King James Version
Acts 16
40 verses with commentary
Timothy Joins Paul and Silas
Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek:
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then came he to Derbe and Lystra</strong>—Paul returns to churches planted on his first journey (Acts 14:6-20), demonstrating apostolic care for new converts. <strong>A certain disciple... named Timotheus</strong> (Τιμόθεος, <em>Timotheos</em>, "honoring God")—Timothy first appears here, though likely converted during Paul's earlier visit (1 Tim 1:2, "my true son in the faith").<br><br><st...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
XVI.
(1) **A certain disciple was there, named Timotheus.**—We read with a special interest the first mention of the name of one who was afterwards so dear to the Apostle, his “true son in the faith” (1Timothy 1:2). On his probable conversion on St. Paul’s first mission in Lystra, see Notes on Acts 14:6; Acts 14:19. We have to think of him as still young; probably, as his youth is spoken of some t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Ac 13:13-52. At Perga John Mark Forsakes Them--At Antioch in Pisidia, Paul Preaches with Glorious Effect--The Jews, Enraged, Expel Them Out of Them Coasts.
**13. they came to Perga in Pamphylia--**The distance from Paphos to Attalia, on the Gulf of Pamphylia (see on Ac 14:25), sailing in a northwest direction, is not much greater than from Seleucia to Salamis on the east. Perga was the metropolis...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 16
Chapter Outline
Paul takes Timothy to be his assistant.(1-5)
Paul proceeds to Macedonia, The conversion of Lydia.(6-15)
An evil spirit cast out, Paul and Silas scourged and imprisoned.(16-24)
The conversion of the jailer at Philippi.(25-34)
Paul and Silas released.(35-40)
**Verses 1-5**
Well may the church look for much service from youthful ministers who s...
Read full commentary →Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Which was well reported of by the brethren</strong>—Timothy (μαρτυρέω, <em>martyreō</em>, 'to bear witness/testify') had earned a sterling reputation among multiple congregations. The imperfect tense suggests ongoing, consistent testimony to his character. This public commendation was critical for Paul's apostolic team; unlike the contentious separation from Barnabas over John Mark (15:37-...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14. departed from Perga--**apparently without making any stay or doing any work: compare the different language of Ac 14:25, and see immediately below.
**came to Antioch in Pisidia--**usually so called, to distinguish it from Antioch in Syria, from which they had started, though it actually lies in Phrygia, and almost due north from Perga. It was a long journey, and as it lay almost entirely t...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 16
Chapter Outline
Paul takes Timothy to be his assistant.(1-5)
Paul proceeds to Macedonia, The conversion of Lydia.(6-15)
An evil spirit cast out, Paul and Silas scourged and imprisoned.(16-24)
The conversion of the jailer at Philippi.(25-34)
Paul and Silas released.(35-40)
**Verses 1-5**
Well may the church look for much service from youthful ministers who s...
Read full commentary →Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek.
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KJV Study Commentary
Paul's circumcision of Timothy 'because of the Jews which were in those quarters' demonstrates missionary adaptation without gospel compromise. Though Paul opposed requiring Gentile circumcision (Acts 15), Timothy's Jewish mother made him ethnically Jewish. Circumcising him removed unnecessary offense to Jewish evangelism while maintaining that circumcision doesn't save.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **And took and circumcised him.**—The act seems at first inconsistent with St. Paul’s conduct as to Titus (Galatians 2:3), and with his general teaching as to circumcision (Galatians 5:2-6). The circumstances of the two cases were, however, different, and there were adequate reasons here for the course which he adopted. (1) The act was spontaneous, and men may rightly concede as a favour, or a...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15-17. Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand--**as was his manner on such occasions (Ac 21:40; and see Ac 26:1).
**Men of Israel, and ye that fear God--**by the latter expression meaning religious proselytes, who united with the Jews in all acts of ordinary worship.
**and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in Egypt--**by marvellous interpositions for them in their deep...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 16
Chapter Outline
Paul takes Timothy to be his assistant.(1-5)
Paul proceeds to Macedonia, The conversion of Lydia.(6-15)
An evil spirit cast out, Paul and Silas scourged and imprisoned.(16-24)
The conversion of the jailer at Philippi.(25-34)
Paul and Silas released.(35-40)
**Verses 1-5**
Well may the church look for much service from youthful ministers who s...
Read full commentary →And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>They delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders</strong> (τὰ δόγματα τὰ κεκριμένα)—Paul and his companions disseminated the Jerusalem Council decisions (Acts 15:1-29) throughout the churches. The Greek <em>dogmata</em> refers to authoritative decrees or ordinances, the same word used for imperial edicts (Luke 2:1). The perfect participle <em>kekri...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **They delivered them the decrees.**—The number of copies which the process implies is in itself a sufficient guarantee that that which St. Luke gives is a faithful transcript. The decrees were clearly still regarded by the Gentile converts as being the charter on which they might take their stand in any dispute with the Judaisers, and doubtless helped to determine many who had previously hesi...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15-17. Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand--**as was his manner on such occasions (Ac 21:40; and see Ac 26:1).
**Men of Israel, and ye that fear God--**by the latter expression meaning religious proselytes, who united with the Jews in all acts of ordinary worship.
**and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in Egypt--**by marvellous interpositions for them in their deep...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 16
Chapter Outline
Paul takes Timothy to be his assistant.(1-5)
Paul proceeds to Macedonia, The conversion of Lydia.(6-15)
An evil spirit cast out, Paul and Silas scourged and imprisoned.(16-24)
The conversion of the jailer at Philippi.(25-34)
Paul and Silas released.(35-40)
**Verses 1-5**
Well may the church look for much service from youthful ministers who s...
Read full commentary →And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily .
