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Acts Chapter
Sixteen
I.
Content of the Chapter
Paul Opened the Door of the Gospel in
I. He brought Timothy together to preach in Lystra
(v.1-3).
II. They went through the cities and the churches
were strengthened (v.4-5).
III. They were forbidden and not permitted in their
journey by the Holy Spirit (v.6-8).
IV. He saw the vision of
V. They came to the gateway of Europe------
VI. They gained the household of
VII. They were put into prison because they
offended the devil and wealth (v.16-24).
VIII. They boasted in the prison (v.25-26).
IX. They gained the keeper of the prisoner and his
household (v.27-34).
X. They overcame the earthly power (v.35-40).
II.
Verse by Verse commentary
Acts. 16:1 “Then he came to Derbe and
Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a
certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek.”
YLT: “And he came to
Derbe and Lystra, and lo, a certain disciple was there, by name Timotheus son
of a certain woman, a believing Jewess, but of a father, a Greek,”
The
Background: it is debatable
among the Bible exegetes whether sons of the Jews and other races in their
mixed marriages are counted as the Jews. Some of them said that the strict Jews
would not acknowledge the mixed marriage with other races or receive such
children (Neh. 10:30; 13:23-25). However, some of them also said that according
to the regulations set by the Jewish rabbis, if one’s mother was Jewish, he
could be counted as Jewish.
Literal Meaning: “Then he came to Derbe and
Lystra” In Paul’s first
journey, he went to Lystra first and then turned to Derbe (Acts. 14:6, 20); in
this journey the places were on the contrary.
“And behold, a certain disciple was
there, named Timothy” Timothy was called
“a disciple”, showing that he may be the fruit of Paul who preached the gospel
in Lystra in the first journey (Acts. 14:6-7; 1Cor. 4:15-17). About more than
ten years later, Paul stilled called Timothy the young (1Tim. 4:12) and
therefore here he was young and should be in his teens.
“The son of a certain Jewish woman who
believed” The reason why
Timothy believed in the Lord may be that he was influenced by his grandmother
Lois and his mother Eunice (2Tim. 1:5).
“But his father was Greek” The word “Greek” does not mean that he was
the true Greek. At that time all the Gentiles who spoke the Greek could be
called Greek. Paul did not mention the faith of the father of Timothy in his
epistles. Maybe he was a Gentile who was neither converted to Judaism nor
believed in Christ. Probably he had died at that time.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The reason why Timothy had such outstanding
performance in the Lord (See v.2) must be that he was taught and trained by his
devout mother who loved the Lord (2Tim. 1:5). We believers should also pay
attention to the states of our children before the Lord.
2) All that we have in this life will disappear
completely and only our children are the true inheritance that the Lord has
entrusted to us. And therefore we should bring our children to the Lord well:
pray for them, introduce the Lord to them, encourage them to live a devout life
and set a good example for them.
Acts. 16:2 “He was well spoken of by
the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium.”
YLT: “who was well
testified to by the brethren in Lystra and Iconium;”
Literal Meaning: “He was well spoken of by the brethren” “He was well spoken of” in the original
means “he was well testified to”.
Timothy was not only praised by the
brethren but also appreciated by Paul and he later became Paul’s closest
fellow-worker (Acts. 17:14; 18:5; 19:22; 20:4;
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Lystra and Iconium” are two churches in two places, however, all the
brethren praise one person. It shows that the early churches have close
communication with each other. The churches in various churches are independent
in their administration, however, they are not independent in the spiritual
communication.
2) When choosing a worker of the Lord, we should
take notice of men’s (those who contact with him daily) impressions on him.
3) Great oaks from little acorns grow. The inkling
of one’s performance in his going out to work could be seen from his
performance in the local place.
Acts. 16:3 “Paul wanted to have him
go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who
were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek.”
YLT: “this one did Paul
wish to go forth with him, and having taken [him], he circumcised him, because
of the Jews who are in those places, for they all knew his father -- that he
was a Greek.”
Literal Meaning: “Paul wanted to have
him go on with him.” The aim of Paul is to train him in serving the Lord.
“Because of the Jews who were in that
region, for they all knew that his father was Greek” It shows that the Jews did not feel relieved to
get along with Timothy and they were afraid that he was not Judaic.
“And
he took him and circumcised him” Paul set his face
against “circumcising the Gentiles” (Acts. 15:1-2). And why did he circumcise
Timothy at that moment? Maybe he had the Jewish lineage (See v.1) and it was an
expedient way to have him come in and go out among the Jews conveniently for
preaching the gospel.
Paul’s attitude and knowledge towards
the circumcision were as follows: 1) he himself was a pure Jewish and he was
circumcised the eighth day (Pill. 3:5); 2) since he had believed in the Lord,
his knowledge of circumcision had changed greatly; 3) he held that the outward
circumcision on the flesh was only a seal of the righteousness of the faith
(Rom. 4:11); 4) and therefore the outward circumcision on the flesh was not the
true circumcision and the circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not
in the letter (Rom. 2:28-29); 5) men’s being saved and justified is not by
being circumcised or keeping the law but by faith (Gal. 2:16; 5:6); 6) however,
he did not advocate abolishing the circumcision and he held the attitude of
“neither abolishing nor receiving”------was anyone called while circumcised?
