together in small clusters. When the power of the Holy Spirit came upon the followers of Jesus, each one began to find people to tell about Jesus. They quickly realized that they were not speaking in the normal language of Galilee, so they started moving away from each other, looking for people who could understand what they were saying. The men from other places would detect their language or dialect through the noise and begin motioning to the person who was speaking it to come to them, for it was easier for one person to move through that crowd than for a group of people to move. Other clumps of men who had the same first language would join them making a larger cluster of men who wanted to hear what this person was saying. They were drawn by the miracle because they realized this man from Galilee should not be able to speak in their language or dialect.
Thus, there were clusters of people all over the temple courts who heard a message similar to the one Peter preached. His message was the only one written down because it was not necessary to record several similar messages. His message was unique in that it addressed the accusation of drunkenness by the Jews present, and it demonstrated the dramatic change which had come over Peter.