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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Acts 16:35–40. His four-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
In these verses we have,
I.Orders sent for the discharge of Paul and Silas out of prison Act 16:35, Act 16:36.
1.The magistrates that had so basely abused them the day before gave the orders; and their doing it so early, as soon as it was day, intimates that either they were sensible the terrific earthquake they felt at midnight was intended to plead the cause of their prisoners, or their consciences had smitten them for what they had done and made them very uneasy. While the persecuted were singing in the stocks, the persecutors were full of tossings to and fro upon their beds, through anguish of mind, complaining more of the lashes of their consciences than the prisoners did of the lashes on their backs, and more in haste to give them a discharge than they were to petition for one. Now God caused his servants to be pitied of those that had carried them captives, Psa 106:46. The magistrates sent sergeants, rabdouchous - those that had the rods, the vergers, the tipstaves, the beadles, those that had been employed in beating them, that they might go and ask them forgiveness. The order was, Let those men go. It is probable that they designed further mischief to them, but God turned their hearts, and, as he had made their wrath hitherto to praise him, so the remainder thereof he did restrain, Psa 76:10.
2.The jailer brought them the news (Act 16:36): The magistrates have sent to let you go. Some think the jailer had betimes transmitted an account to the magistrates of what had passed in his house that night, and so had obtained this order for the discharge of his prisoners: Now therefore depart. Not that he was desirous to part with them as his guests, but as his prisoners; they shall still be welcome to his house, but he is glad they are at liberty from his stocks. God could by his grace as easily have converted the magistrates as the jailer, and have brought them to faith and baptism; but God hath chosen the poor of this world, Jam 2:5.
II.Paul's insisting upon the breach of privilege which the magistrates had been guilty of, Act 16:37.
Paul said to the sergeants, "They have beaten us openly, uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison against all law and justice, and now do they thrust us out privily, and think to make us amends with this for the injury done us? Nay, verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us our, and own that they have done us wrong." It is probable that the magistrates had some intimation that they were Romans, and were made sensible that their fury had carried them further than the law would bear them out; and that this was the reason why they gave orders for their discharge. Now observe,
1.Paul did not plead this before he was beaten, though it is probable that it might have prevented it, lest he should seem to be afraid of suffering for the truth which he had preached. Tully, in one of his orations, against Verres, tells of one Ganius, who was ordered by Verres to be beaten in Sicily, that all the while he was under the lash he cried out nothing but Civis Romanus sum - I am a citizen of Rome; Paul did not do so; he had nobler things than this to comfort himself with in his affliction.
2.He did plead it afterwards, to put an honour upon his sufferings and upon the cause he suffered for, to let the world know that the preachers of the gospel were not such despicable men as they were commonly looked upon to be, and that they merited better treatment. He did it likewise to mollify the magistrates towards the Christians at Philippi, and to gain better treatment for them, and beget in the people a better opinion of the Christian religion, when they saw that Paul had a fair advantage against their magistrates, might have brought his action against them and had them called to an account for what they had done, and yet did not take the advantage, which was very much to the honour of that worthy name by which he was called. Now here,
(1.)Paul lets them know how many ways they had run themselves into a premunire, and that he had law enough to know it.
[1.]They had beaten those that were Romans; some think that Silas was a Roman citizen as well as Paul; others that this does not necessarily follow. Paul was a citizen, and Silas was his companion. Now both the lex Procia and the lex Sempronia did expressly forbid liberum corpus Romani civis, virgis aut aliis verberibus caedi - the free body of a Roman citizen to be beaten with rods or otherwise. Roman historians give instances of cities that had their charters taken from them for indignities done to Roman citizens; we shall afterwards find Paul making use of this plea, Act 22:25, Act 22:26. To tell them they had beaten those who were the messengers of Christ and the favourites of Heaven would have had no influence upon them; but to tell them they have abused Roman citizens will put them into a fright: so common is it for people to be more afraid of Caesar's wrath than of Christ's. He that affronts a Roman, a gentleman, a nobleman, though ignorantly, and through mistake, thinks himself concerned to cry Peccavi - I have done wrong, and make his submission; but he that persecutes a Christian because he belongs to Christ stands to it, and thinks he may do it securely, though God hath said, He that toucheth them toucheth the apple of my eye, and Christ has warned us of the danger of offending his little ones.
[2.]They had beaten them uncondemned; indicta causa - without a fair hearing, had not calmly examined what was said against them, much less enquired what they had to say for themselves. It is a universal rule of justice, Caus cognit possunt multi absolvi, incognit nemo condemnari potest - Many may be acquitted in consequence of having had a hearing, while without a hearing no one can be condemned. Christ's servants would not have been abused as they have been if they and their cause might but have had an impartial trial.
