
Text -- Acts 16:37-40 (NET)




Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics



collapse allCommentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)
Robertson: Act 16:37 - -- Unto them ( pros autous ).
The lictors by the jailor. The reply of Paul is a marvel of brevity and energy, almost every word has a separate indictmen...
Unto them (
The lictors by the jailor. The reply of Paul is a marvel of brevity and energy, almost every word has a separate indictment showing the utter illegality of the whole proceeding.

Robertson: Act 16:37 - -- They have beaten us ( deirantes hēmas ).
First aorist active participle of derō , old verb to flay, to skin, to smite. The Lex Valeria b.c. 50...
They have beaten us (
First aorist active participle of

Robertson: Act 16:37 - -- Publicly ( dēmosiāi ).
This added insult to injury. Common adverb (hodōi ) supplied with adjective, associative instrumental case, opposed to ...
Publicly (
This added insult to injury. Common adverb (

Robertson: Act 16:37 - -- Uncondemned ( akatakritous ).
This same verbal adjective from katȧkrinō with a privative is used by Paul in Act 22:25 and nowhere else in the...
Uncondemned (
This same verbal adjective from

Robertson: Act 16:37 - -- Men that are Romans ( anthrōpous Romaious huparchontas ).
The praetors did not know, of course, that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens any more th...
Men that are Romans (
The praetors did not know, of course, that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens any more than Lysias knew it in Act 22:27. Paul’ s claim is not challenged in either instance. It was a capital offence to make a false claim to Roman citizenship.

Robertson: Act 16:37 - -- Have cast us into prison ( ebalan eis phulakēn ).
Second aorist active indicative of ballō , old verb, with first aorist ending as often in the ...
Have cast us into prison (
Second aorist active indicative of

Robertson: Act 16:37 - -- And now privily ( kai nun lathrāi ).
Paul balances their recent conduct with the former.
And now privily (
Paul balances their recent conduct with the former.

Robertson: Act 16:37 - -- Nay verily, but ( ou gar , alla ).
No indeed! It is the use of gar so common in answers (gêara ) as in Mat 27:23. Alla gives the sharp altern...
Nay verily, but (
No indeed! It is the use of

Robertson: Act 16:37 - -- Themselves ( autoi ).
As a public acknowledgment that they had wronged and mistreated Paul and Silas. Let them come themselves and lead us out (exaga...
Themselves (
As a public acknowledgment that they had wronged and mistreated Paul and Silas. Let them come themselves and lead us out (

Robertson: Act 16:39 - -- They feared ( ephobēthēsan ).
This is the explanation. They became frightened for their own lives when they saw what they had done to Roman citiz...
They feared (
This is the explanation. They became frightened for their own lives when they saw what they had done to Roman citizens.

Robertson: Act 16:39 - -- They asked ( ērōtōn ).
Imperfect active of erōtaō . They kept on begging them to leave for fear of further trouble. The colonists in Philip...
They asked (
Imperfect active of

Robertson: Act 16:40 - -- Into the house of Lydia ( pros tēn Ludian ).
No word in the Greek for "house,"but it means the house of Lydia. Note "the brethren"here, not merely ...
Into the house of Lydia (
No word in the Greek for "house,"but it means the house of Lydia. Note "the brethren"here, not merely Luke and Timothy, but other brethren now converted besides those in the house of the jailor. The four missionaries were guests of Lydia (Act 16:15) and probably the church now met in her home.

Robertson: Act 16:40 - -- They departed ( exēlthan ).
Paul and Silas, but not Luke and Timothy. Note "they"here, not "we."Note also the ̇an ending instead of ̇on as ab...
They departed (
Paul and Silas, but not Luke and Timothy. Note "they"here, not "we."Note also the
Vincent: Act 16:37 - -- They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men that are Romans
Hackett remarks that " almost every word in this reply contains a distinct allegat...
They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men that are Romans
Hackett remarks that " almost every word in this reply contains a distinct allegation. It would be difficult to find or frame a sentence superior to it in point of energetic brevity." Cicero in his oration against Verres relates that there was a Roman citizen scourged at Messina; and that in the midst of the noise of the rods, nothing was heard from him but the words, " I am a Roman citizen." He says: " It is a dreadful deed to bind a Roman citizen; it is a crime to scourge him; it is almost parricide to put him to death. "

Vincent: Act 16:40 - -- They went out
Note that Luke here resumes the third person, implying that he did not accompany them.
They went out
Note that Luke here resumes the third person, implying that he did not accompany them.
Wesley: Act 16:37 - -- St. Paul does not always plead this privilege. But in a country where they were entire strangers, such treatment might have brought upon them a suspic...
St. Paul does not always plead this privilege. But in a country where they were entire strangers, such treatment might have brought upon them a suspicion of having been guilty of some uncommon crime, and so have hindered the course of the Gospel.

