THE BOOK OF ACTS. CHAPTER 16a OUTLINE AND COMMENTARY. MARK DUNAGAN I. OUTLINE OF chapter Acts 16:1-15: I. Timothy joins Paul and Silas: Acts 16:1-3 II. Strengthening the churches: Acts 16:4-5 III. God directing them to Macedonia: Acts 16:6-11 IV. Events in Philippi: Acts 16:12-40 A. Conversio... [ Continue Reading ]
"And he came also to Derbe and to Lystra: and behold,. certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of. Jewess that believed; but his father was. Greek"Derbe and to Lystra" "Lystra and Derbe were the last Galatian towns to have been visited on the first missionary journey. So now, as Paul appr... [ Continue Reading ]
"The same was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium" That is, Timothy, not his father. "The fact that he was known as. fine Christian, not only in his home town but at the distant city of Iconium, suggests the fact that he had already been active as. preacher" (Reese p. 56... [ Continue Reading ]
"Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and he took and circumcised him because of the Jews that were in those parts: for they all knew that his father was. Greek"Him would Paul have to go forth with him" "He (Paul) was always well aware of the necessity of training. new generation for the work a... [ Continue Reading ]
"And as they went on their way through the cities, they delivered them the decrees to keep which had been ordained of the apostles and elders that were at Jerusalem"Through the cities" Through all the cities just mentioned (Acts 15:41-Acts 16:1). "Delivered them the decrees to keep" That is the divi... [ Continue Reading ]
"So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily" Repeatedly in the book of Acts we see the importance of helping new converts to grow and mature (Acts 14:22; Acts 15:32; 41; Acts 11:26; Acts 2:42). Notice that such effort results in further growth ("increased in number... [ Continue Reading ]
"And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden of the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia"They" Paul, Silas and Timothy. "Region of Phrygia and Galatia" "Older geographies presumed that this meant. northern trip through Pessinus, Ancyra, and Tavium. Since the time... [ Continue Reading ]
"and when they were come over against Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia; and the Spirit of Jesus suffered them not" "Over against Mysia" "With the south-westerly route blocked, they turned north, until they reached the border of Mysia, which was not. Roman administrative region but an old name... [ Continue Reading ]
"and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas" "Having found the southwesterly and northerly roads obstructed, the only direction left open to them was north-west. So they went 'through' Mysia or passed by it, which could mean either that they neglected it, in the sense that they did not stop to ev... [ Continue Reading ]
"And. vision appeared to Paul in the night: There was. man of Macedonia standing, beseeching him, and saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us"Man of Macedonia" -Possibly his dress or language led him to know he was. Macedonian. "In New Testament times what is modern Greece was two Roman provin... [ Continue Reading ]
"And when he had seen the vision, straightway we sought to go forth into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them"Straightway" "Presents. picture of. hurried trip to the dock the next morning, and inquiry being made as to what ship was sailing, bound for any port of... [ Continue Reading ]
"Setting sail therefore from Troas, we made. straight course to Samothrace, and the day following to Neapolis" "Straight course" "It is. nautical term for sailing before the wind" (Robertson p. 249). "The wind was favorable for the voyage across the north Aegean, and they finished it in two days (Ac... [ Continue Reading ]
"and from thence to Philippi, which is. city of Macedonia, the first of the district,. Roman colony: and we were in this city tarrying certain days"Philippi" "Built on. spur of the Pangaean mountain range, was named for Philip of Macedon, its conqueror (the father of Alexander the Great)" (Bakers p.... [ Continue Reading ]
"And on the Sabbath day we went forth without the gate by. river side, where we supposed there was. place of prayer; and we sat down, and spake unto the women that were come together"On the Sabbath day" As Paul's custom was, he went looking for Jewish people to preach to (Acts 17:2). "Without the ga... [ Continue Reading ]
"And. certain woman named Lydia,. seller of purple of the city of Thyatira, one that worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened to give heed unto the things which were spoken by Paul"Lydia" (LID ih uh). The fact this she is said to be the "seller" of purple, and the household referred to... [ Continue Reading ]
Bakers Bible Atlas p. 212... [ Continue Reading ]
"And it came to pass, as we were going to the place of prayer, that. certain maid having. spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much gain by soothsaying"Going to the place of prayer" Acts 16:13. The first visit had proven successful, with the conversion of Lydia and her household. "Th... [ Continue Reading ]
"The same following after Paul and us cried out, saying, These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim unto you the way of salvation"These men are servants of the Most High God" In like manner those demon-possessed often cried out after Jesus (Luke 8:28; Mark 1:34; Mark 3:11). "The way o... [ Continue Reading ]
"And this she did for many days. But Paul, being sore troubled, turned and said to the spirit,. charge thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And it came out that very hour"Being sore troubled" "Worn out, both grieved at the sad condition of the woman, and thoroughly annoyed and indign... [ Continue Reading ]
"But when her masters saw that the hope of their gain was gone, they laid hold on Paul and Silas, and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers"Saw that the hope of their gain was gone" Which proves that the girl was not. willing participant in the business. They had been exploiting her sa... [ Continue Reading ]
