Did the Jews at Pentecost still know how to speak Aramaic and Hebrew?
The Jews at Pentecost had largely lost fluency in Aramaic and Hebrew. Having lived for generations among Gentile nations, they and their children picked up the local languages, so they had probably almost forgotten the language of Aramaic and Hebrew and so forth.
Les explains that these Jews had been living out in all the other Gentile nations and had picked up that language. Their children had been raised under it, so they had probably almost forgotten the language of Aramaic and Hebrew. They came into Jerusalem speaking the languages of the other nations to the east, northern Africa, Greece, Italy, Spain, Great Britain, and so forth. These were all separate languages, and the Jews came with various language backgrounds.
And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
More Questions
Why were so many different languages present among the crowd at Pentecost?
Many of the Jews present at Pentecost had been displaced from Israel for generations and came from places like Babylon and Spain, all speaking different languages.
Why did the Jews at Pentecost speak foreign languages?
The diaspora Jews at Pentecost had been living in Gentile nations and had picked up those nations' languages, so they came into Jerusalem speaking various foreign languages, and their children had largely forgotten Aramaic and Hebrew.