Let him not become uncircumcised. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? Let
him not be circumcised (1Cor. 7:18); 7) however, he allowed those who were
called while uncircumcised to be circumcised for the sake of preaching the
gospel to win men------to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews
(1Cor. 9:19-23); 8) and therefore he circumcised Timothy in this verse and later
he purified himself with four men who had a vow on them (Acts. 21:20-26); 9)
however, when men advocated that except men be circumcised, they cannot be
saved and regarded the circumcision as the condition for one’s being saved, he
would rise and set his face against it in order to maintain the truth of the
gospel (Acts. 15:1-2); 10) he did not compel anyone to be circumcised (Gal.
2:3); 11) he knew the spiritual meaning of circumcision------Christ makes men
be put off the body of the flesh (Col. 2:11); 12) and therefore he held that
neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation
(Gal. 6:15).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord’s workers should take heed of
cultivating the juniors. The most successful thing in the life of Paul was that
he found, trained and fostered Timothy and edified him to become his successor.
2) We can use everything that is not harmful to the
truth and profits the work of the Lord (e.g. Paul circumcised Timothy) as well.
3) If we work for the Lord, we should try our best
to clear up all the interpersonal estrangement and obstacle (Timothy was
circumcised and it was helpful in clearing up the gap with the Jews).
Acts. 16:4 “And as they went through
the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined
by the apostles and elders at
YLT: “And as they were
going on through the cities, they were delivering to them the decrees to keep,
that have been judged by the apostles and the elders who [are] in
Literal Meaning: “And as they went through
the cities” “They” refers to
Paul, Silas and Timothy (See v.3; Acts. 15:40).
“They delivered to them the decrees to
keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at
Acts. 16:5 “So the churches were
strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.”
YLT: “then, indeed, were
the assemblies established in the faith, and were abounding in number every
day;”
Literal Meaning: at that time, the
majority of the members of the churches were the Jews and therefore the
regulations in the letter of the church in
Acts. 16:6 “Now when they had gone
through Phrygia and the region of
YLT: “and having gone
through Phrygia and the region of
Literal Meaning: “they were forbidden by the
Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia”
“Asia” was a province in the Roman Empire which was on the west of the
Here two problems were brought in: the first is
that how did the Holy Spirit “forbid” them? The ways of the Holy Spirit’s
prohibition include the obstacle in the circumstances, the words of the angel,
the revelation of the Bible, the dream, the feeling in the Holy Spirit, the
uneasiness of hearts, the clear prophesy of the prophet, the communication and
approval among believers, the vision (See v.9) and etc.
The second is that why did the Holy Spirit “forbid”
them? It is supposed that the Holy Spirit neither said that the gospel was not
needed in “the regions” nor “used Paul” to preach there because Paul had come
to
It was really hard for men then to understand why
the Holy Spirit forbad them to preach in
“When
they had gone through Phrygia and the region of
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The workers of the Lord should preach and work
not according to their own favor or determination or the route negotiated by
men but by seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
2) The Holy Spirit not only leads men positively
but also “forbids” men negatively. And the Holy Spirit always leads believers
by “prohibition”.
3) If those who serve the Lord could observe the
guidance of the Holy Spirit acutely and regard the direction of the Holy Spirit
as their own direction, the work shall be assuredly expanded fast.
4) It is not that “the work” controls the steps of
workers but that “the Lord” of workers controls the steps of workers. How easy
it is for men to be influenced by work and neglect the Lord who plans and
manages the work.
5) Since the work is under the control of the Lord,
workers should not worry that the Lord might not remember His work and we
should pay attention to whether we are under the Lord’s arrangement, control,
guidance and assignment.
Acts. 16:7 “After they had come to
Mysia, they tried to go into
YLT: “having gone toward
Mysia, they were trying to go on toward
Literal Meaning: “After they had come to
Mysia” “Mysia” was in the
northwest of the province of
“They tried to go into
“But the Spirit did not permit them” “The Spirit” refers to the Holy Spirit
(See v.6); In the Bible the following different names are used to call the Holy
Spirit: 1) the Spirit of God (Gen. 1:2); 2) the Spirit of Jehovah (Judg.3:10);
3) the spirit of the holy gods (Dan. 4:8); 4) the Spirit of the Father (Matt.
10:20); 5) the Spirit of the Lord (Luke. 4:18); 6) the Spirit (Acts. 16:7); 7)
the Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9); 8) the
Spirit of his son (Gal. 4:6); 9) the spirit of glory and of God (1Pet.
4:14); 10) the seven Spirits of God (Rev. 4:5).
