Acts 2:13 records the reaction of some onlookers in Jerusalem who heard a crowd speaking in many languages and dismissed it as drunkenness. They suggested the believers had been drinking too much new wine, which was a cheap explanation for something they could not understand. The verse is spoken by unnamed bystanders in the crowd gathered on the day of Pentecost, and it is aimed at the disciples who had just been filled with the Holy Spirit.
Others, mocking, said, “They are filled with new wine.”
Acts 2:13 (WEB)
What Acts 2:13 Means
The word “others” points to a second group in the crowd, distinct from those who were amazed and puzzled in the verse before. These people were not curious. They had already decided what they were seeing, and their judgment came out as ridicule. The verse tells us that not everyone who witnessed the Spirit’s work responded with wonder.
The phrase “mocking” shows that their response was deliberate contempt rather than honest confusion. They chose to explain away the event with a joke, since admitting something supernatural was happening would have demanded a different kind of response from them. Their remark about “new wine” was a sneer meant to make the disciples look foolish in front of everyone.
The verse does not promise that every miracle will be welcomed, or that God’s work will always be understood right away. It simply records that some people reject the evidence in front of them and use humor or dismissal to avoid facing it. Reading it this way keeps us from assuming that a faithful witness will always be met with respect.
The Context of Acts 2:13
Luke wrote the book of Acts as a second volume following his Gospel, addressed to a man named Theophilus, and he traces how the message of Jesus spread from Jerusalem outward. Pentecost, the Jewish harvest festival, brought Jews and converts from across the Roman world into the city, which is why the crowd in verses 10 and 11 hears the disciples speaking in their own languages. The scene is set in a city full of pilgrims who were familiar with God’s law but had not heard the gospel.
Right after the verse, Peter stands up with the eleven and answers the mockery directly, explaining that it is only the third hour of the day, too early for anyone to be drunk. He then quotes the prophet Joel to show that the event fulfills Scripture. Read this way, the mockery in verse 13 is the foil for Peter’s clear, reasoned defense, and it shows how the Spirit’s work invites a public response from the crowd.
Key Phrases in Acts 2:13
Acts 2:14
But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spoke out to them, “You men of Judea, and all you who dwell at Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to my words.
(WEB)
This verse follows immediately after the mockery and shows Peter standing to answer the crowd. It connects to Acts 2:13 by showing how the disciples responded to scorn with a calm, public, and reasoned testimony rather than anger or silence.
1 Peter 3:15
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, with humility and fear…
(WEB)
Peter later encourages believers to give a defense for their hope with gentleness and respect. Read alongside Acts 2:13, it offers practical guidance for how to respond when others mock or dismiss the faith.
A Short Prayer From Acts 2:13
Lord, you know how easily I dismiss what I do not understand, and how quickly I reach for an easy explanation when your work feels inconvenient. Give me honest eyes to see what you are doing around me, and soften my heart wherever scorn has taken root. When others mock what I believe, help me respond with gentleness and clarity rather than fear. Thank you for the Spirit who speaks boldly through ordinary people. Amen.