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And so were the churches established in the faith</strong> (αἱ μὲν οὖν ἐκκλησίαι ἐστερεοῦντο τῇ πίστει)—The verb <strong>established</strong> (ἐστερεοῦντο, estereounto) means 'strengthened,' 'made firm,' or 'solidified,' from the root meaning 'solid' or 'hard.' Church health requires more than numerical growth—it demands doctrinal stability. <strong>In the faith</strong> (τῇ πίστει) refers...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15-17. Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand--**as was his manner on such occasions (Ac 21:40; and see Ac 26:1).
**Men of Israel, and ye that fear God--**by the latter expression meaning religious proselytes, who united with the Jews in all acts of ordinary worship.
**and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in Egypt--**by marvellous interpositions for them in their deep...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 16
Chapter Outline
Paul takes Timothy to be his assistant.(1-5)
Paul proceeds to Macedonia, The conversion of Lydia.(6-15)
An evil spirit cast out, Paul and Silas scourged and imprisoned.(16-24)
The conversion of the jailer at Philippi.(25-34)
Paul and Silas released.(35-40)
**Verses 1-5**
Well may the church look for much service from youthful ministers who s...
Read full commentary →The Macedonian Call
Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia,
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KJV Study Commentary
The Holy Spirit's prohibition against preaching in Asia reveals divine sovereignty over missionary strategy—even good opportunities must yield to Spirit direction. This mysterious guidance redirected Paul toward Europe, demonstrating that effective mission requires sensitivity to divine timing and geography. God's 'no' proved as important as His 'yes.'
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **When they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia.**—In the previous journey St. Paul, when he was at Antioch in Pisidia, was just on the border of the two provinces, but had not travelled through them, Phrygia lying to the west, and Galatia to the north-east. The former name was used with an ethnological rather than a political significance, and did not, at this period, design...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-22. forty years suffered he their manners--**rather, according to what appears the true reading, "cherished he them" (as a nurse the infant in her bosom).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-15**
The removals of ministers, and the dispensing the means of grace by them, are in particular under Divine conduct and direction. We must follow Providence: and whatever we seek to do, if that suffer us not, we ought to submit and believe to be for the best. People greatly need help for their souls, it is their duty to look out for it, and to invite those among them who can help ...
Read full commentary →After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.
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KJV Study Commentary
The Spirit's geographic restrictions - 'were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia' and the Spirit 'suffered them not' to go into Bithynia - demonstrates divine sovereignty in mission direction. Not all open doors are God's will; sometimes the Spirit closes opportunities to direct toward His specific purposes. This divine guidance led to the Macedonian vision and Europe's evangeli...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **They assayed to go into Bithynia.**—The verse describes very vividly the uncertainty produced day by day by this conflict between human plans and divine direction. Bithynia, lying to the north, had, like Pontus, a considerable Jewish population scattered along its shores, and they were inclined to take that as their next field of labour. They were led on, however, as before, westward and not...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-22. forty years suffered he their manners--**rather, according to what appears the true reading, "cherished he them" (as a nurse the infant in her bosom).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-15**
The removals of ministers, and the dispensing the means of grace by them, are in particular under Divine conduct and direction. We must follow Providence: and whatever we seek to do, if that suffer us not, we ought to submit and believe to be for the best. People greatly need help for their souls, it is their duty to look out for it, and to invite those among them who can help ...
Read full commentary →And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas</strong> (παρελθόντες δὲ τὴν Μυσίαν κατέβησαν εἰς Τρῳάδα)—The verb <em>παρελθόντες</em> (parelthontes, 'passing by') suggests they traveled <em>through</em> Mysia but did not evangelize there, obeying the Spirit's prohibition (v.7). This geographical progression—from Phrygia through Mysia to Troas—traces divine sovereignty overriding human plans...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **Came down to Troas.**—Their travels had at last led them to the coast, and they looked out upon the waters of the Ægean. The town of Alexandria Troas, at this time reckoned as a Roman colony and a free city, recalls to our memories, without entering into vexed questions as to its identity with the site of the older Troy, the great poem which tells us the tale of Ilium. To St. Paul that poem ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-22. forty years suffered he their manners--**rather, according to what appears the true reading, "cherished he them" (as a nurse the infant in her bosom).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-15**
The removals of ministers, and the dispensing the means of grace by them, are in particular under Divine conduct and direction. We must follow Providence: and whatever we seek to do, if that suffer us not, we ought to submit and believe to be for the best. People greatly need help for their souls, it is their duty to look out for it, and to invite those among them who can help ...
Read full commentary →And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.
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KJV Study Commentary
The Macedonian vision—'Come over into Macedonia, and help us'—demonstrates God's method of supernatural guidance at strategic junctures. The immediate interpretation 'assuredly gathering' that God called them suggests corporate confirmation of individual vision. This clear direction launched Christianity's European mission with world-historical consequences.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **There stood a man of Macedonia.**—The term is probably used in its later sense as applied to the Roman province, which included Macedonia, properly so called, Illyricum, Epirus, and Thessaly, the province of Achaia including, in like manner, the whole of Southern Greece. The vision which St. Paul looked on explained to him all the varied promptings and drawings-back of his journey. This was ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-22. forty years suffered he their manners--**rather, according to what appears the true reading, "cherished he them" (as a nurse the infant in her bosom).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-15**
The removals of ministers, and the dispensing the means of grace by them, are in particular under Divine conduct and direction. We must follow Providence: and whatever we seek to do, if that suffer us not, we ought to submit and believe to be for the best. People greatly need help for their souls, it is their duty to look out for it, and to invite those among them who can help ...
