“Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
The full verse · Acts 2:37 · KJV
when they this, they were in their , to the of the , and , shall we ?
Asked by
Crowd: the men of Judaea and dwellers at Jerusalem who heard Peter's sermon, whom he addressed as "Ye men of Israel" and "all the house of Israel" (Acts 2:14, 22, 36)
Asked to
Peter: Simon Peter, who stood up with the eleven and preached that God had made the crucified Jesus both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:14, 36); Disciples: "the rest of the apostles" (Acts 2:37), "the eleven" who stood with Peter (Acts 2:14) on the day of Pentecost; the hearers "were pricked in their heart" and spoke to Peter and to them (Acts 2:37)
The Scene
Peter has just ended his Pentecost sermon in Jerusalem with the words, "God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionPeter's words landed. His hearers realized that the Jesus they had crucified was the Lord and Christ, and "they were pricked in their heart." Barnes says, "They were suddenly and deeply affected with anguish and alarm at what Peter had said." Matthew Henry says Peter "awakened their consciences, touched them to the quick." Their question comes from that place. Henry hears two things in it: they spoke "as men at a stand, that did not know what to do," and "as men at a point, that were resolved to do any thing they should be directed to."
The Response
What Scripture recordsPeter answered: "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:38). He added, "the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off" (Acts 2:39), and urged them, "Save yourselves from this untoward generation" (Acts 2:40). The result: "they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls" (Acts 2:41).
Historical Context
The world behind the words"Pricked" translates katanusso, which the interlinear glosses "they were pierced." Thayer defines it "to prick, pierce; metaphorically, to pain the mind sharply," used especially of sorrow, and BibleHub lists Acts 2:37 as its only use in the New Testament.
"Men and brethren" (andres adelphoi, "men, brothers") is the same address Peter had used to them in Acts 2:29. They answer him as fellow Israelites. Peter had told them plainly that Jesus was "delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God," and that "ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain" Him (Acts 2:23).
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyBarnes writes, "Never was a more important question asked than this." The crowd had moved from "What meaneth this?" (Acts 2:12) to "what shall we do?" Understanding had turned into conviction, and conviction into a request.
What God offers in answer is grace. The very people who had crucified Jesus are offered "remission of sins" and "the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:38), and the promise reaches "as many as the LORD our God shall call" (Acts 2:39). Matthew Henry notes that "Those that are convinced of sin would gladly know the way to peace and pardon," pointing to the same question asked by Saul (Acts 9:6) and by the Philippian jailer (Acts 16:30).
Look Closer
What had Peter just declared when they were pricked in their heart?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord, when Your Word shows me my need of You, what would You have me do in response?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- When the truth about Jesus pricks your heart, what do you tend to do with that feeling?
- Tell about a time when a hard truth became the start of something new between you and God.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
When God's Word cuts to your heart, that is not the end of the story. It is an invitation. The crowd did not run from the pain; they asked what to do, and they received a clear answer: repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, receive forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38).
If you are carrying that kind of conviction, bring the same question to God and to people who can point you to Jesus. The way forward is not to earn your way back but to turn and receive what He offers.
This doesn't mean conviction should leave you in shame. Peter's answer was full of promise: "the promise is unto you, and to your children" (Acts 2:39). Those who received it did so "gladly" (Acts 2:41).
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