Acts 2:37 (WEB)

Passage

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

Nearby Context

Acts 2:35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’Psalm 110:1

Acts 2:36 “Let all the house of Israel therefore know certainly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:39 For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "heard", "heart", "said", "peter", "rest", "apostles", "brothers", and "shall". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "heard" and "heart", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 36's "Let all the house of Israel therefore..." into verse 38's "Peter said to them Repent and be...", so "heard" and "heart" belong inside that flow. In Acts context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "heard" and "heart" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.