Some Bible exegetes held that
“the Spirit” specially emphasized that the Spirit includes the humanity of
incarnation: He had suffered being tempted (Heb. 2:18) and He could be touched
with the feeling of our infirmities (Heb. 4:15). And the so-called “but the Spirit did not
permit them” indicated that He
did not permit Paul to go into
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The two sentences “they were forbidden by the
Holy Spirit” (See v.6) and “the
Spirit did not permit them” are like the
railroad that are paved with two rails. If we walk by obeying the guidance of the
Holy Spirit, we will go smoothly everywhere, however, if we ignore the guidance
of the Holy Spirit, we will go off the rails.
2) The Holy Spirit’s forbidding and not permitting
usually are the feeling in the Spirit instead of the clear and obvious revelation
and we won’t understand it until we obey it.
3) Those who serve the Lord should learn to work
diligently and obey the Holy Spirit’s forbidding and not permitting------do
nothing and keep silent. Those who only do the work and never stop might not do
the work of the Lord.
4) Just as the Lord Jesus “can do nothing of
Himself” (John. 5:19), the Lord’s workers should also do nothing of themselves.
Only those who have learned that “we won’t do anything until God has done
something” will be sent by God to go out to work for Him.
Acts. 16:8 “So passing by Mysia, they
came down to
YLT: “and having passed
by Mysia, they came down to
Literal Meaning: “So passing by Mysia” They came from the east and today they
could neither go to the south (See v.6) nor go to the north (See v.7) and
therefore they could only go straight to the west and pass by
“They came down to
Acts. 16:9 “And a vision appeared to
Paul in the night. A man of
YLT: “And a vision
through the night appeared to Paul -- a certain man of
Literal Meaning: “And a vision appeared to
Paul in the night” “Vision” is one of
the ways of God’s guidance upon men (Acts. 13).
“A man of
“Come over to
From the regional circumstance, Troas belonged to
Asia and
The Holy Spirit forbad Paul from preaching the word
in Asia (See v.6) with the purpose of making them turn to
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) In the “night” of our service------the time that
the darkness hovers over and we do not know what to do------what’s the most
important is that we should seek the vision from God.
2) Today there is “voice of
3) When Paul went out to work for the Lord, his
burden must be heavy and his mood must be urgent. However, with such burden and
mood, he could receive the restraint of the Holy Spirit and stop abruptly. Then
the Lord could entrust the vision and mission of
Acts. 16:10 “Now after he had seen the
vision, immediately we sought to go to
YLT: “and when he saw the
vision, immediately we endeavoured to go forth to
Meaning of Words: “sought to”: look
for, endeavor; “concluding”: assuredly gather, compact.
Literal Meaning: “immediately we sought to go
to
“Concluding that the Lord had called us
to preach the gospel to them” “Concluding”
refers to the conclusion from conjecture. It shows that after Paul had seen the
vision, he did not confirm the will of God rashly and he considered it
carefully and cautiously and then had such conclusion.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Seeing the vision and understanding the vision
are two separated things. The trouble of many people is not that they lack the
vision but that they can not comprehend the vision and even misunderstand the
vision.
2) “Concluding” shows that Paul and others did not
regard the vision as the only guidance. When we have received the vision or
dream, we should still consider the will of God with the words of the Bible,
the teachings of the anointing in us and the arrangement of circumstances and
then we won’t be wrong.
3) The vision is individually shown to Paul,
however, “we…concluding” indicates that the corporate seek the will of God with
one accord and take action together. It shows us that the individual revelation
won’t be spiritually effective until it turns to be the revelation of the body
in complete accord and then turns to be the agreed action of the body.
4) Once we have received the vision from the
heaven, we should obey it carefully and should not be disobedient to the vision
(Acts. 26:19).
Acts. 16:11 “Therefore, sailing from
Troas, we ran a straight course to
YLT: “having set sail,
therefore, from
Literal Meaning: “we ran a straight course to
Samothrace” “Samothrace” was an island in the northeast corner of
“And the next day came to Neapolis” “Neapolis” was an outport of
the city of
Acts. 16:12 “and from there to
Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of
YLT: “thence also to
Philippi, which is a principal city of the part of
Meaning of Words: “
Literal Meaning: “and from there to Philippi” “Philippi” was an eastern city of
“Which is the foremost city of that part
of
“A colony” refers to the stronghold that the
Acts. 16:13 “And on the Sabbath day we
went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and
we sat down and spoke to the women who met there.”
YLT: “on the sabbath-day
also we went forth outside of the city, by a river, where there used to be
prayer, and having sat down, we were speaking to the women who came together,”
Literal Meaning: “to the riverside”
“the riverside” refers to the bank of
“Where prayer was customarily made” The Jews in
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Praying is to give God chance to work upon men
on the earth.
2) We should proclaim the word in season or out of
season (2Tim. 4:2), however, we should also seize the good opportunity to
preach the word (find out a group of people who set their mind on seeking God)
and then we could yield twice the result with half the effort.