[3.]It was an aggravation of this that they had done it openly, which, as it was so much the greater disgrace to the sufferers, so it was the bolder defiance to justice and the law.
[4.]They had cast them into prison, without showing any cause of their commitment, and in an arbitrary manner, by a verbal order.
[5.]They now thrust them out privily; they had not indeed the impudence to stand by what they had done, but yet had not the honesty to own themselves in a fault.
(2.)He insists upon it that they should make them an acknowledgment of their error, and give them a public discharge, to make it the more honourable, as they had done them a public disgrace, which made that the more disgraceful: "Let them come themselves, and fetch us out, and give a testimony to our innocency, and that we have done nothing worthy of stripes or of bonds." It was not a point of honour that Paul stood thus stiffly upon, but a point of justice, and not to himself so much as to his cause: "Let them come and stop the clamours of the people, by confessing that we are not the troublers of the city."
III.The magistrates' submission, and the reversing of the judgment given against Paul and Silas, Act 16:38, Act 16:39.
1.The magistrates were frightened when they were told (though it may be they knew it before) that Paul was a Roman. They feared when they heard it, lest some of his friends should inform the government of what they had done, and they should fare the worse for it. The proceedings of persecutors have often been illegal, even by the law of nations, and often inhuman, against the law of nature, but always sinful, and against God's law.
2.They came and besought them not to take advantage of the law against them, but to overlook the illegality of what they had done and say no more of it: they brought them out of the prison, owning that they were wrongfully put into it, and desired them that they would peaceably and quietly depart out of the city. Thus Pharaoh and his servants, who had set God and Moses at defiance, came to Moses, and bowed down themselves to him, saying, Get thee out, Exo 11:8. God can make the enemies of his people ashamed of their envy and enmity to them, Isa 26:11. Jerusalem is sometimes made a burdensome stone to those that heave at it, which they would gladly get clear of, Zac 12:3. Yet, if the repentance of these magistrates had been sincere, they would not have desired them to depart out of their city (as the Gadarenes desired to be rid of Christ), but would have courted their stay, and begged of them to continue in their city, to show them the way of salvation. But many are convinced that Christianity is not to be persecuted who yet are not convinced that it ought to be embraced, or at least are not persuaded to embrace it. They are compelled to do honour to Christ and his servants, to worship before their feet, and to know that he has loved them (Rev 3:9), and yet do not go so far as to have benefit by Christ, or to come in for a share in his love.
IV.The departure of Paul and Silas from Philippi, Act 16:40.
They went out of the prison when they were legally discharged, and not till then, though they were illegally committed, and then,
1.They took leave of their friends: they went to the house of Lydia, where probably the disciples had met to pray for them, and there they saw the brethren, or visited them at their respective habitations (which was soon done, they were so few); and they comforted them, by telling them (saith an ancient Greek commentary) what God had done for them, and how he had owned them in the prison. They encouraged them to keep close to Christ, and hold fast the profession of their faith, whatever difficulties they might meet with, assuring them that all would then end well, everlastingly well. Young converts should have a great deal said to them to comfort them, for the joy of the Lord will be very much their strength.
2.They quitted the town: They departed. I wonder they should do so; for, now that they had had such an honourable discharge from their imprisonment, surely they might have gone on at least for some time in their work without danger; but I suppose they went away upon that principle of their Master's (Mar 1:38). Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, for therefore came I forth. Paul and Silas had an extraordinary call to Philippi; and yet, when they have come thither, they see little of the fruit of their labours, and are soon driven thence. Yet they did not come in vain. Though the beginnings here were small, the latter end greatly increased; now they laid the foundation of a church at Philippi, which became very eminent, had its bishops and deacons, and people that were more generous to Paul than any other church, as appears by his epistle to the Philippians, Phi 1:1; Phi 4:15. Let not ministers be discouraged, though they see not the fruit of their labours presently; the seed sown seems to be lost under the clods, but it shall come up again in a plentiful harvest in due time.
Historical interpretation
Historical Reception
One surviving comment on this verse from the historical church.
And the sergeants told these words unto the magistrates: and they feared, when they heard that they were Romans. And they came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city. They feared, it says: because the men were Romans, not because they had unjustly cast them into prison. And besought them to depart out of the city: begged them as a favor. Observe how diversely grace manages things: how Peter went out, how Paul, though both were Apostles.
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Summary
Acts 16:39 records the remarkable reversal of fortune for Paul and Silas in Philippi, as the very magistrates who had unjustly beaten and imprisoned them now humble themselves, coming to beseech the apostles, bring them out of the prison, and earnestly request their departure from the city. This verse powerfully underscores divine vindication, the consequences of injustice, and the strategic wisdom of God's servants in the face of persecution.