"and when they had brought them unto the magistrates, they said, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city" "Magistrates" "The collegiate magistrates of. Roman colony were commonly called duumivirs, but sometimes they preferred the more dignified title of praetors--The Greek work render... [ Continue Reading ]
"and set forth customs which it is not lawful for us to receive, or to observe, being Romans"Set forth customs" "Proclaiming customs" (NASV). "Not lawful" "The Roman law forbade Romans to introduce or practice any new religion; they were required to worship their own gods and no others. The Jews wer... [ Continue Reading ]
"And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent their garments off them, and commanded to beat them with rods" The crowd demands. verdict. The people in the marketplace very quickly jumped on the anti-Jewish, and pro-Roman bandwagon. The feelings of the crowd evidently inf... [ Continue Reading ]
"And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely" "The Roman custom depended on the whims of the judge; it was. severe ordeal" (Boles p. 261).... [ Continue Reading ]
"who, having received such. charge, cast them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks" In response to the command from the magistrates, the jailer places Paul and Silas into what we might call "maximum security". Three compartments were usually found in most Roman prisons. Firs... [ Continue Reading ]
"But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns unto God, and the prisoners were listening to them"Praying and singing hymns" Unable to sleep and find any physical comfort, they focused on spiritual things. "Listening" "Rare verb to listen with pleasure" (Robertson p. 260). "The do... [ Continue Reading ]
"and suddenly there was. great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison-house were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed" Here we learn that the earthquake mentioned in this verse was not an ordinary physical event, because the bands were not m... [ Continue Reading ]
"And the jailor, being roused out of sleep and seeing the prison doors open, drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped"Roused out of sleep" The Jailer had not been kept awake by the singing and prayers of Paul and Silas. "It is noted that neither the groa... [ Continue Reading ]
"But Paul cried with. loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here" Notice Paul's attitude. This Jailer had inflicted punishment upon them. Other men might have said, "It serves him right for mistreating me", or, "he's getting what he deserves." Apparently enough light existed for Pau... [ Continue Reading ]
"And he called for lights and sprang in, and, trembling for fear, fell down before Paul and Silas"Called for lights" Torches, rags wrapped around. stick and soaked in. flammable liquid. He calls out to his assistants and quickly grabs one of the lights. "Trembling for fear" Possibly he makes. hasty... [ Continue Reading ]
"and brought them out and said, Sirs, what must. do to be saved?" Since his physical life was not in any danger (all the prisoners were still secure in their cells), the question being asked by the jailer relates to the salvation of his soul. Possibly the jailer had heard the outcries of the demon-... [ Continue Reading ]
"And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house"Believe on the Lord Jesus" Unfortunately many people stop right here and assume that one is saved at the moment they believe that Jesus is the Son of God, such as the idea of salvation by faith alone. But the next... [ Continue Reading ]
"And they spake the word of the Lord unto him, with all that were in his house" He must be told what to believe about Jesus (Romans 10:17). Paul and Silas had mentioned the "Lord" Jesus. Well how did this Jesus come to be the "Lord"? What is He Lord over, and what does this Lord want to me do? The j... [ Continue Reading ]
"And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, immediately" "Same hour of the night" The jailer found. place where he could quickly cleanse the wounds that had been inflicted upon the backs of Paul and Silas. "Washed their stripes" Which inf... [ Continue Reading ]
"And he brought them up into his house, and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, with all his house, having believed in God"Up into his house" After being baptized. "As. jailer he was not acting illegally, for while he was responsible for the prisoners, he was under no obligations to fulfill... [ Continue Reading ]
"But when it was day, the magistrates sent the sergeants, saying, Let those men go"Sergeants" "Lit., those who hold the rod. The Roman lictors. They had to inflict the punishment on the condemned" (Vincent p. 535). "Let those men go" "In some towns, undesirable characters are jailed on some insignif... [ Continue Reading ]
"And the jailor reported the words to Paul, saying, The magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore come forth, and go in peace". But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men that are Romans, and have cast us into prison; and do they now cast us out privily? Nay ver... [ Continue Reading ]
"And the sergeants reported these words unto the magistrates: and they feared when they heard that they were Romans" They feared because they had been guilty of doing something illegal. "The colonists in Philippi would turn against the praetors if they learned the facts, proud as they were of being... [ Continue Reading ]
"and they came and besought them; and when they had brought them out, they asked them to go away from the city" "Did their best to conciliate them" (TCNT). "Their self-importance was very healthily deflated, as they went to the jail and requested Paul and Silas to leave Philippi" (Bruce p. 341). The... [ Continue Reading ]
"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" Evidently where Paul and his companions had been staying while preaching in Philippi. "Had seen the brethren" Probably others have been converted besides the... [ Continue Reading ]