The Acts of the Apostles
Acts 16
Chapter XVI · Vol. IV, pp. 284–286
1 Paul having circumcised Timothy, 7 and being called by the Spirit from one country to another, 14 converteth Lydia, 16 casteth out a spirit of divination. 19 For which cause he and Silas are whipped and imprisoned. 26 The prison-doors are opened. 31 The jailer is converted, 37 and they are delivered.
1 THEN came he to aDerbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, bnamed Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek:1
a ch.14.6.
b Ro.16.21. 1 Co.4.17. Phi.2.19. 1 Th.3.2. 2 Ti.1.5;3.10,14. ch.17.14;19.22;20.4.
1 See note * below.
* Timothy appears to have been a native of Lystra. We may perhaps conclude from the incidental remark in 2 Ti. 3.10,11, that he first met Paul in Antioch of Pisidia, and being converted by his preaching, followed him on his first journey as far as his home at Lystra. Here Paul, on his second missionary journey, again met his convert, and took him with him.—P.
3 Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised2 him, because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek.
2 1 Co.9.20,21, with Ga.2.3-5;5.1-3. He did this to render Timothy more acceptable to the Jews.
4 And as they went through the cities, dthey delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.Cited in WCF 31.3
d ch.15.2,6,20,24,28,29.
6 Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of gGalatia, and were forbidden hof the Holy Ghost to preach the word in iAsia,3
g Ga.1.2.
h ver.7. Mat.9.38. ch.20.28;13.2. Is.30.21. Am.8.11,12. 1 Co.12.11.
i Re.1.4,11. 2 Ti.1.15. 1 Pe.1.1. ch.19.10.
3 The Roman province of Asia is here meant, which included the extreme western section of Asia Minor, from Pamphylia on the south to Mysia on the north.—P.
7 After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia:4 but the Spirit5 suffered them not.
4 Mysia—Bithynia. Districts of Western Asia. Bithynia is celebrated in ecclesiastical history as the country in which two great general councils of the church were held—the one at Nice, and the other at Chalcedon.—C.
5 Forbade them by some special revelation, because 'the time to favour her, yea the set time,' was not yet come. See Ps.102.13. 1 Pe.1.1.—C.
9 And ka vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia,7 and prayed him, saying, lCome over into Macedonia, and help us.
10 And after he had seen the vision, nimmediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.
11 Therefore loosing from Troas, we came owith a straight course to Samothracia,8 and the next day to Neapolis;9
A.D. cir. 54.
8 Samothracia. An island in the Archipelago.—C.
9 Neapolis. A seaport of Thrace.—C.
12 And from thence to pPhilippi, which is the chief1 city of that part of Macedonia,2 and a colony:3 and we were in that city abiding certain days.
1 Or, the first.
2 This ought to be rendered, 'Which is the first Macedonian city of that district.' It was the first which Paul visited, and standing near the eastern frontier of the province, it might in that respect also be termed the first Macedonian city of that district.—P.
3 Chiefly inhabited by Romans, ver.21.
13 And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river-side, qwhere prayer was wont to be made;4 and we sat down, and rspake unto the women which resorted thither.
14 And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of sThyatira,5 which worshipped God, heard us: twhose heart the Lord opened,6 that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.Cited in WSC 31 · HC 21
5 Thyatira. A city on the borders of Lydia and Mysia, about fifty-six miles north-east of Smyrna. It still contains a few Christians, with two schools, attended by seventy of their children.—C.
t ch.10.2. Ep.1.17. Lu.24.45. Jn.6.44,45.
6 Whose heart the Lord opened—making her willing to receive the truth in the love of it.—Note, Every heart is closed against 'the truth as it is in Jesus,' till the 'mighty power' of God is put forth, in mercy, to open it, Ep. 1.17-20.—C.
15 And when ushe was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me vto be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she xconstrained us.
16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel ypossessed with a spirit of divination7 met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:8
y 1 Sa.28.7. ch.19.24,25. De.18.10. Is.8.19.
7 A spirit of divination. 'A spirit of Python.' So named after the Pythian or serpent-slaying Apollo.—C.
8 This was a case of demoniacal possession similar to those mentioned so frequently in the Gospels. The evil spirits appear to have exercised their power now in one way, now in another. It was one part of our Lord's mission to destroy them, and he gave a commission to that effect also to his apostles, by whom the work of destruction seems to have been completed.—P.
17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These9 men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the zway of salvation.
18 And this did she many days. But Paul, abeing grieved,1 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.
a Mar.1.25,34;16.17. Col.2.15. ch.3.6;9.34.
1 Paul was grieved lest any should take occasion to say that the preachers of the gospel were acting in concert with, or receiving witness from, any of the heathen deities—devils, whom the heathen blindly worshipped as gods, 1 Co. 10.20. Re. 9.20;16.14.—C.
19 And when her masters saw that bthe hope of their gains was gone, cthey caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the 2market-place, unto the rulers,
20 Andd brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,
d ch.17.6;18.12,13. 1 Ki.18.17. Es.3.8, with Ro.12.2. Ja.4.4. Jn.15.18,20.
21 And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.3
3 This place was now a Roman colony, and the laws of Rome, though ready to adopt every foreign deity, yet required every man to worship the gods of that proud and idolatrous city.—C.
22 Ande the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.
e 2 Co.11.25. 1 Th.2.2. Phi.2.15. ver.23. Mar.13.9. Mat.10.17,18.