Wesley: Act 16:40 - -- Though many circumstances now invited their stay, yet they wisely complied with the request of the magistrates, that they might not seem to express an...
Though many circumstances now invited their stay, yet they wisely complied with the request of the magistrates, that they might not seem to express any degree of obstinacy or revenge, or give any suspicion of a design to stir up the people.
JFB: Act 16:37 - -- To the sergeants who had entered the prison along with the jailer, that they might be able to report that the men had departed.
To the sergeants who had entered the prison along with the jailer, that they might be able to report that the men had departed.

JFB: Act 16:37 - -- The publicity of the injury done them, exposing their naked and bleeding bodies to the rude populace, was evidently the most stinging feature of it to...
The publicity of the injury done them, exposing their naked and bleeding bodies to the rude populace, was evidently the most stinging feature of it to the apostle's delicate feeling, and to this accordingly he alludes to the Thessalonians, probably a year after: "Even after we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated (or 'insulted') as ye know at Philippi" (1Th 2:2).

Both illegal. Of Silas' citizenship, if meant to be included, we know nothing.

JFB: Act 16:37 - -- Mark the intended contrast between the public insult they had inflicted and the private way in which they ordered them to be off.
Mark the intended contrast between the public insult they had inflicted and the private way in which they ordered them to be off.

By open and formal act, equivalent to a public declaration of their innocence.

JFB: Act 16:38 - -- Their authority being thus imperilled; for they were liable to an action for what they had done.
Their authority being thus imperilled; for they were liable to an action for what they had done.

JFB: Act 16:39-40 - -- Not to complain of them. What a contrast this suppliant attitude of the preachers of Philippi to the tyrannical air with which they had the day before...

Conducted them forth from the prison into the street, as insisted on.

Perhaps fearing again to excite the populace.

JFB: Act 16:40 - -- Having attained their object--to vindicate their civil rights, by the infraction of which in this case the Gospel in their persons had been illegally ...
Having attained their object--to vindicate their civil rights, by the infraction of which in this case the Gospel in their persons had been illegally affronted--they had no mind to carry the matter farther. Their citizenship was valuable to them only as a shield against unnecessary injuries to their Master's cause. What a beautiful mixture of dignity and meekness is this! Nothing secular, which may be turned to the account of the Gospel, is morbidly disregarded; in any other view, nothing of this nature is set store by:--an example this for all ages.

JFB: Act 16:40 - -- As if to show by this leisurely proceeding that they had not been made to leave, but were at full liberty to consult their own convenience.
As if to show by this leisurely proceeding that they had not been made to leave, but were at full liberty to consult their own convenience.

JFB: Act 16:40 - -- Not only her family and the jailer's, but probably others now gained to the Gospel.
Not only her family and the jailer's, but probably others now gained to the Gospel.

JFB: Act 16:40 - -- Rather, perhaps, "exhorted" them, which would include comfort. "This assembly of believers in the house of Lydia was the first church that had been fo...
Rather, perhaps, "exhorted" them, which would include comfort. "This assembly of believers in the house of Lydia was the first church that had been founded in Europe" [BAUMGARTEN].

JFB: Act 16:40 - -- But not all; for two of the company remained behind (see on Act 17:14): Timotheus, of whom the Philippians "learned the proof" that he honestly cared ...
But not all; for two of the company remained behind (see on Act 17:14): Timotheus, of whom the Philippians "learned the proof" that he honestly cared for their state, and was truly like-minded with Paul, "serving with him in the Gospel as a son with his father" (Phi 2:19-23); and Luke, "whose praise is in the Gospel," though he never praises himself or relates his own labors, and though we only trace his movements in connection with Paul, by the change of a pronoun, or the unconscious variation of his style. In the seventeenth chapter the narrative is again in the third person, and the pronoun is not changed to the second till we come to Act 20:5. The modesty with which Luke leaves out all mention of his own labors need hardly be pointed out. We shall trace him again when he rejoins Paul in the same neighborhood. His vocation as a physician may have brought him into connection with these contiguous coasts of Asia and Europe, and he may (as MR. SMITH suggests, "Shipwreck," &c.) have been in the habit of exercising his professional skill as a surgeon at sea [HOWSON].
Clarke: Act 16:37 - -- They have beaten us openly - being Romans - St. Paul well knew the Roman laws; and on their violation by the magistrates he pleads. The Valerian law...
They have beaten us openly - being Romans - St. Paul well knew the Roman laws; and on their violation by the magistrates he pleads. The Valerian law forbade any Roman citizen to be bound. The Porcian law forbade any to be beaten with rods. " Poreia lex virgas ab omnium civium Romanorum corpore amovit ."And by the same law the liberty of a Roman citizen was never put in the power of the lictor. " Porcia lex libertatem civium lictori eripuit ."See Cicero, Orat. pro Rabirio. Hence, as the same author observes, In Verrem, Orat. 5: " Facinus est vinciri civem Romanum, scelus verberari ."It is a transgression of the law to bind a Roman citizen: it is wickedness to scourge him. And the illegality of the proceedings of these magistrates was farther evident in their condemning and punishing them unheard. This was a gross violation of a common maxim in the Roman law. Causa cognita, possunt multi absolvi; incognita, nemo condemnari potest . Cicero. "Many who are accused of evil may be absolved, when the cause is heard; but unheard, no man can be condemned."Every principle of the law of nature and the law of nations was violated in the treatment these holy men met with from the unprincipled magistrates of this city

Clarke: Act 16:37 - -- Let them come themselves and fetch us out - The apostles were determined that the magistrates should be humbled for their illegal proceedings; and t...
Let them come themselves and fetch us out - The apostles were determined that the magistrates should be humbled for their illegal proceedings; and that the people at large might see that they had been unjustly condemned, and that the majesty of the Roman people was insulted by the treatment they had received.

Clarke: Act 16:38 - -- They feared when they heard - they were Romans - They feared, because the Roman law was so constituted that an insult offered to a citizen was deeme...
They feared when they heard - they were Romans - They feared, because the Roman law was so constituted that an insult offered to a citizen was deemed an insult to the whole Roman people. There is a remarkable addition here, both in the Greek and Latin of the Codex Bezae. It is as follows: "And when they were come with many of their friends to the prison, they besought them to go out, saying: We were ignorant of your circumstances, that ye were righteous men. And, leading them out, they besought them, saying, Depart from this city, lest they again make an insurrection against you, and clamor against you."

Clarke: Act 16:40 - -- Entered into the house of Lydia - This was the place of their residence while at Philippi: see Act 16:15
Entered into the house of Lydia - This was the place of their residence while at Philippi: see Act 16:15

Clarke: Act 16:40 - -- They comforted them, and departed - The magistrates were sufficiently humbled, and the public at large, hearing of this circumstance, must be satisf...
They comforted them, and departed - The magistrates were sufficiently humbled, and the public at large, hearing of this circumstance, must be satisfied of the innocency of the apostles. They, therefore, after staying a reasonable time at the house of Lydia, and exhorting the brethren, departed; having as yet to go farther into Macedonia, and to preach the Gospel in the most polished city in the world, the city of Athens. See the succeeding chapter
Great and lasting good was done by this visit to Philippi: a Church was there founded, and the members of it did credit to their profession. To them the apostle, who had suffered so much for their sakes, was exceedingly dear; and they evidenced this by their contributions to his support in the times of his necessity. They sent him money twice to Thessalonica, Phi 4:16, and once to Corinth, 2Co 11:9, and long afterwards, when he was prisoner in Rome, Phi 4:9, Phi 4:14, Phi 4:18. About five or six years after this, St. Paul visited Philippi on his way to Jerusalem, and he wrote his epistle to them about ten years after his first journey thither. The first members of the Church of Christ in this place were Lydia and her family; and the next in all probability were the jailor and his family. These doubtless became the instruments of bringing many more to the faith; for the false imprisonment and public acquittal of the apostles by the magistrates must have made their cause popular; and thus the means which were used to prevent the sowing of the seed of life in this city became the means by which it was sown and established. Thus the wrath of man praised God; and the remainder of it he did restrain. Never were these words more exactly fulfilled than on this occasion.
Calvin: Act 16:37 - -- 38.They were afraid, because they were Romans They are not once moved with the other point, because they had handled innocents cruelly without discre...
38.They were afraid, because they were Romans They are not once moved with the other point, because they had handled innocents cruelly without discretion; − 234 and yet that was the greater reproach. But because they did not fear that any man would punish them, they were not moved with God’s judgment. This is the cause that they do carelessly pass over that which was objected concerning injury done by them, only they are afraid of the officers − 235 of the Romans, and lest they should be beheaded for violating the liberty in the body of a citizen. They knew that this was death if any of the chief governors [prefects] should commit it, then what should become of the officers of one free city? − 236 Such is the fear of the wicked, because they have an amazed − 237 conscience before God, they do long time flatter themselves in all sins, until the punishment − 238 of men hang over their heads. −