Acts. 16:14 “Now a certain woman named
YLT: “and a certain
woman, by name
Literal Meaning: “She was a seller of purple” “Purple” is the royal color and “purple”
was the nobler dress materials and only the rich could wear the purple clothing
at that time. It is said that the purple dyes were collected from a certain
crustacean drop by drop and it was very precious. At that time, those who dealt
with such business were all rich ones.
“Named
This sentence could be translated into “she was a
Lydian” in the original.
“From the city of
“Who
worshiped God” “Worshipping God”
indicates that they hold the attitude of honoring God and worshipping Him. This
word is used to describe the Gentiles who believe that the God of the Jews is
the only true God, usually read the Bible diligently and keep some letters and
regulations. However, they have not been converted to Judaism completely.
“The
Lord opened her heart” It indicates that
the Lord opened her understanding (Luke. 24:45) so that she could respond to
the message of the gospel that Paul had preached.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If we want to be bestowed grace, we should not
only “hear” but also “heed”. We should not only hear with “ears” but also hear
with “hearts”.
2) If the preacher merely preaches well and
correctly and there is not the cooperation of the Lord, men cannot be saved.
3) When the church preaches the gospel, brothers
and sisters should not only pray for the one who preaches the message but also
pray for listeners that the Lord would open their hearts.
Acts. 16:15 “And when she and her
household were baptized, she begged us, saying, ‘If
you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.’ So she persuaded us.”
YLT: “and when she was
baptized, and her household, she did call upon us, saying, `If ye have judged
me to be faithful to the Lord, having entered into my house, remain;' and she
constrained us.”
Literal Meaning: “she begged us” The word that
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Under normal circumstances, once men have
believed in the Lord, they could be baptized (See v.33) and they do not need to
wait for a long period of time.
2) One feature of Christianity is that the whole
household is converted to the Lord (See v.31, 34).
3) Serving the Lord and receiving the Lord’s
servants are not giving the Lord or men kindness as if we could do it according
to our favor. They are chances and honor that we have to “beg” to have.
4) Receiving the Saints is the expression of
serving the Lord faithfully and only the true believers are qualified to do so.
5) The normal Christian family is quite hospitable
to the Saints (Rom. 12:15; Heb. 13:2; 1Pet. 4:9).
6) The heart of
7) Once men believe in the Lord, he becomes a
member of the body of Christ. What’s the most important for a member is to have
communion with other members of the body, i.e. having the same care one for another (1Cor.12:
12-27).
Acts. 16:16 “Now it happened, as we
went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination
met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling.”
YLT: “And it came to pass
in our going on to prayer, a certain maid, having a spirit of Python, did meet
us, who brought much employment to her masters by soothsaying,”
Literal Meaning: “possessed with a spirit of
divination” “A spirit of
divination” in the original refers to the god of python in the Greek fable that
was killed by Apollo, however, its sprit still existed and it possessed men
everywhere.
“By fortune-telling” means to divine,
prophesy and foretell like a prophet.
Enlightenment in the Word: the heathens could also do the supernatural things
and say inconceivable forecast. And therefore we should never hold that someone
is from God because he has done some magical things or said something that the
ordinary cannot say.
Acts. 16:17 “This girl followed Paul
and us, and cried out, saying, ‘These men are the servants
of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.’”
YLT: “she having followed
Paul and us, was crying, saying, `These men are servants of the Most High God,
who declare to us a way of salvation;'”
Literal Meaning: “These men are the servants
of the Most High God” “The Most High
God” is used to call God of the Jews, showing that He exceedingly surpasses
gods of the Gentiles and is the only, Most High true God.
“Who proclaim to us the way of salvation” The word seemed to be right and helpful,
however, it contained the deceit of Satan: 1) it made men be confused with the
evil and the good and God and ghost and misunderstand that she also worked for
the Most High God; 2) it interrupted the gathering and made men be distracted
and could not take heed to the words that Paul said (See v.14).
Acts. 16:18 “And this she did for many
days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of
her.’ And he came out that very hour.”
YLT: “and this she was
doing for many days, but Paul having been grieved, and having turned, said to
the spirit, `I command thee, in the name of Jesus Christ, to come forth from
her;' and it came forth the same hour.”
Literal Meaning: “But Paul, greatly annoyed” “annoyed” in the original refers to the
strong disgust.
“I command you in the name of Jesus
Christ to come out of her” We do not know
whether the slave girl was saved because it was not recorded here. However,
some Bible exegetes held that it seemed to imply that here she was gained by
the Lord and therefore three groups of people were firstly gained in the church
in Philippi:
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Satan always hides itself behind persons and
things and torments those who are of the Lord “for many days” with the purpose
of consuming their minds, joy and spirits.
2) Paul did not cast out the spirit in the beginning
and put up with it “for many days” and he cast it out when he was “greatly
annoyed”. It shows that he did nothing when the Lord in him did nothing. In
everything he obeys the guidance in the Spirit and casting out the spirit is no
exception.
