Called out translates a verb tense which may indicate that Paul “kept calling out,” but in this type of context called out must be understood as “shouted” or “spoke in a loud voice.” There is no sense here of “calling to someone.”

My brothers is the same formula which appears in 23.1.

It should be noticed that Paul says I am a Pharisee, not “I was a Pharisee.” Once again Paul gives indication that to be a Pharisee and a Christian are not necessarily contradictory, since in Christianity is the fulfillment of Paul’s Jewish hopes (see 15.5 which tells of Pharisees who became believers). In a number of languages the expression the son of Pharisees may be more idiomatically rendered as “my parents were Pharisees.”

Paul is not merely trying to cause dissension among the group of Pharisees and Sadducees when he says I am on trial here because I hope that the dead will rise to life. As a Pharisee Paul believed that the dead would be raised to life, and he saw this hope realized in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

There is perhaps no other term more difficult to translate in some languages than hope, since it combines two very important components: (1) patient waiting and (2) confidence that something positive will happen. Therefore, in this type of context one may sometimes have a phrase such as “because I wait with confidence that the dead will rise to life.” The expression will rise to life may be rendered in some languages as “God will cause the dead to come to life again.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .