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Acts 16

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Timothy Joins the Mission 1–5

1
And he came also to Derbe and to Lystra: and behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewess that believed; but his father was a Greek. ​
2
The same was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium.
3
Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and he took and circumcised him because of the Jews that were in those parts: for they all knew that his father was a Greek. ​
4
And as they went on their way through the cities, they delivered them the decrees to keep which had been ordained of the apostles and elders that were at Jerusalem. ​
5
So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.

The Holy Spirit Directs 6–10

6
And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden of the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; ​
7
and when they were come over against Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia; and the Spirit of Jesus suffered them not;
8
and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. ​
9
And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: There was a man of Macedonia standing, beseeching him, and saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. ​
10
And when he had seen the vision, straightway we sought to go forth into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel unto them. ​

The Gospel Reaches Europe 11–15

11
Setting sail therefore from Troas, we made a straight course to Samothrace, and the day following to Neapolis; ​
12
and from thence to Philippi, which is a city of Macedonia, the first of the district, a Roman colony: and we were in this city tarrying certain days. ​
13
And on the sabbath day we went forth without the gate by a river side, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down, and spake unto the women that were come together. ​
14
And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, one that worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened to give heed unto the things which were spoken by Paul. ​
15
And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us. ​

Paul and Silas in Prison 16–24

16
And it came to pass, as we were going to the place of prayer, that a certain maid having a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much gain by soothsaying. ​
17
The same following after Paul and us cried out, saying, These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim unto you the way of salvation. ​
18
And this she did for many days. But Paul, being sore troubled, turned and said to the spirit, I charge thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And it came out that very hour.
19
But when her masters saw that the hope of their gain was gone, they laid hold on Paul and Silas, and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers, ​
20
and when they had brought them unto the magistrates, they said, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,
21
and set forth customs which it is not lawful for us to receive, or to observe, being Romans. ​
22
And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent their garments off them, and commanded to beat them with rods. ​
23
And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:
24
who, having received such a charge, cast them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. ​

The Philippian Jailer Saved 25–34

25
But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns unto God, and the prisoners were listening to them; ​
26
and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison-house were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened; and every one’s bands were loosed. ​
27
And the jailor, being roused out of sleep and seeing the prison doors open, drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. ​
28
But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. ​
29
And he called for lights and sprang in, and, trembling for fear, fell down before Paul and Silas,
30
and brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? ​
31
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house. ​
32
And they spake the word of the Lord unto him, with all that were in his house.
33
And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, immediately. ​
34
And he brought them up into his house, and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, with all his house, having believed in God.

Paul Demands Roman Justice 35–40

35
But when it was day, the magistrates sent the serjeants, saying, Let those men go.
36
And the jailor reported the words to Paul, saying, The magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore come forth, and go in peace.
37
But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men that are Romans, and have cast us into prison; and do they now cast us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and bring us out. ​
38
And the serjeants reported these words unto the magistrates: and they feared when they heard that they were Romans; ​
39
and they came and besought them; and when they had brought them out, they asked them to go away from the city. ​
40
And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Acts 16

Verse 1

Timotheus — Named with his parentage: 'a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek'. Hellen here means a non-Jew. His mother Eunice and grandmother Lois are named in 2 Tim 1:5, where Paul recalls the 'unfeigned faith' that 'dwelt first' in them.

Verse 3

took and circumcised him — Peritemno, to cut around. It was done 'because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek'. Titus, also a Greek, was not made to submit to it (Gal 2:3); Paul 'became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews' (1 Cor 9:20).

Verse 4

the decrees — Dogma, an ordinance. These were 'ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem' at the council of Acts 15: abstain from meats offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled and from fornication (Acts 15:29), with 'no greater burden' (Acts 15:28).

Verse 6

forbidden of the Holy Ghost — Koluo, to hinder or prevent. The same Spirit who had Barnabas and Saul separated and sent out (Acts 13:2, 4) now closes the way: Asia here, Bithynia in v.7, where he is called 'the Spirit'. No reason is given for either.

Verse 8

came down to Troas — Katabaino, to descend; they passed by Mysia (v.7) to the coast at Troas, the Troad. Paul returns here later, when 'a door was opened unto me of the Lord' (2 Cor 2:12), and it is the place of the vision in v.9.

Verse 9

a man of Macedonia — Horama, a vision, seen 'in the night', as when 'spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision' at Corinth (Acts 18:9). The plea is 'Come over into Macedonia, and help us' (boetheo, to run to the aid of). The next verses carry it out.

Verse 10

we endeavoured — The narrative turns from 'they' to 'we', and the 'we' runs through vv.11–17. 'Immediately' (eutheos) marks the response; 'assuredly gathering' is symbibazo, to put together, to conclude, that 'the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them'.

Verse 11

a straight course — Euthydromeo, to run a straight course before the wind; the verb recurs at Acts 21:1, 'we came with a straight course unto Coos'. The voyage runs from Troas to Samothracia, then 'the next day to Neapolis', the port on the way to Philippi (v.12).

Verse 12

a colony — Kolonia, a Latin word: a Roman colony, settled with citizens of Rome. It explains the accusers' claim, 'being Romans' (v.21), and Paul's own in v.37. Philippi is 'the chief city of that part of Macedonia', where they abode 'certain days'.

Verse 13

by a river side — On the sabbath they went 'out of the city' to 'where prayer was wont to be made'; proseuche means prayer and also a place of prayer. They 'sat down, and spake unto the women', as Paul and Barnabas 'sat down' in the synagogue at Antioch on the sabbath (Acts 13:14).

Verse 14

whose heart the Lord opened — Lydia sold purple (porphuropolis) and came from Thyatira; she 'worshipped God' (sebomai). 'Opened' is dianoigo, to open fully, the verb of Luke 24:45, 'opened he their understanding'. The hearing was hers, and the opening was the Lord's.

Verse 15

her household — Lydia is baptized 'and her household', as the jailer will be 'he and all his' (v.33); compare 'the household of Stephanas' (1 Cor 1:16). 'Constrained' is parabiazomai, to prevail by urging: she pressed them to abide in her house.

Verse 16

spirit of divination — Literally a spirit of Python, the name tied to Delphi and its oracle. The 'damsel' (paidiske) is a slave girl whose 'masters' gained by 'soothsaying'. The law named 'a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer' (Deut 18:11).

Verse 17

the servants of the most high God — Doulos, bondservant, and hupsistos, highest. The same title is used in Dan 3:26; and a demon elsewhere calls Christ 'Son of the most high God' (Mark 5:7). Jesus likewise 'suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him' (Mark 1:34).

Verse 19

the hope of their gains — Elpis, hope, and ergasia, gain, the word rendered 'gain' in v.16. When it 'was gone', the masters 'caught' Paul and Silas and 'drew' (helkuo, to drag) them to the agora, the marketplace, before the rulers, as Jason was drawn in Acts 17:6.

Verse 21

being Romans — Ethos, a custom or usage. The accusers call Paul and Silas 'Jews' (v.20) and themselves 'Romans', which fits Philippi's standing as a 'colony' (v.12). The charge is that they 'teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive'.

Verse 22

rent off their clothes — The magistrates (strategoi) had them stripped and 'commanded to beat them'; rhabdizo is to beat with rods. Paul lists 'Thrice was I beaten with rods' (2 Cor 11:25) and recalls how at Philippi they 'suffered before, and were shamefully entreated' (1 Thess 2:2).

Verse 24

the inner prison — Esoteros, inner, further within. 'Made… fast' is asphalizo, to make secure, from the same root as 'safely' (asphalos) in the charge of v.23. The 'stocks' are xulon, literally wood; Job also speaks of feet put 'in the stocks' (Job 13:27).

Verse 25

sang praises — Humneo, to sing a hymn, joined to prayer, and 'the prisoners heard' (epakroaomai, to listen closely). The hour is the one the psalmist names: 'At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments' (Ps 119:62).

Verse 26

a great earthquake — Seismos. 'Suddenly' (aphno) the 'foundations of the prison were shaken', 'all the doors were opened' and 'every one's bands were loosed'. Compare the place 'shaken' after prayer (Acts 4:31) and the prison doors opened by the angel (Acts 5:19).

Verse 27

drew out his sword — Machaira; the keeper 'would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled'. His fear has a precedent: when Peter escaped, Herod 'commanded that they should be put to death', the keepers (Acts 12:19).

Verse 28

Do thyself no harm — Kakos, evil or harm. Paul 'cried with a loud voice' and gave the reason: 'for we are all here'. Though the doors were open and the bands loosed (v.26), the prisoners remained, and the keeper's life was spared by the word.

Verse 30

what must I do to be saved? — Dei, it is necessary, and sozo, to save. 'Sirs' is kurioi, lords. The question is of the kind asked in Acts 2:37, 'what shall we do?', and takes up the damsel's cry of 'the way of salvation' (v.17), now asked by the keeper himself.

Verse 31

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ — Pisteuo epi, to put faith upon. The promise reaches 'thy house': the word is spoken 'to all that were in his house' (v.32), and he rejoices 'believing in God with all his house' (v.34). Compare Rom 10:9, 'thou shalt be saved'.

Verse 33

washed their stripes — Plege, the word rendered 'stripes' in v.23. The keeper washes (louo) the wounds he had caused, 'the same hour of the night', and is himself 'baptized, he and all his, straightway' (parachrema, at once), as Lydia's household was (v.15).

Verse 37

uncondemned, being Romans — Akatakritos, without trial. 'Openly' (demosia) is set against 'privily' (lathra): beaten in public, they will not be sent out in secret. Paul later asks, 'Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?' (Acts 22:25).

Verse 38

they feared — The 'serjeants' are rhabdouchoi, rod-bearers, the officers sent in v.35. The magistrates 'feared, when they heard that they were Romans'; so did the chief captain at Jerusalem, who 'was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman' (Acts 22:29).

Verse 39

besought them — Parakaleo, the verb also rendered 'comforted' in v.40 and 'besought' in v.15. The magistrates came, 'brought them out' as Paul had demanded in v.37 ('fetch us out'), and 'desired' (erotao) them to depart from the city.

Verse 40

the house of Lydia — They went from prison to the house she had pressed on them (v.15), and 'when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them' (parakaleo, as in v.39). Only then 'departed'; a company of believers was left at Philippi, to whom Paul later wrote (Phil 1:1).