3) What Paul “annoyed” was “the spirit” instead of
the slave girl. Many times, we may make a mistake and get angry with men.
Actually what we should hate is the devil instead of men.
4) When Paul cast out the spirit, he did not stop
and prayed first but he turned and commanded the spirit to come out of her in
the name of the Lord. The spirit came out that very hour. It tells us that Paul
was with the Lord all the time and the Lord had trusted Himself to Paul and
therefore he could take actions “in the name of the Lord”.
Acts. 16:19 “But when her masters saw
that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them
into the marketplace to the authorities.”
YLT: “And her masters
having seen that the hope of their employment was gone, having caught Paul and
Silas, drew [them] to the market-place, unto the rulers,”
Literal Meaning: “they seized Paul and Silas” Please note that the persecution that Paul
had suffered in
“And dragged them into the marketplace
to the authorities” “The authorities”
refers to high-ranking praetors.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The power behind the heathenism (“her masters”)
only utilizes others to seek their own benefits and never regards others’ life
experience and happiness.
2) The feature of Christ’s gospel is that “preach
the gospel to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the
captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are
bruised (Luke. 4:18).
3) The greatest difference between the world and
Christians lies in the viewpoints and attitude towards money: the world regards
money as their life and whenever someone touches their wallets, they will rise
and resist; Christians are glad to share with others (2Cor. 8:2-3).
4) The greatest obstacle to working for the Lord is
men’s selfishness. Whenever others’ vested benefits are involved in the work,
attacks and tribulations will follow with it.
Acts. 16:20 “And they brought them to
the magistrates, and said, ‘These men, being Jews,
exceedingly trouble our city;”
YLT: “and having brought
them to the magistrates, they said, `These men do exceedingly trouble our city,
being Jews;”
The
Background: “These men, being Jews” According to the calculation, about one
year before that time, Claudius the Roman Empire had ordered all the Jews to
leave the city of Rome (Acts. 18:2).
Literal Meaning: “And they brought them to
the magistrates” “The magistrates”
in the original indicates “the praetors”.
Enlightenment in the Word: today in the districts in which there isn’t the
freedom of faith, men usually use the charge of “disturbing the public
security” to accuse Christians.
Acts. 16:21 “and they teach customs
which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.’”
YLT: “and they proclaim
customs that are not lawful for us to receive nor to do, being Romans.'”
The
Background: within the border of
the
Acts. 16:22 “Then the multitude rose
up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and
commanded them to be beaten with rods.”
YLT: “And the multitude
rose up together against them, and the magistrates having torn their garments
from them, were commanding to beat [them] with rods,”
Literal Meaning: “be beaten with
rods” “rods” in the original refers to the sticks that the retinues of officers
hold. It is a bundle of sticks and it could also be the emblem of government
officers.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The common way that Satan uses is to deal with
those who are of the Lord with violence. By this it makes them be discouraged
and faint on one hand and threatens and hinders others on the other hand.
2) Today the so-called democratic system is that
the minority is subordinate to the majority. However, the thing that many
people approve of may not accord with the truth and justice and therefore the
democratic system is not the righteous system. It’s no wonder that many people
obliterate the facts, confuse the right and wrong and do wrong to the justice
in the name of “democracy”.
3) For rulers are not a terror to good works, but
to the evil (Rom. 13:3), however, when rulers did not know right or wrong, they
are no long the servants of God but the tools of the devil.
Acts. 16:23 “And when they had laid
many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to
keep them securely.”
YLT: “many blows also
having laid upon them, they cast them to prison, having given charge to the
jailor to keep them safely,”
Meaning
of Words: “stripe”: stroke,
wound; “threw…into”: cast, lay; “jailer”: turnkey, keeper of the prison;
“securely”: safely, assuredly.
Acts. 16:24 “Having received such a
charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the
stocks.”
YLT: “who such a charge
having received, did put them to the inner prison, and their feet made fast in
the stocks.”
Literal Meaning: “he put them into the inner
prison” “The inner prison”
refers to the inner and the strictest place in the prison, i.e. an underground
prison sell. The inner prison is usually used to keep important criminals.
“And fastened their feet in the stocks” “Stocks” is an instrument of torture made
by wood. There are many holes that could be open and shut in the stocks and the
holes could be used to handcuff the feet, wrists and neck of the prisoner. The
stocks are usually nailed to the wall firmly, lest the prison may get away. The
two feet are dividedly far because the stocks have many holes so that the
prisoner may feel very uncomfortable and even miserable.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “The inner prison” and “stocks” are the best
safety measures that men could use, however, they cannot bind our spirits
though they can bind our bodies (See v.25).
2) Satan tries its best to imprison the Lord’s
workers, however, God is able to change the imprisonment into the outlet of the
gospel (See v.31-34).
Acts. 16:25 “But at midnight Paul and
Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening
to them.”