Read full commentary →And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And after he had seen the vision</strong> (ὡς τὸ ὅραμα εἶδεν)—The 'man of Macedonia' vision (v. 9) redirected Paul's entire missionary strategy, bringing the gospel to Europe. God sovereignly guides mission through both closed doors (vv. 6-7, the Spirit forbidding Asia) and open visions. <strong>Immediately we endeavoured</strong> (εὐθέως ἐζητήσαμεν) shows prompt obedience—no hesitation, d...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **Immediately we endeavoured . . .**—The natural inference from the sudden appearance of the first person in a narrative previously in the third, is that the author became at this point an actor in the events which he records. (See *Introduction to St. Luke’s* *Gospel.*) The other hypothesis, that he incorporates a narrative written by Silas or Timotheus, is not probable in itself, and would ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-22. forty years suffered he their manners--**rather, according to what appears the true reading, "cherished he them" (as a nurse the infant in her bosom).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-15**
The removals of ministers, and the dispensing the means of grace by them, are in particular under Divine conduct and direction. We must follow Providence: and whatever we seek to do, if that suffer us not, we ought to submit and believe to be for the best. People greatly need help for their souls, it is their duty to look out for it, and to invite those among them who can help ...
Read full commentary →Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis;
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Therefore loosing from Troas</strong>—The "we" passage begins here (πλεύσαντες, <em>pleusantes</em>, "having sailed"), indicating Luke's personal presence on Paul's second missionary journey. This marks a pivotal geographic shift from Asia Minor to Europe.<br><br><strong>We came with a straight course</strong> (εὐθυδρομήσαμεν, <em>euthydromeō</em>)—literally "to run a straight course," a n...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **We came with a straight course to Samothracia.**—Their course lay to the north-west, and, probably, after the manner of the navigation of the time, they put into harbour each night; and the historian, with his characteristic love of geographical detail (see *Introduction to St. Luke’s Gospel*)*, *notes the main facts of the voyage. The “straight course” implies that they had the wind in the...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**23-25. Of this man's seed hath God, according to ... promise, raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus--**The emphasis on this statement lies: (1) in the seed from which Christ sprang--David's--and the promise to that effect, which was thus fulfilled; (2) on the character in which this promised Christ was given of God--"a Saviour." His personal name "Jesus" is emphatically added, as designed to expre...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-15**
The removals of ministers, and the dispensing the means of grace by them, are in particular under Divine conduct and direction. We must follow Providence: and whatever we seek to do, if that suffer us not, we ought to submit and believe to be for the best. People greatly need help for their souls, it is their duty to look out for it, and to invite those among them who can help ...
Read full commentary →And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days. the chief: or, the first
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And from thence to Philippi</strong>—Luke's use of 'we' signals his presence on this second missionary journey, making this eyewitness testimony. Philippi was named after Philip II of Macedon (Alexander the Great's father). Luke emphasizes it is <strong>the chief city of that part of Macedonia</strong> (πρώτη τῆς μερίδος Μακεδονίας πόλις)—'first city of the district,' indicating regional p...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **The chief city of that part of Macedonia.**—More accurately, *a chief* (or *first*)* city of the border-country of Macedonia.* The description is not without difficulty, and has been noted by adverse critics as an instance of St. Luke’s inaccuracy. The city of Philippi, rebuilt by the father of Alexander the Great, and bearing his name in lieu of Krenides ( = the fountains), was situated on...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**23-25. Of this man's seed hath God, according to ... promise, raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus--**The emphasis on this statement lies: (1) in the seed from which Christ sprang--David's--and the promise to that effect, which was thus fulfilled; (2) on the character in which this promised Christ was given of God--"a Saviour." His personal name "Jesus" is emphatically added, as designed to expre...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-15**
The removals of ministers, and the dispensing the means of grace by them, are in particular under Divine conduct and direction. We must follow Providence: and whatever we seek to do, if that suffer us not, we ought to submit and believe to be for the best. People greatly need help for their souls, it is their duty to look out for it, and to invite those among them who can help ...
Read full commentary →And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither. sabbath: Gr. sabbath day
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KJV Study Commentary
Paul's team went 'out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made' seeking Jewish worship. Finding a women's prayer gathering rather than formal synagogue, Paul preached anyway. This flexibility - adapting to find seekers wherever they gather - shows missionary focus on people over institutions and willingness to minister in unexpected venues.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **By a river side, where prayer was wont to be made.**—Better, *where an oratory *(*i.e., *a place of prayer) *was established.* The word, which was the Greek equivalent for the Hebrew “house of prayer” (Matthew 21:13), is used in this sense by Josephus (*Vit.* p. 54), (see Note on Luke 6:12), and was current among the Jews at Rome. Where they had no synagogue, and in a military station like ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**23-25. Of this man's seed hath God, according to ... promise, raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus--**The emphasis on this statement lies: (1) in the seed from which Christ sprang--David's--and the promise to that effect, which was thus fulfilled; (2) on the character in which this promised Christ was given of God--"a Saviour." His personal name "Jesus" is emphatically added, as designed to expre...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-15**
The removals of ministers, and the dispensing the means of grace by them, are in particular under Divine conduct and direction. We must follow Providence: and whatever we seek to do, if that suffer us not, we ought to submit and believe to be for the best. People greatly need help for their souls, it is their duty to look out for it, and to invite those among them who can help ...
Read full commentary →And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
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KJV Study Commentary
Lydia's conversion demonstrates divine initiative: 'whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.' God's opening hearts precedes and enables gospel response. This prosperous businesswoman became Christianity's first European convert and immediately offered hospitality, showing faith's practical expression.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira.**—The city so named, now known as *Ak-hissar, *was in the Roman province of Asia, but came within the boundaries of the older kingdom of Lydia, and it is probable that, like so many slaves and women of the *libertinæ* class, she took her name from her country. Afra, Græca, Syra, are familiar examples of like names. “Lydia” occurs, it will ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**26-31. children ... of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God--**Gentile proselytes.
