But you, beloved, remember the words which have been spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But, beloved,.... Or "my beloved", as the Syriac and Arabic versions read; or "our brethren", as the Ethiopic version; the apostle addresses the saints in this manner, to distinguish them from the false teachers, and to show that he had a different opinion of them from them; and that be would have them beware of them, and not be surprised at them, since it was...
Verses 17, 18. But, beloved, remember ye, etc. There is a striking similarity between these two verses and . It occurs in the same connexion, following the description of the false and dangerous teachers against whom the apostle would guard them, and couched almost in the same words. See it explained in Notes on the similar passage in Peter.
But; beloved . . . ye--in contrast to those reprobates, Jde 1:20, again. remember--implying that his readers had been contemporaries of the apostles. For Peter uses the very same formula in reminding the contemporaries of himself and the other apostles. spoken before--spoken already before now. the apostles--Peter (see on Pe2 3:2-3), and Paul before Peter (Act 20:29; Ti1 4:1; Ti2 3:1).