Context
Literary Context
Acts 16:39 is the climactic resolution to a dramatic sequence of events in Philippi. The narrative begins with Paul and Silas's ministry, including the deliverance of a slave girl from a spirit of divination, which in turn incited her masters to stir up a mob against the missionaries. This led to their unlawful arrest, a severe public beating without trial, and imprisonment in the inner cell with their feet in stocks (Acts 16:16-24). A miraculous earthquake, however, opened the prison doors and led to the conversion of the jailer and his household (Acts 16:25-34). The following morning, when the magistrates sent word for their release, Paul asserted his Roman citizenship, demanding a public apology and release, as they had been unlawfully treated (Acts 16:35-37). Verse 39 details the magistrates' immediate and fearful response to this revelation, bringing the narrative arc of injustice and divine vindication to a powerful conclusion.
Historical & Cultural Context
Philippi was a Roman colony, a city granted special privileges and governed by Roman law, often proud of its Roman identity. Roman citizens, like Paul, possessed specific legal rights, including protection from arbitrary arrest, public beating, and imprisonment without a proper trial. The magistrates (Latin: duoviri or praetors) were high-ranking officials responsible for maintaining order and administering justice. Violating the rights of a Roman citizen was a grave offense, potentially leading to severe penalties for the magistrates themselves, including fines, demotion, or even capital punishment. This fear explains their sudden change in demeanor from arrogant authority to humble supplication. Their public act of "bringing them out" and "beseeching them" was not merely a courtesy but a desperate attempt to mitigate their legal exposure and prevent further trouble from higher Roman authorities.
Key Themes
Acts 16:39 powerfully contributes to several overarching themes in the book of Acts and broader biblical theology. It highlights Divine Vindication, demonstrating God's active protection and defense of His persecuted servants against human injustice, turning a situation of suffering into one of triumph, as seen throughout the early church's history (Acts 5:17-20). The verse also showcases a dramatic Reversal of Fortune, where the powerful oppressors are humbled before their victims, echoing the principle that "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6). Furthermore, it underscores the Importance of Legal Rights and strategic wisdom in ministry, as Paul's assertion of his Roman citizenship not only secured their release but also established a precedent for the nascent Christian community in Philippi, ensuring their public innocence and potentially deterring future abuses of power (Acts 22:25-29). Finally, it subtly illustrates Missionary Prudence, as Paul and Silas, despite their victory, wisely choose to depart, prioritizing the long-term growth and stability of the Philippian church over personal gratification or further confrontation (Acts 16:40).
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
Meaning "to call near, i.e. invite, invoke (by imploration, hortation or consolation)." This word conveys a sense of earnest entreaty, urging, or appealing, far beyond a casual request. It indicates the magistrates' desperate plea, reflecting their fear and urgent desire to rectify their unlawful actions and avoid severe consequences.
Meaning "to lead forth, bring forth (out), fetch (lead) out." This term highlights the physical action of the magistrates personally escorting Paul and Silas out of the prison. This was a public act, demonstrating their submission and the official nature of the apostles' release, serving as a public acknowledgment of their innocence.
G2065 (erōtáō) means "to interrogate; by implication, to request, ask, beseech, desire, intreat, pray." G1831 (exérchomai) means "to issue (literally or figuratively); to come (forth, out), depart (out of), escape, get out, go (abroad, away, forth, out, thence), proceed (forth), spread abroad." The combination of these words emphasizes the magistrates' strong, urgent request for Paul and Silas to leave the city. This was not a polite suggestion but a desperate plea to remove the source of their legal peril and restore civic order, from their perspective.
Verse Breakdown
"And they came and besought them"
This phrase marks a dramatic shift in the power dynamic. The magistrates, who had previously wielded their authority with arrogance and injustice, now approach Paul and Silas with humility and earnest supplication. Their "coming" to the prison and "beseeching" the prisoners underscores their fear and desperation to appease those they had wronged, recognizing the gravity of their unlawful actions against Roman citizens.
"and brought [them] out"
This action signifies the official and public nature of the release. It was not a quiet, private dismissal but a public escort by the very officials who had ordered their imprisonment. This act served as a public vindication for Paul and Silas, demonstrating that their release was not an escape but an official acknowledgment of the magistrates' error and the apostles' innocence.
"and desired [them] to depart out of the city"
The final clause reveals the magistrates' primary motivation: to remove the perceived threat and avoid further legal repercussions. Their "desire" for Paul and Silas to "depart" was an urgent request, born out of fear for their own positions and safety under Roman law. It highlights the profound impact Paul's assertion of citizenship had, transforming the officials' initial contempt into a desperate plea for the apostles' absence.