**to you is the word of this salvation sent--**both being regarded as one class, as "the Jew first," to whom the Gospel was to be addressed in the first instance.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-15**
The removals of ministers, and the dispensing the means of grace by them, are in particular under Divine conduct and direction. We must follow Providence: and whatever we seek to do, if that suffer us not, we ought to submit and believe to be for the best. People greatly need help for their souls, it is their duty to look out for it, and to invite those among them who can help ...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Lydia's conversion demonstrates God's sovereign grace - 'whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.' Divine initiative precedes human response; God opens hearts to enable faith. Lydia's immediate response - baptism and hospitality - shows genuine conversion produces both public identification and practical generosity.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **And when she was baptized, and her household.**—It does not follow from St. Luke’s condensed narrative that all this took place on the same day. The statement that “her household” were baptised has often been urged as evidence that infant baptism was the practice of the apostolic age. It must be admitted, however, that this is to read a great deal between the lines, and the utmost that can ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**26-31. children ... of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God--**Gentile proselytes.
**to you is the word of this salvation sent--**both being regarded as one class, as "the Jew first," to whom the Gospel was to be addressed in the first instance.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-15**
The removals of ministers, and the dispensing the means of grace by them, are in particular under Divine conduct and direction. We must follow Providence: and whatever we seek to do, if that suffer us not, we ought to submit and believe to be for the best. People greatly need help for their souls, it is their duty to look out for it, and to invite those among them who can help ...
Read full commentary →Paul and Silas in Prison
And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: of divination: or, of Python
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>A certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination</strong> (πνεῦμα πύθωνα, <em>pneuma pythōna</em>)—literally "a spirit of Python," referencing the Pythian Apollo whose oracle at Delphi was the center of Greek divination. This slave girl had a demonic spirit that enabled her to predict the future, generating considerable profit for her exploitative masters.<br><br><strong>Which brough...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **As we went to prayer.**—Better, perhaps, *to the oratory, *or *place of prayer.* (See Note on Acts 16:13.) It should be stated, however, that the Greek noun is used without the article, and that this is so far in favour of the Received rendering. On the other hand, we find the noun *ecclesia, *or *church, *used without the article in 1Corinthians 14:4; 1Corinthians 14:19; 1Corinthians 14:35...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**26-31. children ... of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God--**Gentile proselytes.
**to you is the word of this salvation sent--**both being regarded as one class, as "the Jew first," to whom the Gospel was to be addressed in the first instance.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-24**
Satan, though the father of lies, will declare the most important truths, when he can thereby serve his purposes. But much mischief is done to the real servants of Christ, by unholy and false preachers of the gospel, who are confounded with them by careless observers. Those who do good by drawing men from sin, may expect to be reviled as troublers of the city. While they teach...
Read full commentary →The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>These men are the servants of the most high God</strong> (Greek: δοῦλοι τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου, <em>douloi tou theou tou hypsistou</em>)—the demon-possessed slave girl spoke theological truth while serving evil purposes. <em>Hypsistos</em> ('Most High') was used by pagans for Zeus but also by Jews for Yahweh, creating strategic ambiguity. Though her proclamation was accurate, Paul silenced h...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying.**—Better, *kept on crying.* Assuming that the case now before us presented phenomena analogous to those of the cases of demoniac possession, we may refer to what has been said in the *Excursus* on that subject appended to St. Matthew’s Gospel for general views of the question. Here it will be enough to note the same symptom of a divided cons...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**26-31. children ... of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God--**Gentile proselytes.
**to you is the word of this salvation sent--**both being regarded as one class, as "the Jew first," to whom the Gospel was to be addressed in the first instance.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-24**
Satan, though the father of lies, will declare the most important truths, when he can thereby serve his purposes. But much mischief is done to the real servants of Christ, by unholy and false preachers of the gospel, who are confounded with them by careless observers. Those who do good by drawing men from sin, may expect to be reviled as troublers of the city. While they teach...
Read full commentary →And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Paul, being grieved</strong> (διαπονηθεὶς, <em>diaponētheis</em>)—not anger but godly distress at evil exploiting a human soul. Paul's patience ('many days') shows pastoral wisdom, not impulsiveness.<br><br><strong>I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ</strong> (Παραγγέλλω σοι ἐν ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ)—the apostolic formula for exorcism uses Christ's authority, not magical incantation...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **But Paul, being grieved** **. . .**—It is obvious that the constant repetition of these clamorous cries must have been a hindrance to the Apostle’s work, disturbing him as he talked to the other women at the *proseucha.* Was it not right for him to do as his Master had done with the demoniacs of Gadara (see Notes on Matthew 8:28-34), and to restore the woman to her true self, by teaching he...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**26-31. children ... of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God--**Gentile proselytes.
**to you is the word of this salvation sent--**both being regarded as one class, as "the Jew first," to whom the Gospel was to be addressed in the first instance.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-24**
Satan, though the father of lies, will declare the most important truths, when he can thereby serve his purposes. But much mischief is done to the real servants of Christ, by unholy and false preachers of the gospel, who are confounded with them by careless observers. Those who do good by drawing men from sin, may expect to be reviled as troublers of the city. While they teach...
Read full commentary →And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, marketplace: or, court
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>When her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone</strong> (ἰδόντες ὅτι ἐξῆλθεν ἡ ἐλπὶς τῆς ἐργασίας αὐτῶν)—The Greek <em>ergasia</em> (ἐργασία) means "business" or "profit," exposing the commercial exploitation of the demon-possessed girl. Paul's exorcism destroyed their revenue stream, not their theological worldview. This reveals a stark pattern throughout Acts: opposition to t...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **That the hope of their gains was gone.**—Better, *of their occupation.* The word for “gains” is the same as that translated “gain” and “craft” in Acts 19:24-25. There is something like a prophetic significance in the use, at this stage, of the word which was the key to nearly all the persecutions to which the early believers were exposed. Men could tolerate varieties of worship or the specu...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**26-31. children ... of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God--**Gentile proselytes.
**to you is the word of this salvation sent--**both being regarded as one class, as "the Jew first," to whom the Gospel was to be addressed in the first instance.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-24**
Satan, though the father of lies, will declare the most important truths, when he can thereby serve his purposes. But much mischief is done to the real servants of Christ, by unholy and false preachers of the gospel, who are confounded with them by careless observers. Those who do good by drawing men from sin, may expect to be reviled as troublers of the city. While they teach...