YLT: “And at midnight
Paul and Silas praying, were singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were
hearing them,”
Literal Meaning: please note that the
condition under which Paul and Silas sang hymns was quite special and the
ordinary people cannot do this: 1) time------at midnight; 2) place------the
inner prison (See v.24); 3) the physical condition------they had been laid many
stripes (See v.23), they had stripes (See v.33), their feet were fastened in the stocks (See v.24),
they were painful and uncomfortable.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Tertullian the god-father said that “when men’s
hearts are in heaven, they won’t feel painful though their feet are fastened in
the stocks” (it is translated from the Chinese version).
2) Though the bodies of believers are bound, their
hearts are not bound; though their bodies are in the prison, their hearts are
with the Lord in heaven.
3) Not only God listens to the sincere prayer from
the deep hearts and their singing hymns to God but also the prisoners who do
not know God are attracted and listen to them.
4) The source of joy of believers is of the heaven
and therefore they won’t be influenced at all.
5) Christians’ outer material
possessions------clothing------could be deprived of (See v.22), however,
Christians’ inner spiritual possessions------the Lord’s presence and
joy------can never be deprived of.
6) The cross of Christ can not make one feel
painful but make one praise God. When we are taking the cross, if we always feel
heavy, painful and comfortable, probably that cross is not from the Lord and it
does not profit us.
Acts. 16:26 “Suddenly there was a
great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and
immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed.”
YLT: “and suddenly a
great earthquake came, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken,
opened also presently were all the doors, and of all -- the bands were loosed;”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Prayer and praise (See v.25) could shake the
foundation of the power of darkness, break all shackles and release the
prisoners of sin.
2) Prayer is the spiritual conflict and praise is
the spiritual triumph. Praise is the thing that Satan hates the most and if
possible, it would try its best to make us not praise.
3) Prayer may not open the doors of the prison many
times, however, praise could open the doors easily. When you pray, you are
still in the circumstance, however, when you praise, you climb over the
circumstance.
4) When the sons and daughters of God are foolish,
they only look at their situations, keep their own feelings and stop praising.
However, if the sons and daughters of God know God, they will surpass the
difficult situations and the sense of “impossibility” and even the prison could
be the place of singing hymns and praise. And consequently the doors of the
prison were opened.
Acts. 16:27 “And the keeper of the
prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the
prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself.”
YLT: “and the jailor
having come out of sleep, and having seen the doors of the prison open, having
drawn a sword, was about to kill himself, supposing the prisoners to be fled,”
Literal Meaning: “supposing the prisoners had
fled” The prison must be “dark on the inside and
bright on the outside” and therefore the keeper of the prison could not see the
conditions on the inside of the prison from the outside. However, Paul could
see the actions of the jailer on the outside of the prison clearly (See v.28).
When the jailer was about to enter the inner prison, he needed to hold up a
light (See v.29).
“Drew his sword and was about to kill
himself” If there is a
prisoner fleeing, the jailer should pay with his life for the prisoner (Acts.
12:18-19). Provably he held that killing himself could decrease the humiliation
and pain.
Acts. 16:28 “But Paul called with a
loud voice, saying, ‘Do yourself no harm, for we
are all here.’”
YLT: “and Paul cried out
with a loud voice, saying, `Thou mayest not do thyself any harm, for we are all
here.'”
Literal Meaning: “for we are all here” “We” includes all prisoners (See v.25-26).
Here it shows that all the prisoners admired them in their hearts for the
expression of Paul and Silas in the prison and they were willing to let them
keep control over their behaviors.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Do yourself no harm” Christians should never kill themselves.
2) Wherever the one who has the presence of the
Lord is, he is able to influence the people around him.
Acts. 16:29 “Then he called for a
light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.”
YLT: “And, having asked
for a light, he sprang in, and trembling he fell down before Paul and Silas,”
Literal Meaning: “ran in” indicates that he rushed and leaped in. It
vividly describes the mood of the jailer who was urgent for knowing what
actually happened.
“Trembling” shows that he trembled
because of astonishment.
Acts. 16:30 “And he brought them out
and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be
saved?’”
YLT: “and having brought
them forth, said, `Sirs, what must I do -- that I may be saved?'”
Literal Meaning: “what must I do to be saved?” The jailer may ask this question for his
own safety and have not concerned faith. However, the more reasonable reasons
are that: 1) he felt the truthfulness of God through this event and how he
should face this true God and therefore he was in haste to ask for the way to
respond to it; 2) he once heard Paul and Silas proclaim the way of salvation
(See v.17) and therefore he wanted to know the way.
Acts. 16:31 “So they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved,
you and your household.’”
YLT: “and they said,
`Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved -- thou and thy
house;'”
The
Background: “and you will be saved, you
and your household” In the ancient
times, the head of a family had the authority, especially in the aspect of
faith. All the family members always believe in whom the head believes in.
Literal Meaning: “Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ” It is the brief explanation of the way of salvation (Acts.