Calvin: Act 16:40 - -- 40.When they saw, etc They were desired to part presently; yet it became them to regard the brethren, lest the tender seed of the gospel should peris...
40.When they saw, etc They were desired to part presently; yet it became them to regard the brethren, lest the tender seed of the gospel should perish, and undoubtedly they would have tarried longer if they had been suffered, but the prayers and requests of the magistrates were imperious and armed, which they are enforced to obey. Nevertheless, they foreslow [neglect] not their necessary duty, but they exhort the brethren to be constant. And whereas they went straight to Lydia, it is a token, that though the Church were increased, yet that woman was the chief even of a greater number, as touching diligence in duties of godliness; − 239 and that appeareth more plainly thereby, because all the godly were assembled in her house.
Defender -> Act 16:38
Defender: Act 16:38 - -- Paul's father in Tarsus evidently had been awarded Roman citizenship for services to the state, so Paul (and presumably Silas) had been born with such...
Paul's father in Tarsus evidently had been awarded Roman citizenship for services to the state, so Paul (and presumably Silas) had been born with such citizenship. This involved many privileges and protections established in Roman law."
TSK: Act 16:37 - -- They have : Act 16:20-24, Act 22:25-28; Psa 58:1, Psa 58:2, Psa 82:1, Psa 82:2, Psa 94:20; Pro 28:1
let : Dan 3:25, Dan 3:26, Dan 6:18, Dan 6:19; Mat ...


TSK: Act 16:39 - -- came : Exo 11:8; Isa 45:14, Isa 49:23, Isa 60:14; Mic 7:9, Mic 7:10; Rev 3:9
and brought : Dan 6:16, Dan 6:23
and desired : Mat 8:34; Mar 5:17

TSK: Act 16:40 - -- and entered : Act 16:14, Act 4:23, Act 12:12-17
they comforted : Act 14:22; 2Co 1:3-7, 2Co 4:8-12, 2Co 4:16-18; 1Th 3:2, 1Th 3:3
and entered : Act 16:14, Act 4:23, Act 12:12-17
they comforted : Act 14:22; 2Co 1:3-7, 2Co 4:8-12, 2Co 4:16-18; 1Th 3:2, 1Th 3:3