Read full commentary →And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city</strong> (οὗτοι οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἐκταράσσουσιν ἡμῶν τὴν πόλιν Ἰουδαῖοι ὑπάρχοντες)—The charge weaponizes ethnic prejudice against Paul and Silas. The Greek <em>ektarassō</em> (thoroughly disturb/throw into confusion) exaggerates the threat, while identifying them as <em>Ioudaioi</em> (Jews) frames the conflict as ethnic rather than economic...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **The magistrates.**—The Greek word used (*Stratêgi, *literally, *generals*—the name survived in 1750 in the Italian *Stradigo, *used of the prefect of Messina) is used with St. Luke’s usual accuracy, for the prætors, or duumviri, who formed the executive of the Roman *colonia.*
**These men, being Jews.**—We must remember that the decree of Claudius (see Note on Acts 18:2), banishing the Jews...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-24**
Satan, though the father of lies, will declare the most important truths, when he can thereby serve his purposes. But much mischief is done to the real servants of Christ, by unholy and false preachers of the gospel, who are confounded with them by careless observers. Those who do good by drawing men from sin, may expect to be reviled as troublers of the city. While they teach...
Read full commentary →And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.
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KJV Study Commentary
The accusation continues: 'And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.' This charge frames Christian faith as violation of Roman law. The appeal to Roman identity ('being Romans') shows how patriotism can be weaponized against religious freedom. The gospel's exclusivity offends pluralistic systems.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **And teach customs.**—The word is used as including ritual as well as social habits, and seems to have been specially used of the whole system of Jewish life. (See Notes on Acts 6:14; Acts 15:1; Acts 21:21.)
**Being Romans.**—The people of Philippi, as a *colonia, *had a right to claim the title of Roman citizens, which could not have been claimed by those who were merely inhabitants of a Gr...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**33. God hath fulfilled the same--**"hath completely fulfilled."
**in that he hath raised up Jesus again--**literally, "raised up"; but the meaning is (notwithstanding the contrary opinion of many excellent interpreters) "from the dead"; as the context plainly shows.
**as it is written in the second psalm--**in many manuscripts "the first Psalm"; what we call the first being regarded by the a...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-24**
Satan, though the father of lies, will declare the most important truths, when he can thereby serve his purposes. But much mischief is done to the real servants of Christ, by unholy and false preachers of the gospel, who are confounded with them by careless observers. Those who do good by drawing men from sin, may expect to be reviled as troublers of the city. While they teach...
Read full commentary →And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.
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KJV Study Commentary
'The multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.' Mob violence led to official persecution. The public stripping and beating was designed to humiliate and intimidate. This illegal treatment of Roman citizens shows how prejudice overrides legal protections. Passion eclipses justice.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **Commanded to beat them.**—The Greek verb gives the special Roman form of punishment, that of being beaten with the rods of the lictors. This, therefore, takes its place as one of the three instances to which St. Paul refers in 2Corinthians 11:25. The question naturally occurs, why he did not, on these occasions, claim, as he did afterwards at Jerusalem (Acts 22:25), the privileges of a Roma...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**34-37. now no more to return to corruption--**that is, to the grave where death reigns; and compare Ro 6:9, "Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more, death hath no more dominion over him."
**I will give you the sure mercies of David--**(Is 55:3). The word rendered "mercies" is peculiar, denoting the sanctity of them, as comprehending the whole riches of the new covenant; while the othe...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-24**
Satan, though the father of lies, will declare the most important truths, when he can thereby serve his purposes. But much mischief is done to the real servants of Christ, by unholy and false preachers of the gospel, who are confounded with them by careless observers. Those who do good by drawing men from sin, may expect to be reviled as troublers of the city. While they teach...
Read full commentary →And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:
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KJV Study Commentary
'When they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely.' Severe beating followed by maximum security imprisonment shows the perceived threat Paul posed. The jailor's charge 'to keep them safely' made him liable for their escape, ensuring harsh treatment.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(23) **And when they had laid many stripes upon them.**—The words imply a punishment of more than usual severity, such as would leave their backs lacerated and bleeding. So in 1Thessalonians 2:2, St. Paul speaks of having been “shamefully entreated” at Philippi.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**34-37. now no more to return to corruption--**that is, to the grave where death reigns; and compare Ro 6:9, "Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more, death hath no more dominion over him."
**I will give you the sure mercies of David--**(Is 55:3). The word rendered "mercies" is peculiar, denoting the sanctity of them, as comprehending the whole riches of the new covenant; while the othe...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-24**
Satan, though the father of lies, will declare the most important truths, when he can thereby serve his purposes. But much mischief is done to the real servants of Christ, by unholy and false preachers of the gospel, who are confounded with them by careless observers. Those who do good by drawing men from sin, may expect to be reviled as troublers of the city. While they teach...
Read full commentary →Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
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KJV Study Commentary
'Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.' The 'inner prison' was the most secure, dark, and uncomfortable section. Stocks (Greek 'xylon' - wood) held feet in painful positions, preventing movement or rest. Maximum discomfort accompanied maximum security. Yet this darkest hour preceded the jailor's conversion.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(24) **Thrust them into the inner prison.**—Those who have seen anything of the prisons of the Roman empire, as, *e.g., *the Mamertine dungeon at Rome itself, can picture to themselves the darkness and foulness of the den into which Paul and his friend were now thrust: the dark cavern-like cell, below the ground, the damp and reeking walls, the companionship of the vilest outcasts. And, as if this...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**34-37. now no more to return to corruption--**that is, to the grave where death reigns; and compare Ro 6:9, "Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more, death hath no more dominion over him."
**I will give you the sure mercies of David--**(Is 55:3). The word rendered "mercies" is peculiar, denoting the sanctity of them, as comprehending the whole riches of the new covenant; while the othe...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-24**
Satan, though the father of lies, will declare the most important truths, when he can thereby serve his purposes. But much mischief is done to the real servants of Christ, by unholy and false preachers of the gospel, who are confounded with them by careless observers. Those who do good by drawing men from sin, may expect to be reviled as troublers of the city. While they teach...
