Acts 1:16

1:16 “Brothers, ¹  the scripture had to be fulfilled that the Holy Spirit foretold through ²  David concerning Judas – who became the guide for those who arrested Jesus –

Acts 2:29

2:29 “Brothers, ³  I can speak confidently ⁴  to you about our forefather ⁵  David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.

Acts 2:37

The Response to Peter’s Address

2:37 Now when they heard this, ⁶  they were acutely distressed ⁷  and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “What should we do, brothers?”

Acts 7:2

7:2 So he replied, ⁸  “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our forefather ⁹  Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran,

Acts 15:7

15:7 After there had been much debate, ¹⁰  Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that some time ago ¹¹  God chose ¹²  me to preach to the Gentiles so they would hear the message ¹³  of the gospel ¹⁴  and believe. ¹⁵ 

Acts 22:1

Paul’s Defense

22:1 “Brothers and fathers, listen to my defense ¹⁶  that I now ¹⁷  make to you.”

[1:16]  ¹ tn Grk “Men brothers.” In light of the compound phrase ἄνδρες ἀδελφοί (andre" adelfoi, “Men brothers”) Peter’s words are best understood as directly addressed to the males present, possibly referring specifically to the twelve (really ten at this point – eleven minus the speaker, Peter) mentioned by name in v. 13.

[1:16]  ² tn Grk “foretold by the mouth of.”

[2:29]  ³ tn Since this represents a continuation of the address beginning in v.14 and continued in v. 22, “brothers” has been used here rather than a generic expression like “brothers and sisters.”

[2:29]  ⁴ sn Peter’s certainty is based on well-known facts.

[2:29]  ⁵ tn Or “about our noted ancestor,” “about the patriarch.”

[2:37]  ⁶ tn The word “this” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[2:37]  ⁷ tn Grk “they were pierced to the heart” (an idiom for acute emotional distress).

[7:2]  ⁸ tn Grk “said.”

[7:2]  ⁹ tn Or “ancestor”; Grk “father.”

[15:7]  ¹⁰ tn Or “discussion.” This term is repeated from v. 2.

[15:7]  ¹¹ tn Or “long ago” (an idiom, literally “from ancient days”). According to L&N 67.26, “this reference to Peter having been chosen by God sometime before to bring the gospel to the Gentiles can hardly be regarded as a reference to ancient times, though some persons understand this to mean that God’s decision was made at the beginning of time. The usage of ἀφ᾿ ἡμερῶν ἀρχαίων is probably designed to emphasize the established nature of God’s decision for Peter to take the gospel to the Gentiles beginning with the centurion Cornelius. The fact that this was relatively early in the development of the church may also serve to explain the use of the idiom.”

[15:7]  ¹² sn God chose. The theme of God’s sovereign choice is an important point, because 1st century Jews believed Israel’s unique position and customs were a reflection of God’s choice.

[15:7]  ¹³ tn Or “word.”

[15:7]  ¹⁴ tn Or “of the good news.”

[15:7]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “God chose among you from my mouth the Gentiles to hear the message of the gospel and to believe.” The sense of this sentence in Greek is difficult to render in English. The Greek verb ἐκλέγομαι (eklegomai, “choose”) normally takes a person or thing as a direct object; in this verse the verb has neither clearly stated. The translation understands the phrase “from my mouth,” referring to Peter, as a description of both who God chose and the task to be done. This coupled with the following statement about Gentiles hearing the message of the gospel leads to the more dynamic rendering in the translation.

[22:1]  ¹⁶ sn Listen to my defense. This is the first of several speeches Paul would make in his own defense: Acts 24:10ff.; 25:8, 16; and 26:1ff. For the use of such a speech (“apologia”) in Greek, see Josephus, Ag. Ap. 2.15 [2.147]; Wis 6:10.

[22:1]  ¹⁷ tn The adverb νυνί (nuni, “now”) is connected with the phrase τῆς πρὸς ὑμᾶς νυνὶ ἀπολογίας (th" pro" Juma" nuni apologia") rather than the verb ἀκούσατε (akousate), and the entire construction (prepositional phrase plus adverb) is in first attributive position and thus translated into English by a relative clause.