collapse allCommentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)
Barnes: Act 16:37 - -- They have beaten us openly uncondemned - There are three aggravating circumstances mentioned, of which Paul complains: (1) That they had been b...
They have beaten us openly uncondemned - There are three aggravating circumstances mentioned, of which Paul complains:
(1) That they had been beaten contrary to the Roman laws.
\caps1 (2) t\caps0 hat it had been public; the disgrace had been in the presence of the people, and the reparation ought to be as public.
\caps1 (3) t\caps0 hat it had been done without a trial, and while they were uncondemned, and therefore the magistrates ought themselves to come and release them, and thus publicly acknowledge their error. Paul knew the privileges of a Roman citizen, and at proper times, when the interests of justice and religion required it, he did not hesitate to assert them. In all this, he understood and accorded with the Roman laws. The Valerian law declared that if a citizen appealed from the magistrate to the people, it should not be lawful for magistrate to beat him with rods, or to behead him (Plutarch, Life of P. Valerius Publicola; Livy, ii. 8). By the Porcian law it was expressly forbidden that a citizen should be beaten (Livy, iv. 9). Cicero says that the body of every Roman citizen was inviolable. "The Porcian law,"he adds, "has removed the rod from the body of every Roman citizen."And in his celebrated oration against Verres, he says, A Roman citizen was beaten with rods in the forum, O judges; where, in the meantime, no groan, no other voice of this unhappy man, was heard except the cry, ‘ I am a Roman citizen’ ! Take away this hope,"he says, "take away this defense from the Roman citizens, let there be no protection in the cry I am a Roman citizen, and the praetor can with impunity inflict any punishment on him who declares himself a citizen of Rome, etc."
Being Romans - Being Romans, or having the privilege of Roman citizens. They were born Jews, but they claimed that they were Roman citizens, and had a right to the privileges of citizenship. On the ground of this claim, and the reason why Paul claimed to be a Roman citizen, see the notes on Act 22:28.
Privily - Privately. The release should be as public as the unjust act of imprisonment. As they have publicly attempted to disgrace us, so they should as publicly acquit us. This was a matter of mere justice; and as it was of great importance to their character and success, they insisted on it.
Nay, verily; but let them come ... - It was proper that they should be required to do this:
(1) Because they had been illegally imprisoned, and the injustice of the magistrates should be acknowledged.
\caps1 (2) b\caps0 ecause the Roman laws had been violated, and the majesty of the Roman people insulted, and honor should be done to the laws.
\caps1 (3) b\caps0 ecause injustice had been done to Paul and Silas, and they had a right to demand just treatment and protection.
\caps1 (4) b\caps0 ecause such a public act on the part of the magistrates would strengthen the young converts, and show them that the apostles were not guilty of a violation of the laws.
\caps1 (5) b\caps0 ecause it would tend to the honor and to the furtherance of religion. It would be a public acknowledgement of their innocence, and would go far toward lending to them the sanction of the laws as religious teachers. We may learn from this also:
(1) That though Christianity requires meekness in the reception of injuries, yet that there are occasions on which Christians may insist on their rights according to the laws. Compare Joh 18:23.
\caps1 (2) t\caps0 hat this is to be done particularly where the honor of religion is concerned, and where by it the gospel will be promoted. A Christian may bear much as a man in a private capacity, and may submit, without any effort to seek reparation; but where the honor of the gospel is concerned; where submission, without any effort to obtain justice, might be followed by disgrace to the cause of religion, a higher obligation may require him to seek a vindication of his character, and to claim the protection of the laws. His name, and character, and influence belong to the church. The laws are designed as a protection to an injured name, or of violated property and rights, and of an endangered life. And when that protection can be had only by an appeal to the laws, such an appeal, as in the case of Paul and Silas, is neither vindictive nor improper. My private interests I may sacrifice, if I choose; my public name, and character, and principles belong to the church and the world, and the laws, if necessary, may be called in for their protection.

Barnes: Act 16:38 - -- They feared when they heard ... - They were apprehensive of punishment for having imprisoned them in violation of the laws of the empire. To pu...
They feared when they heard ... - They were apprehensive of punishment for having imprisoned them in violation of the laws of the empire. To punish unjustly a Roman citizen was deemed an offence to the majesty of the Roman people, and was severely punished by the laws. Dionysius Hal. ( Ant. Rom. , ii.) says, "The punishment appointed for those who abrogated or transgressed the Valerian law was death, and the confiscation of his property."The emperor Claudius deprived the inhabitants of Rhodes of freedom for having crucified some Roman citizens ( Dio Cass. , lib. 60). See Kuinoel and Grotius.

Barnes: Act 16:39 - -- And they came and besought them - A most humiliating act for Roman magistrates, but in this case it was unavoidable. The apostles had them comp...
And they came and besought them - A most humiliating act for Roman magistrates, but in this case it was unavoidable. The apostles had them completely in their power, and could easily effect their disgrace and ruin. Probably they besought them by declaring them innocent; by affirming that they were ignorant that they were Roman citizens, etc.
And desired them to depart ... - Probably:
(1) To save their own character, and be secure from their taking any further steps to convict the magistrates of violating the laws; and,
(2) To evade any further popular tumult on their account. This advice Paul and Silas saw fit to comply with, after they had seen and comforted the brethren, Act 16:40. They had accomplished their main purpose in going to Philippi; they had preached the gospel; they had laid the foundation of a flourishing church (compare the Epistle to the Philippians); and they were now prepared to prosecute the purpose of their agency into surrounding regions. Thus, the opposition of the people and the magistrates at Philippi was the occasion of the founding of the church there, and thus their unkind and inhospitable request that they should leave them was the means of the extension of the gospel into adjacent regions.