Read full commentary →And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
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KJV Study Commentary
Paul and Silas 'praying and singing hymns' while imprisoned with beaten backs demonstrates joy transcending circumstances through worship. Other prisoners 'heard them,' making their response a powerful testimony. This radical praise in suffering reflects the Beatitudes' reality and attracts divine intervention.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(25) **And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises.**—Better, *praying, they Were singing hymns, *the Greek expressing one act rather than two. The act was, we may believe, habitual, and they would not intermit it even in the dungeon, and fastened as they were, so that they could not kneel. The hymn may have been one of the prayer-psalms of David, or possibly one of those, of which Pli...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**34-37. now no more to return to corruption--**that is, to the grave where death reigns; and compare Ro 6:9, "Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more, death hath no more dominion over him."
**I will give you the sure mercies of David--**(Is 55:3). The word rendered "mercies" is peculiar, denoting the sanctity of them, as comprehending the whole riches of the new covenant; while the othe...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 25-34**
The consolations of God to his suffering servants are neither few nor small. How much more happy are true Christians than their prosperous enemies! As in the dark, so out of the depths, we may cry unto God. No place, no time is amiss for prayer, if the heart be lifted up to God. No trouble, however grievous, should hinder us from praise. Christianity proves itself to be of God...
Read full commentary →And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.
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KJV Study Commentary
The earthquake that 'opened all the doors and loosed everyone's bands' demonstrated divine response to worship—God intervenes when His people praise. Yet Paul's decision not to escape but to prevent the jailer's suicide showed mission priority over personal freedom. This self-giving love prepared for the jailer's conversion.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(26) **And suddenly there was a great earth quake.**—Both the region and the time were, it will be remembered, conspicuous for convulsions of this kind. Cities in Asia, such as Sardis, Apamea and Laodicea, and in Campania, suffered severely under Tiberius. (See Note on Matthew 24:7.) St. Luke apparently reads the fact not as in itself miraculous, but as leading to a display of supernatural calmnes...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**38-41. the forgiveness of sins--**the first necessity of the sinner, and so the first experienced blessing of the Gospel.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 25-34**
The consolations of God to his suffering servants are neither few nor small. How much more happy are true Christians than their prosperous enemies! As in the dark, so out of the depths, we may cry unto God. No place, no time is amiss for prayer, if the heart be lifted up to God. No trouble, however grievous, should hinder us from praise. Christianity proves itself to be of God...
Read full commentary →And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
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KJV Study Commentary
'The keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.' Roman law executed guards who allowed prisoners to escape. The jailor's suicide attempt shows both despair and sense of honor - death by his own hand seemed preferable to execution. His darkness contrasts with Paul'...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(27) **He drew out his sword, and would have killed himself.**—We have seen in Acts 12:19 what was to be expected by a gaoler who, under any circumstances, allowed a prisoner to escape. (See also Note on Acts 27:42.) Here the man sought to anticipate his fate. Suicide was a natural resource under such conditions everywhere, but here there was a local predisposing influence. Philippi, after the gre...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**38-41. the forgiveness of sins--**the first necessity of the sinner, and so the first experienced blessing of the Gospel.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 25-34**
The consolations of God to his suffering servants are neither few nor small. How much more happy are true Christians than their prosperous enemies! As in the dark, so out of the depths, we may cry unto God. No place, no time is amiss for prayer, if the heart be lifted up to God. No trouble, however grievous, should hinder us from praise. Christianity proves itself to be of God...
Read full commentary →But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
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KJV Study Commentary
'Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.' Paul's intervention saved the jailor's physical life before saving his soul. Despite unjust treatment, Paul showed compassion to his captor. This selfless concern demonstrated Christian love and prepared the jailor's heart for the gospel. Genuine faith produces love for enemies.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(28) **Do thyself no harm.**—Few and simple as the words are, they are eminently characteristic of the love and sympathy which burnt in St. Paul’s heart. For him the suicide which others would have admired, or, at least, have thought of without horror, would have been the most terrible of all forms of death. He could not bear the thought that even the gaoler who had thrust him into the dungeon, sh...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**38-41. the forgiveness of sins--**the first necessity of the sinner, and so the first experienced blessing of the Gospel.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 25-34**
The consolations of God to his suffering servants are neither few nor small. How much more happy are true Christians than their prosperous enemies! As in the dark, so out of the depths, we may cry unto God. No place, no time is amiss for prayer, if the heart be lifted up to God. No trouble, however grievous, should hinder us from praise. Christianity proves itself to be of God...
Read full commentary →Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
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KJV Study Commentary
'Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas.' The literal light parallels spiritual illumination. His 'trembling' and falling before them shows conviction of sin and recognition of divine power. The proud jailor becomes a humble seeker. God's power in the earthquake opened both prison doors and his heart.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(29) **Then he called for a light.**—More accurately, *‘for lights.* As St. Luke does not use, as in Acts 20:8, the word for “lamps,” it is probable that the lights were torches, and that the gaoler, with one in his hand, leapt into the darkness of the subterranean dungeon.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**38-41. the forgiveness of sins--**the first necessity of the sinner, and so the first experienced blessing of the Gospel.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 25-34**
The consolations of God to his suffering servants are neither few nor small. How much more happy are true Christians than their prosperous enemies! As in the dark, so out of the depths, we may cry unto God. No place, no time is amiss for prayer, if the heart be lifted up to God. No trouble, however grievous, should hinder us from praise. Christianity proves itself to be of God...