10:43).
“And you will be saved, you and your
household” Paul seized the
opportunity to lead him to seek the way of “the salvation of soul” regardless
of his motive for asking “how to be saved” (See v.30).
Controversial
Clarification: this verse does not
show that as long as a member of a family believes in the Lord, his household
will be saved automatically. It shows that: 1) just as how one has been saved
by believing in the Lord, his household will be saved by the same way; 2) after
one has been saved first, the true change of life will influence the household
to turn to the Lord; 3) the one who has been saved first takes care of his
household and prays for them ceaselessly by faith and finally the household
will be moved and turn to the Lord; 4) God’s real intention is that men are
saved by household (Gen. 7:1; Exod. 12:3-4; Josh. 2:18-19). The Bible and the
church history all prove that the household has the good chance to be saved
(Luke. 19:9; Acts. 11:14; 18:8).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Believing the gospel is the individual matter
and it cannot be replaced by anyone else. However, one’s faith will always lead
the household to believe in the Lord.
2) If the family members of believers have not
believed in the Lord, we should not faint or lose faith and we should pray
again and again and endure to the end and we will see achievements of their
being saved (See Matt. 24:13).
Acts. 16:32 “Then they spoke the word
of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.”
YLT: “and they spake to
him the word of the Lord, and to all those in his household;”
Acts. 16:33 “And he took them the same
hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his
family were baptized.”
YLT: “and having taken
them, in that hour of the night, he did bathe [them] from the blows, and was
baptized, himself and all his presently,”
Literal Meaning: “And immediately he and all
his family were baptized” Paul seldom
baptized men and he only remembered that he had baptized the household of
Stephanas (1Cor. 1:14-16) and the household of Stephen was his first fruit in
Achaia (1Cor. 16:15). And therefore someone inferred that the name of this
jailer was Stephanas. However, the words of Paul may only refer to believers in
Controversial Clarification: according to this verse and v.15, someone
concluded that as long as one was believer’s family member, he could be
baptized with the head of the family no matter he was a kid or a baby. This
exegesis was wrong and the reasons were as follows: 1) baptism is based on that
they all believe in the Lord (See v.15, 34); 2) if one wants to believe in the
Lord Jesus, he should be old enough to decide whether he believes in Him or
not.
Someone held that after one had believed
in the Lord, he had to understand some truth of salvation and then men could
baptize him. This idea was contrast to the condition described in this verse
and the analyses were as follows: 1) the household of the jailer believed in
the Lord “the same hour of the night” and was baptized immediately. They did
not wait for a period of time; 2) Concerning that one cannot be baptized until
he has understood some truth, they were the Gentiles and did not know God at
all and they had not heard the way of salvation except the words of Paul (See
v.32). It shows that the truth that they understood was quite limited; 3) it
was deep in the night, it was quite inconvenient to baptize them, however, they
did not delay doing it until the daybreak; 4) there were stripes on Paul and
Silas and they should rest, however, they were in haste to baptize them.
Acts. 16:34 “Now when he had brought
them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed
in God with all his household.”
YLT: “having brought them
also into his house, he set food before [them], and was glad with all the
household, he having believed in God.”
Literal Meaning: “Now when he had brought
them into his house” “His house” of the
jailer may be the upstairs rooms or the next door of the prison.
“And he rejoiced, having believed in God” “Joy” is the mark of the church in
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Those who preach the glad tidings have a
privilege that they could reap carnal things from those who receive the gospel
(1Cor. 9:4-11).
2) Those who have tasted the salvation will
naturally have two kinds of attitudes: a) they feel quite kind to those who
have also received grace; b) they are rejoicing in their own circumstances.
Acts. 16:35 “And when it was day, the
magistrates sent the officers, saying, ‘Let
those men go.’”
YLT: “And day having
come, the magistrates sent the rod-bearers, saying, `Let those men go;'”
Literal Meaning: “the magistrates sent the
officers” “The officers” in
the original refers to “those who hold the rods” and they are the retinues of
the magistrates who lead the way for the magistrates and punish the prisoners.
“Let those men go” Obviously the magistrates changed their
minds in the night and then they would let them go at daybreak.
Acts. 16:36 “So the keeper of the
prison reported these words to Paul, saying, ‘The
magistrates have sent to let you go. Now therefore depart, and go in peace.’”
YLT: “and the jailor told
these words unto Paul -- `The magistrates have sent, that ye may be let go;
now, therefore, having gone forth go on in peace;'”
Acts. 16:37 “But Paul said to them, ‘They have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have
thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them
come themselves and get us out.’”
YLT: “and Paul said to
them, `Having beaten us publicly uncondemned -- men, Romans being -- they did
cast [us] to prison, and now privately do they cast us forth! why no! but
having come themselves, let them bring us forth.'”
The
Background: under the Roman Law,
every Roman citizen is protected and can neither be condemned without open
trial nor be punished without condemnation (Acts. 22:25).