Barnes: Act 16:40 - -- They comforted them - They exhorted them, and encouraged them to persevere, notwithstanding the opposition and persecution which they might mee...
They comforted them - They exhorted them, and encouraged them to persevere, notwithstanding the opposition and persecution which they might meet with.
And departed - That is, Paul and Silas departed. It would appear probable that Luke and Timothy remained in Philippi, or, at least, did not attend Paul and Silas. For Luke, who, in Act 16:10, uses the first person, and speaks of himself as with Paul and Silas, speaks of them now in the third person, implying that he was not with them until Paul had arrived at Troas, where Luke joined him from Philippi, Act 20:5-6. In Act 17:14, also, Timothy is mentioned as being at Berea in company with Silas, from which it appears that he did not accompany Paul and Silas to Thessalonica. Compare Act 17:1, Act 17:4. Paul and Silas, when they departed from Philippi, went to Thessalonica, Act 17:1.
Poole: Act 16:37 - -- Paul said unto them the officers who were sent to the prison with the message about their liberty.
They have beaten us the magistrates, who command...
Paul said unto them the officers who were sent to the prison with the message about their liberty.
They have beaten us the magistrates, who commanded them to be beaten, are justly charged with the beating of them, as if they had themselves done it.
Openly it was no small aggravation of their injustice, and these holy men’ s sufferings, that they had, for the greater spite unto them, openly scourged them.
Uncondemned for they were not tried, or permitted to speak for themselves.
Being Romans having the privilege of Roman citizens, which was sometimes given to whole communities. Now such by their laws might not be bound, much less beaten, (and least of all uncondemned), without the consent of the Romans.
Let them come themselves and fetch us out this the apostle stands upon, not so much for his own, as for the gospel’ s sake, that it might not be noised abroad, that the preachers of it were wicked and vile men, and did deserve such ignominious punishment. Though they were as innocent as doves, it became them also to be as wise as serpents.

Poole: Act 16:38 - -- For the Romans (under whom these magistrates were) made it by their laws to be treason thus to abuse any of their citizens. God overruled their fear...
For the Romans (under whom these magistrates were) made it by their laws to be treason thus to abuse any of their citizens. God overruled their fear of man for the deliverance of his servants.

Poole: Act 16:39 - -- Two things the magistrates had to desire of them:
1. That they would excuse the wrong done unto them, which they feared lest the Romans might reven...
Two things the magistrates had to desire of them:
1. That they would excuse the wrong done unto them, which they feared lest the Romans might revenge.
2. That, to avoid further mischiefs, (as they thought), they would leave the city. But the words here used do signify, also, that they comforted them, as well as besought, or exhorted them: both by word and deed they sought to make amends for the injury they had offered unto them; and desired them to depart for their own safety, lest the people should express their rage and madness against them.