Literary Devices
Acts 16:39 is rich with Irony and Dramatic Reversal. The very individuals who held the power to inflict suffering and imprisonment are now reduced to humble supplication before their former prisoners. This complete turnaround from authority to subservience is a powerful instance of Poetic Justice, where the perpetrators of injustice are forced to acknowledge their wrongdoing and suffer the consequences of their actions. The narrative employs Contrast between the magistrates' initial arrogance and their subsequent fear, highlighting the vulnerability of human authority when confronted by divine protection and legal righteousness. The scene also functions as a form of Divine Vindication, where God orchestrates events to publicly clear the names of His servants and demonstrate His sovereignty over worldly powers.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Acts 16:39 profoundly illustrates the principle of divine vindication and God's sovereign control over human authorities. It testifies that even in the face of grave injustice and suffering, God is at work to protect His people and advance His kingdom. The magistrates' forced humility serves as a powerful reminder that no human power can ultimately thwart God's purposes or escape His justice. This episode not only secured Paul and Silas's freedom but also publicly affirmed the legitimacy of their mission and the new Christian community in Philippi, laying a foundation for its future growth. It demonstrates that God uses various means, including legal rights and strategic wisdom, to ensure the Gospel's unhindered spread.
Reflection and Application
Acts 16:39 offers profound lessons for believers navigating a world that often opposes the Gospel. It encourages us to trust in God's ultimate justice and vindication, even when circumstances seem overwhelmingly against us. Paul and Silas's experience reminds us that God can turn even the most dire situations into opportunities for His glory and the advancement of His kingdom. We are called to exercise wisdom and discernment, utilizing available legal and civil rights not for personal gain or revenge, but strategically for the sake of the Gospel and the protection of the church. Furthermore, the magistrates' humbling serves as a cautionary tale against the abuse of power and a testament to the transformative power of humility, even if born out of fear. Finally, Paul and Silas's decision to depart highlights the importance of strategic retreat in ministry, knowing when to move on to allow new spiritual seeds to take root and flourish without unnecessary confrontation, demonstrating a focus on the mission rather than personal triumph.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why were the magistrates so afraid of Paul and Silas after learning they were Roman citizens?
The magistrates were terrified because they had committed a grave legal offense under Roman law. Roman citizens were protected from arbitrary arrest, public beating, and imprisonment without a proper trial. By ordering Paul and Silas to be severely beaten with rods and then imprisoned without due process (Acts 16:22-23), the magistrates had violated fundamental Roman citizenship rights. Such an offense could lead to severe penalties for the magistrates themselves, including fines, demotion, or even capital punishment, especially if the matter was reported to higher Roman authorities. Their fear was not of Paul and Silas personally, but of the legal repercussions from Rome.
Did Paul and Silas forgive the magistrates, or were they just using their citizenship for leverage?
The text doesn't explicitly state whether Paul and Silas offered personal forgiveness to the magistrates, but their actions suggest a focus on strategic vindication for the sake of the Gospel rather than personal revenge. Paul's assertion of his Roman citizenship (Acts 16:37) was a strategic move to secure a public acknowledgment of their innocence, protect the nascent Christian community in Philippi, and establish a precedent against future abuses. Their subsequent departure (Acts 16:40) indicates a wise decision to avoid further conflict and allow the church to grow. While personal forgiveness is a Christian virtue, Paul's immediate concern here was the integrity of the Gospel message and the safety of the believers.
What was the broader significance of Paul's Roman citizenship in his ministry?
Paul's Roman citizenship proved to be a crucial asset throughout his missionary journeys, often providing him with legal protection and strategic advantages. In Acts 16:39, it secured his and Silas's release and publicly vindicated them. Later, it protected him from scourging in Jerusalem (Acts 22:25-29) and allowed him to appeal to Caesar, ensuring his safe passage to Rome to preach the Gospel in the imperial capital (Acts 25:10-12). His citizenship allowed him to navigate the Roman legal system, often turning potential obstacles into opportunities for spreading the Christian message to new audiences and places.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Acts 16:39, while detailing Paul and Silas's personal vindication, powerfully foreshadows and reflects the ultimate triumph of Christ over all earthly powers and injustice. Just as Paul and Silas, though innocent, suffered unjustly before being publicly vindicated and released, so too was Jesus, the perfectly innocent Son of God, subjected to unjust trial, beating, and crucifixion. Yet, His suffering was not the end; God raised Him from the dead, vindicating Him supremely and establishing His eternal reign (Philippians 2:8-11). The magistrates' fear and humble plea in Acts 16:39 echo the future reality where "every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord" (Philippians 2:10-11). The episode in Philippi demonstrates that earthly authorities, no matter how powerful, are ultimately subject to God's sovereign will and the authority of His Christ. The "departing out of the city" by Paul and Silas, after their victory, can be seen as a microcosm of the church's mission, which, empowered by the resurrected Christ, continues to advance despite opposition, moving from place to place to proclaim the Good News, knowing that the ultimate victory has already been secured by the Lamb of God (Revelation 5:12-13).