23 Andg when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely:
24 Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the hstocks.4
26 Andj 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.
27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison-doors open, hek drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Dol thyself no harm; for we are all here.Cited in WLC 136
29 Then he called for a light,5 and sprang in, and came ntrembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
5 Some have questioned how Paul could see the jailer, when the jailer could not see the prisoners. But the natural probability is, that there was a lamp hanging in the jailer's apartment, which enabled Paul to see him, but which was too feeble to throw sufficient light into the prison to enable the jailer to see Paul. Besides, it is a well-known fact, that the eyes of a person confined in the dark acquire a surprising power of seeing accurately by aid of the least glimmering of light.—C.
n Je.5.22.
30 And brought them out, and said, oSirs, what must I do to be saved?Cited in WLC 72, 153, 172 · HC 60
o ch.2.37;9.6. Lu.3.10.
31 And they said, pBelieve on6 the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.Cited in WLC 72, 153 · WCF 14.2 · HC 60, 74
p ch.2.39;13.39. Jn.3.16,36;6.40,47. 1 Jn.5.10. Mar.16.16. Ge.17.7. Is.45.22. Hab.2.4.
6 Believe on. Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. About 130 instances, says M. Good, occur in which the word translated 'faith,' and 'believe,' are evidently never used to express belief in any fact that is not fitted to excite confidence in God or in Christ.—C.
32 Andq they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.Cited in WSC 95
q Mar.16.15. Ro.1.14,16. Ep.3.8. 1 Jn.1.1-3. Col.1.28.
33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and rwas baptized, he and all his, straightway.Cited in WSC 95 · WCF 28.3
34 And when he had brought them into his house, he sset meat before them, and trejoiced, believing in God with all his house.
t ch.8.39. Is.61.10. Ro.5.2,10,11. Phi.3.3.
35 And uwhen it was day, the magistrates sent the sergeants,7 saying, Let those men go.
u Ps.30.5. 2 Co.1.8,9. De.32.30. Ge.22.14.
7 The original word signifies 'lictors,' persons who preceded the consuls, and carried the fasces, which were a bundle of rods bound about the handle of a hatchet.—C.
36 And the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and vgo in peace.
37 But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned,8 beingx Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay, verily; ybut let them come themselves and fetch us out.
* The Roman government was exceeding jealous of any invasion of the privilege of citizenship, and of the liberties and lives of citizens.—C.
A.M. cir. 4058. A.D. cir. 54.
8 By an express enactment of Roman law all those who enjoyed the privilege of citizenship could not be beaten, tortured, or condemned to imprisonment without a public trial. Paul had been publicly beaten and imprisoned, and now he insisted that the magistrates who had broken the law should publicly acknowledge their error, and release him.—P.
x ch.22.25-28.
y Da.6.18,19. Mat.10.16,17. Ep.5.15. Mi.7.9,10. Ps.37.6.
y See note * in first column.
38 And the sergeants told these words unto the magistrates: and they zfeared, when they heard that they were Romans.9
39 Anda they came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city.
40 And they went out of the prison, band entered into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed.
b ver.14;ch.4.23;12.12,17. 1 Th.3.2,3.
Notes
Ver. 6. Galatia. A division of Western Asia adjoining Phrygia on the north-east, sometimes called Gallo-Grecia, both of which names it derived from a colony of Gauls who migrated thither under Brennus, B.C. 276, and whose descendants continued to speak the Gallic language till the third century of the Christian era. C.
Ver. 12. Philippi. A city about twelve miles north of Neapolis, so named after Philip, the father of Alexander, and celebrated in heathen annals as the scene of the decisive conflicts between the armies of Augustus and Anthony, Brutus and Cas sius; but still more justly celebrated in Christian annals as the first city of Europe in which the gospel was preached. Under Turkish misrule it has long been reduced to the condition of a miserable village; but some remnants of Christianity are still found among its few and impoverished inhabitants—a seed of hope when 'the time for favour' shall return. C.
Reflections.—There is need of wisdom from above to direct us when to condescend to men's weaknesses, and when to assert our privileges, religious or civil. God remarkably owns his gospel for the conversion and edification of men when it is faithfully and prudently preached. And in loving wisdom he directs where to preach it, and where not. Marvellous is it that he has not forbidden nor hindered the preaching of it in Britain, where it has been so peculiarly undervalued, rejected, denied, and detested! God deals with people in very different forms in bringing them to his Son. And some of them, when near to the brink of hell, as well as to the ordinances of grace, are plucked as brands out of the burning. But it is enough if, either in a more kind or a more awful manner, they be deeply convinced of sin and self-insufficiency, and led to receive and rest upon Jesus Christ alone, in all his offices, for salvation, as he is offered in the gospel. And while God, in infinite kindness, becomes at once their God and the God of their seed, they will testify their high regard to the instrument of their conversion, and be deeply concerned for the eternal salvation of their whole family. Satan will turn himself and his agents into very different forms, will become a friend, an angel of light, a witness for Christ, or a selfish, outrageous, persecuting fury, in order to sully the honour and prevent the spread of the gospel. But let them do as they will, Jesus can support, comfort, vindicate, and render victorious his faithful servants. No persecutor is so proud or furious but either the terrors of God can restrain or his grace convert him. And, if possible, Christ's ministers should study to obtain their deliverances with honour as well as with safety; but they must never manifest any selfish resentment. Learn, my soul, carefully to observe providential directions. Always delight in meetings for prayer or religious conference. Never relish dissembled applause, however just. In every distress believe in Jesus Christ; and always rejoice in suffering for his sake.