Poole: Act 16:40 - -- Entered into the house of Lydia of whom, Act 16:14 . They do not shun dangers, so as to neglect their duty. They comforted them, in respect of the tr...
Entered into the house of Lydia of whom, Act 16:14 . They do not shun dangers, so as to neglect their duty. They comforted them, in respect of the tribulation they had endured, and were still to endure; or exhorted them to prepare for suffering, and to submit unto God in it, and to make a holy use of it.
Haydock -> Act 16:37
Haydock: Act 16:37 - -- Romans. St. Paul inherited his right of citizenship from his father; it does not appear how Silas obtained it, perhaps by purchase. There is no pro...
Romans. St. Paul inherited his right of citizenship from his father; it does not appear how Silas obtained it, perhaps by purchase. There is no proof that Silas was a freeman of Rome. (Denis the Carthusian) ---
It was forbidden by the Porcian and Sempronian laws, for a Roman citizen to be scourged, unless he was likewise convicted of a capital crime. Cicero pro Rabirio. Facinus est vinciri civem Romanum: scelus verberari. Id. cont. Verrem. The Romans were always very jealous of the dignity of their city. We cannot but admire St. Paul's astonishing desire of suffering for the name of Jesus, in concealing a circumstance, the very naming of which would have saved him the cruel scourging he suffered. If he now refuses to go out of the prison privately, it is to vindicate his honour, and to avert the scandal, which the new converts would naturally feel, in seeing their master treated as a criminal. He exemplified in this instance St. Augustine's principal; "Our lives are necessary for ourselves, but our reputation for others." (Haydock) ---
Estius declares, that Silas was also a Roman citizen, and that from this circumstance he probably received a Roman name, as Paul did. For in other parts of Scripture we find him styled Silvanus. (2 Corinthians i. 19.) and at the commencement of both the epistles to the Thessalonians. ---
Not so; but let them come, &c. St. Paul patiently submitted himself to be whipped in a most disgraceful and cruel manner, which he could easily have prevented or put a stop to, by saying, I am a Roman citizen. Afterwards, when they were for setting him at liberty, he claims his privilege, he puts all the magistrates in a fright; they run to ask him pardon, and entreat him with all civility to leave the town, which he does not think fit to do, till he visited his brethren and friends. (Witham)
Gill: Act 16:37 - -- But Paul said unto them,.... The sergeants, who were present when the jailer reported to Paul the message they came with from the magistrates; though ...
But Paul said unto them,.... The sergeants, who were present when the jailer reported to Paul the message they came with from the magistrates; though the Syriac version reads in the singular number, "Paul said to him", to the jailer:
they have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; what the magistrates ordered to be done to them, is reckoned all one as if they had done it themselves; and which was done "openly", before all the people, in the most public manner; to their great reproach, being put to open shame, as if they had been the most notorious malefactors living; when they were "uncondemned", had done nothing worthy of condemnation, being innocent and without fault, as the Syriac and Ethiopic versions render the word; nor was their cause heard, or they suffered to make any defence for themselves; and what was an aggravation of all this, that this was done in a Roman colony, and by Roman magistrates; and to persons that were Romans, at least one of them, Paul, who was of the city of Tarsus: for, according to the Porcian and Sempronian laws, a Roman citizen might neither be bound nor beaten n; but these magistrates, not content to beat Paul and Silas, without knowing the truth of their case, had cast them into prison as malefactors, and for further punishment:
and now do they thrust us out privily? nay, verily; or so it shall not be: this shows, that the apostle was acquainted with the Roman laws, as well as with the rites and customs of the Jews; and acted the wise and prudent, as well as the honest and harmless part; and this he did, not so much for the honour of the Roman name, as for the honour of the Christian name; for he considered, that should he and his companion go out of the prison in such a private manner, it might be taken for granted, that they had been guilty of some notorious offence, and had justly suffered the punishment of the law for it, which would have been a reproach to Christianity, and a scandal to the Gospel: wherefore the apostle refuses to go out in this manner, adding,
but let them come themselves, and fetch us out; that by so doing, they might own the illegality of their proceedings, and declare the innocence of the apostles.

Gill: Act 16:38 - -- And the sergeants told these words unto the magistrates,.... They returned to them, and acquainted them with what the prisoners said:
and they fear...
And the sergeants told these words unto the magistrates,.... They returned to them, and acquainted them with what the prisoners said:
and they feared when they heard that they were Romans; they were not concerned for the injury they had done them; nor for the injustice and cruelty they had been guilty of; nor did they fear the wrath of God, and a future judgment; but they were put into a panic, when they found the men they had so ill used were Romans; lest they should be called to an account by the Roman senate, and be found guilty, and have their places taken away from them, and their persons punished.

Gill: Act 16:39 - -- And they came,.... To the prison in person, as Paul had insisted on they should:
and besought them; that they would put up the injury that had been...
And they came,.... To the prison in person, as Paul had insisted on they should:
and besought them; that they would put up the injury that had been done them, and quietly depart out of prison:
and brought them out; that is, out of prison; took them by the arms, and led them out, as they had put them in, which was what the apostle required:
and desired them to depart out of the city; lest there should be any further disturbance about them: in Beza's most ancient copy, and in another manuscript copy, this verse is read thus, and which more clearly explains the passage;
"and they came with many friends unto the prison, and desired them to go out, saying, we are not ignorant of your case, that you are righteous men; and bringing them out they besought them, saying, go out of this city, lest they (the people) should turn again upon you, crying against you;''
which looks as if they took along with them some persons, who were friends to the apostles as well as to them, to prevail upon them to depart quietly; and they excuse themselves by attributing what had passed to popular rage and fury, and pretend they consulted the safety of the apostles, by desiring them to go out of the city.