Literal Meaning: “Romans” It shows
that not only Paul (Acts. 22:28) but also Silas was Roman.
“Let them come themselves and get us
out” The reason why Paul said so was not to ask
for just resolution but to: 1) make the gospel not be blasphemed or hindered;
2) make the local believers be respected and avoid being dealt with
unreasonably; 3) show that Paul suffered fully for the sake of the gospel
instead of his sin.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord’s workers are quite honorable. They
themselves do not advance and retreat causally and do not let others order them
randomly.
2) The motive that the Lord’s workers keep the
dignity is not for themselves but for the church and believers.
Acts. 16:38 “And the officers told
these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they
were Romans.”
YLT: “And the rod-bearers
told to the magistrates these sayings, and they were afraid, having heard that
they are Romans,”
Meaning of Words: “tell”: report,
speak; “be afraid”: startle, fear exceedingly.
Literal Meaning: “they heard that they were
Romans” “Romans” is the
plural.
Acts. 16:39 “Then they came and
pleaded with them and brought them out, and asked them to depart from the city.”
YLT: “and having come,
they besought them, and having brought [them] forth, they were asking [them] to
go forth from the city;”
Literal Meaning: “and pleaded with them and
brought them out” The magistrates knew that they were wrong and they can only
plead with them subserviently; they were afraid that they stayed in the city
and caused disturbance again.
Acts. 16:40 “So they went out of the
prison and entered the house of
YLT: “and they, having
gone forth out of the prison, entered into [the house of]
Literal Meaning: “they had seen the
brethren” The words show that there had been a group of Christians in Philippi
at that time and there had been gathering in the house of
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
The Principle of Preaching and Working
II. Circumcise
Timothy (v.3b)------turn the insignificant letter to render a service to the
work.
III. Deliver to the
disciples the decrees to keep (v.4-5)------promote the oneness of the church.
IV. Obey the
guidance of the Holy Spirit (v.6-8)------receive the Lord’s arrangement and
establishment.
V. See, understand
and obey the guidance of the vision (v.9-10)------learn to have the heavenly
insight.
The Voice of
I. Come over to
II. There were a
group of women who gathered by the riverside and prayed to God (v.13).
III. A certain slave
girl possessed with a spirit of divination cried that Paul proclaimed to us the
way of salvation (v.16-17).
IV. The keeper of
the prison shouted from his heart that, “what must I do to be saved?” (v.30).
The Process and Example of Lydia’s Being
Saved
II. She heard them
(v.14b)------hear with ears.
III. The Lord opened
her heart (v.14b)------the work of the Holy Spirit.
IV. To heed the
things spoken by Paul (v.14c)------hear with heart.
V. She believed in
the Lord and was baptized (v.15a).
VI. She and here
household (v.15a)------lead the household to turn to the Lord.
VII. Come to my
house and stay (v.15b)------receive the Lord’s workers.
VIII. They entered
the house of
The Features of the Church in
I. The first one who
was saved was a sister (v.14).
II. They were saved
by household (v.15, 33).
III. Come to my
house and stay (v.15b)------receive the Saints willingly.
IV. The jailer took
them and washed their stripes (v.33)------serve the saints.
V. He set food
before them (v.34)------minister the Saints (See 2Cor. 8:4).
VI. They had seen
the brethren (v.40)------preach the gospel, bear fruits, gather together and
communicate.
The Several Comparisons in This Chapter
II. The jailer put Paul
into the inner prison (v.24)------Paul opened the door of salvation for the
keeper of the prison (v.31).
III. The jailer
washed their stripes (v.33)------Paul baptized the jailer and his household
(v.33).
The Two Tricks of Satan
I. It exalts men by sweet
words (v.17).
II. It condemns men
by lies (v.20-21).
The Process of the Salvation
I. The work of
preparation of salvation:
A. Believers have good testimony in
difficult circumstances (v.25).
B. God’s wonderful works (v.26).
C. The sense of struggle and hopeless
before one’s being saved (v.27).
D. Believers spread the voice of hope
(v.29).
II. The appeal for
hoping to be saved:
A. The feeling of one’s own circumstance
(v.29).
B. Asking for the way of salvation
(v.30).
III. The proclamation
of the way of salvation:
A. Proclaim the need of “faith” (v.31).
B. Proclaim the need of “the way of
salvation” (v.32).
C. Proclaim the need of repentance and
baptism (v.33).
IV. Bearing the
fruit of salvation:
A. The privilege of those who preach the
gospel (v.34a).
B. The joy of salvation (v.34b).
V. The influence of
the salvation on the world:
A. The power of the world is condemned
(v.35-39).
B. Believers are strengthened and
encouraged (v.40).
The Example of the Household of the Jailer
I. His household
“heard” (v.32).
II. His household
“believed in” God (v.34).
III. His household
“was baptized” (v.33).
IV. His household
“was saved” (v.31).
V. His household
“rejoiced” (v.34).
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Sharon Ren