Read full commentary →And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?</strong>—The Philippian jailer's question follows an earthquake that freed prisoners but didn't prompt escape, convincing him of divine intervention. His address 'Sirs' (κύριοι) shows respect; his question 'what must I do' (τί με δεῖ ποιεῖν) assumes salvation requires action. The Greek 'sōthō' (be saved) likely meant initial...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(30) **Sirs, what must I do to be saved?**—The use of “Sirs” differs from that of Acts 7:26 in having a Greek word, expressive of respect (that used in John 20:15), corresponding to it. We ask what the gaoler meant by the question. Was he thinking of temporal safety from the earthquake, or from punishment; or had there come upon him, in that suicidal agony, the sense of an inward misery and shame,...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**42-43. And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath--**rather (according to what is beyond doubt the true reading), "Now, as they were going out [of the synagogue], they besought"--that is, not the Gentiles, whose case comes in afterwards, but the mixed congregation of Jews and proselytes, to whom the discours...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 25-34**
The consolations of God to his suffering servants are neither few nor small. How much more happy are true Christians than their prosperous enemies! As in the dark, so out of the depths, we may cry unto God. No place, no time is amiss for prayer, if the heart be lifted up to God. No trouble, however grievous, should hinder us from praise. Christianity proves itself to be of God...
Read full commentary →And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house</strong>—The simplest gospel presentation in Scripture: salvation by faith alone in Christ alone. <strong>Believe on</strong> (πίστευσον ἐπί) means trust resting upon Christ as object, not mere mental assent. <strong>The Lord Jesus Christ</strong> identifies Jesus as sovereign deity (Lord), Messiah (Chr...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(31) **And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus** Christ.—The plural pronoun is not without significance. St. Paul was not the only teacher. Silvanus also took part in the work of conversion. The words have naturally become, as it were, the crucial instance—standing nearly on the same level as that of the penitent robber on the cross—of the conditions of salvation. To believe in Christ, with all t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**42-43. And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath--**rather (according to what is beyond doubt the true reading), "Now, as they were going out [of the synagogue], they besought"--that is, not the Gentiles, whose case comes in afterwards, but the mixed congregation of Jews and proselytes, to whom the discours...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 25-34**
The consolations of God to his suffering servants are neither few nor small. How much more happy are true Christians than their prosperous enemies! As in the dark, so out of the depths, we may cry unto God. No place, no time is amiss for prayer, if the heart be lifted up to God. No trouble, however grievous, should hinder us from praise. Christianity proves itself to be of God...
Read full commentary →And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
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KJV Study Commentary
'They spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.' Gospel proclamation was immediate and inclusive - both the jailor and his household heard. The 'word of the Lord' is sufficient for salvation. Paul didn't merely perform miracles; he preached Christ. True evangelism centers on the proclaimed word.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(32) **And they spake unto him the word of the Lord.**—It is clear that belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, unless it were to be a mere formula, repeated as a charm, required an explanation. The very title of Christ; the acts and words that showed that Jesus was the Christ; His life, and death, and resurrection; the truths of forgiveness of sins and communion with Him, and the outward signs which He ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**44-48. the next sabbath came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God--**the intervening days having been spent in further inquiry and instruction, and the excitement reaching the Gentiles, who now for the first time crowded, along with the usual worshippers, into the synagogue.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 25-34**
The consolations of God to his suffering servants are neither few nor small. How much more happy are true Christians than their prosperous enemies! As in the dark, so out of the depths, we may cry unto God. No place, no time is amiss for prayer, if the heart be lifted up to God. No trouble, however grievous, should hinder us from praise. Christianity proves itself to be of God...
Read full commentary →And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes ; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
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KJV Study Commentary
The Philippian jailer's nighttime conversion and baptism - 'the same hour of the night' - shows urgency in responding to the gospel. His transformation from suicidal despair to joy-filled faith demonstrates the gospel's power to utterly change a person instantly. Washing Paul's wounds before being baptized himself shows how receiving grace produces immediate compassion toward others.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(33) **He . . . washed their stripes; and was baptized . . .**—The two-fold washings, that which testified of the repentance of the gaoler and his kindly reverence for his prisoners, and that which they administered to him as the washing of regeneration, are placed in suggestive juxtaposition. He, too, was cleansed from wounds which were worse than those inflicted by the rods of the Roman lictors....
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**44-48. the next sabbath came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God--**the intervening days having been spent in further inquiry and instruction, and the excitement reaching the Gentiles, who now for the first time crowded, along with the usual worshippers, into the synagogue.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 25-34**
The consolations of God to his suffering servants are neither few nor small. How much more happy are true Christians than their prosperous enemies! As in the dark, so out of the depths, we may cry unto God. No place, no time is amiss for prayer, if the heart be lifted up to God. No trouble, however grievous, should hinder us from praise. Christianity proves itself to be of God...
Read full commentary →And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.
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KJV Study Commentary
'He brought them into his house, and set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.' The jailor's immediate hospitality shows faith's fruit - he washed their wounds and fed them. His rejoicing 'with all his house' indicates family-wide conversion and celebration. True faith produces both compassion and joy.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(34) **He set meat before them, and rejoiced.**—Literally, *set a table before them.* The two sufferers may well have needed food. If the tumult had begun, as is probable, as they were going to the *proseuclia* for morning prayer, at the third hour of the day (9 A.M.), they had probably been fasting for nearly twenty-four hours. They were not likely to have made a meal when they were thrust into t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**44-48. the next sabbath came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God--**the intervening days having been spent in further inquiry and instruction, and the excitement reaching the Gentiles, who now for the first time crowded, along with the usual worshippers, into the synagogue.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 25-34**
The consolations of God to his suffering servants are neither few nor small. How much more happy are true Christians than their prosperous enemies! As in the dark, so out of the depths, we may cry unto God. No place, no time is amiss for prayer, if the heart be lifted up to God. No trouble, however grievous, should hinder us from praise. Christianity proves itself to be of God...
Read full commentary →And when it was day, the magistrates sent the serjeants, saying, Let those men go.