Gill: Act 16:40 - -- And they went out of the prison,.... In a public manner, with great honour and reputation, at the request of the magistrates that put them there:
a...
And they went out of the prison,.... In a public manner, with great honour and reputation, at the request of the magistrates that put them there:
and entered into the house of Lydia; whom Paul had baptized, Act 16:14. The word "house" is rightly supplied, for the sense is not, that they went into the country of Lydia, as some have been tempted to think; but they went to the woman Lydia, whose heart the Lord had opened, and was become a disciple and follower of Christ; they went to her house it being in the city of Philippi, where she now abode,
and when they had seen the brethren: the men of Lydia's house, her servants, who were converted, and had been baptized with her, and are therefore called brethren; and whomsoever else they might have been instrumental in the conversion of, who might meet them in Lydia's house: in Beza's above mentioned copy, it is here added, "they declared what the Lord had done for them"; they related the earthquake and the effects of it, and how they had been useful for the conversion of the jailer and his family, who had been baptized by them, and by what means they were released from prison; all which they ascribe to the Lord, who has all power, and the hearts of all in his hands: and thus,
they comforted them; with what God had done for them, or exhorted them: to cleave to the Lord, to continue in the faith, and abide by the truths and ordinances of the Gospel:
and departed; that is, out of the city of Philippi; this is wanting in the Syriac and Arabic versions here, but is placed in the beginning of the next chapter: and now these two families, Lydia's and the jailer's, laid the foundation of a Gospel church in this city of Philippi, and which continued for ages after; Erastus, of whom mention is made in Act 19:22 is said to be bishop of this church, and it may be also Epaphroditus, for there were more bishops than one in this church in the apostle's time, Phi 1:1, in the "second" century there was a church, to which Ignatius and Polycarp are said to send epistles; and there are epistles to the Philippians which go under their names, that are still extant: in the "third" century, Tertullian o, among other churches, makes mention of the church at Philippi, as sound in the faith; and in the "fourth" and "fifth" centuries we read of a church in this place; in the "seventh" century, when it went by the name of Chrysopolis, there was a church in it, and a bishop of it, who was present at the sixth council in Constantinople; there were Christians dwelling here in the "ninth" century p.

expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes: Act 16:37 They themselves must come and escort us out! Paul was asking for the injustice he and Silas suffered to be symbolically righted. It was a way of publi...

NET Notes: Act 16:38 Roman citizens. This fact was disturbing to the officials because due process was a right for a Roman citizen, well established in Roman law. To flog ...

NET Notes: Act 16:39 The verb ἐρώτων (erwtwn) has been translated as an iterative imperfect; the English adverb “repeatedly” br...

NET Notes: Act 16:40 “Then” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to clarify the logical sequence in the translation.
Geneva Bible: Act 16:37 ( 20 ) 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 pr...

Geneva Bible: Act 16:38 ( 21 ) And the serjeants told these words unto the magistrates: and they feared, when they heard that they were Romans.
( 21 ) The wicked are not mov...

Geneva Bible: Act 16:40 ( 22 ) 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....

expand allCommentary -- Verse Range Notes
TSK Synopsis -> Act 16:1-40
TSK Synopsis: Act 16:1-40 - --1 Paul having circumcised Timothy,7 and being called by the Spirit from one country to another,14 converts Lydia,16 and casts out a spirit of divinati...
Combined Bible: Act 16:37 - --To be thus released from prison, as though they had simply suffered the penalty due them, would be a suspicious circumstance to follow the missionarie...



Combined Bible: Act 16:40 - --When they were discharged, they took their own time to comply with the polite request of the magistrates. (40) " Then they went out of the prison, and...
MHCC -> Act 16:35-40
MHCC: Act 16:35-40 - --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 ...
Matthew Henry -> Act 16:35-40
Matthew Henry: Act 16:35-40 - -- 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 basel...
Barclay -> Act 16:25-40
Barclay: Act 16:25-40 - --If Lydia came from the top end of the social scale and the slave-girl from the bottom, the Roman jailer was one of the sturdy middle class who made u...
Constable: Act 9:32--Rom 1:1 - --III. THE WITNESS TO THE UTTERMOST PART OF THE EARTH 9:32--28:31
Luke next recorded the church's expansion beyond...

Constable: Act 16:6--19:21 - --C. The extension of the church to the Aegean shores 16:6-19:20
The missionary outreach narrated in this ...

Constable: Act 16:11--17:16 - --2. The ministry in Macedonia 16:11-17:15
Luke recorded Paul's ministry in Philippi, Thessalonica...

Constable: Act 16:11-40 - --Ministry in Philippi 16:11-40
Luke devoted more space to Paul's evangelizing in Philippi than he did to the apostle's activities in any other city on ...
College -> Act 16:1-40
College: Act 16:1-40 - --ACTS 16
3. The Visit to Derbe and Lystra (16:1-4)
1 He came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Je...
McGarvey -> Act 16:37-39; Act 16:40
McGarvey: Act 16:37-39 - --37-39. To be thus released from prison, as though they had simply suffered the penalty due them, would be a suspicious circumstance to follow the miss...