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KJV Study Commentary
'When it was day, the magistrates sent the serjeants, saying, Let those men go.' The magistrates' change of heart may reflect regret over hasty action, fear of the earthquake's supernatural significance, or political calculation. Whatever the cause, God orchestrated Paul's release through official channels rather than miraculous escape.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(35) **The magistrates sent the serjeants.**—Literally, *the rod-bearers, *or *lictors.* They would probably be the very officers who had inflicted the stripes. We are not told what led to this sudden change of action. Possibly, as has been suggested, the earthquake had alarmed the *strategi;* more probably they felt that they had acted hastily in ordering the accused to be punished with no regula...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**44-48. the next sabbath came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God--**the intervening days having been spent in further inquiry and instruction, and the excitement reaching the Gentiles, who now for the first time crowded, along with the usual worshippers, into the synagogue.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 35-40**
Paul, though willing to suffer for the cause of Christ, and without any desire to avenge himself, did not choose to depart under the charge of having deserved wrongful punishment, and therefore required to be dismissed in an honourable manner. It was not a mere point of honour that the apostle stood upon, but justice, and not to himself so much as to his cause. And when proper...
Read full commentary →And the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and go in peace.
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KJV Study Commentary
'The keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and go in peace.' The jailor, now a brother in Christ, delivered good news to Paul. The command 'go in peace' (Greek 'eirēnē') was standard dismissal language, but took on deeper meaning given the jailor's conversion. External peace accompanied spiritual peace.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(36) **Go in peace.**—The few hours which the gaoler had spent with his new teacher had probably taught him to use the phrase in the fulness of its meaning (see Notes on Luke 7:50; Luke 8:48), and not as a mere conventional formula. He naturally looks on the offer—securing, as it did, safety for his new friend—as one that should be accepted.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**44-48. the next sabbath came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God--**the intervening days having been spent in further inquiry and instruction, and the excitement reaching the Gentiles, who now for the first time crowded, along with the usual worshippers, into the synagogue.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 35-40**
Paul, though willing to suffer for the cause of Christ, and without any desire to avenge himself, did not choose to depart under the charge of having deserved wrongful punishment, and therefore required to be dismissed in an honourable manner. It was not a mere point of honour that the apostle stood upon, but justice, and not to himself so much as to his cause. And when proper...
Read full commentary →But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans , and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out.
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KJV Study Commentary
'Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out.' Paul insisted on public vindication, not for personal honor but to protect the Philippian church. His Roman citizenship, previously unmentioned, now served strategic purpose. Public wrong require...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(37) **They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans.**—By the Lex Porcia (B.C. 247), Roman citizens were exempted from degrading punishment, such as that of scourging. It was the heaviest of all the charges brought by Cicero against Verres, the Governor of Sicily, that he had broken this law: “*Facinus est vinciri civem Romanum, scelus verberari”* (Cic. *in Verr.* v. 57). The words *civis ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**49-52. And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region--**implying some stay in Antioch and missionary activity in its vicinity.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 35-40**
Paul, though willing to suffer for the cause of Christ, and without any desire to avenge himself, did not choose to depart under the charge of having deserved wrongful punishment, and therefore required to be dismissed in an honourable manner. It was not a mere point of honour that the apostle stood upon, but justice, and not to himself so much as to his cause. And when proper...
Read full commentary →And the serjeants told these words unto the magistrates: and they feared, when they heard that they were Romans.
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KJV Study Commentary
'The serjeants told these words unto the magistrates: and they feared, when they heard that they were Romans.' The magistrates' fear reveals their legal jeopardy - beating Roman citizens without trial could result in severe punishment from Rome. Their hasty injustice became political liability. This fear would restrain future persecution of Philippi's church.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(38) **They feared, when they heard that they were Romans.**—It is clear that the *strategi* did not consider their ignorance of St. Paul’s citizenship a sufficient defence. They had acted illegally, and the consequence of that illegality went further than they counted on; but they could not, therefore, shake off their responsibility. They were liable to a prosecution, such as that which Cicero, f...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**49-52. And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region--**implying some stay in Antioch and missionary activity in its vicinity.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 35-40**
Paul, though willing to suffer for the cause of Christ, and without any desire to avenge himself, did not choose to depart under the charge of having deserved wrongful punishment, and therefore required to be dismissed in an honourable manner. It was not a mere point of honour that the apostle stood upon, but justice, and not to himself so much as to his cause. And when proper...
Read full commentary →And they came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city.
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KJV Study Commentary
'They came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city.' The magistrates' personal apology shows how completely the situation reversed. Yet they still wanted Paul to leave - his presence was politically uncomfortable. Paul's vindication was complete, but the gospel's advance required moving on.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**49-52. And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region--**implying some stay in Antioch and missionary activity in its vicinity.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 35-40**
Paul, though willing to suffer for the cause of Christ, and without any desire to avenge himself, did not choose to depart under the charge of having deserved wrongful punishment, and therefore required to be dismissed in an honourable manner. It was not a mere point of honour that the apostle stood upon, but justice, and not to himself so much as to his cause. And when proper...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
'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.' Despite official request to leave, Paul first strengthened the new church. His priorities were pastoral before political - encouraging believers mattered more than quick compliance with authorities. The visit to Lydia's house shows the church already meeting t...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(40) **They comforted them, and departed.**—Lydia’s house appears to have been the meeting-place of the brethren, as well as the lodging of the Apostle and his party. As the third person is now resumed, we may infer that St. Luke remained at Philippi, Timothy accompanying the other two. It would seem from Acts 20:2 that the Evangelist made Philippi the centre of his evangelising work for many year...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**49-52. And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region--**implying some stay in Antioch and missionary activity in its vicinity.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 35-40**
Paul, though willing to suffer for the cause of Christ, and without any desire to avenge himself, did not choose to depart under the charge of having deserved wrongful punishment, and therefore required to be dismissed in an honourable manner. It was not a mere point of honour that the apostle stood upon, but justice, and not to himself so much as to his cause. And when proper...
Read full commentary →