Acts 16:23

Acts 16:23 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:
• New International Version (NIV)After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely.

Context of Acts 16:23

21and are promoting customs that are not legal for us as Romans to adopt or practice.” 22The crowd joined in the attack against them, and the chief magistrates stripped off their clothes and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After they had severely flogged them, they threw them in jail, ordering the jailer to guard them carefully. 24Receiving such an order, he put them into the inner prison and secured their feet in the stocks. 25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

Acts 16:23 word by word

πολλάς τε ἐπιθέντες αὐτοῖς πληγὰς ἔβαλον εἰς φυλακὴν παραγγείλαντες τῷ δεσμοφύλακι ἀσφαλῶς τηρεῖν αὐτούς·Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andτεte · and/bothG5037
• when they had laidἐπιτίθημιepitithēmi · to put/lay onG2007
• manyπολύςpolus polos · muchG4183
• stripesπληγήplēgē · plague/blow/woundG4127
• upon themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• they castβάλλωballō · to throw: throwG906
• intoεἰςeis · towardG1519
• prisonφυλακήphulakē · prison/watch: prisonG5438
• chargingπαραγγέλλωparaggellō · to orderG3853
• the jailorὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the jailorδεσμοφύλαξdesmophulax · jailerG1200
• to keepτηρέωtēreō · to keep: guardG5083
• safelyἀσφαλῶςasphalōs · securelyG806

Cross-references for Acts 16:23

• Acts 5:18So they arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.
• Acts 8:3Saul, however, was ravaging the church. He would enter house after house, drag off men and women, and put them in prison.
• Acts 9:2and requested letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
• Acts 12:4After the arrest, he put him in prison and assigned four squads of four soldiers each to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover.
• Luke 21:12But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you. They will hand you over to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name.
• Ephesians 3:1For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles —
• Ephesians 4:1Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received,
• 2 Timothy 2:9for which I suffer to the point of being bound like a criminal. But the word of God is not bound.
• Philemon 1:9I appeal to you, instead, on the basis of love. I, Paul, as an elderly man and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus,
• Revelation 1:9I, John, your brother and partner in the affliction, kingdom, and endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
• Revelation 2:10Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will experience affliction for ten days. Be faithful to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.
• Acts 5:23“We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing in front of the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside.”
• Acts 12:18At daylight, there was a great commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter.
• 1 Samuel 23:22Go and check again. Investigate where he goes and who has seen him there; they tell me he is extremely cunning.
• Matthew 26:48His betrayer had given them a sign: “The one I kiss, he’s the one; arrest him.”
• Matthew 27:63and said, “Sir, we remember that while this deceiver was still alive he said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’

Commentaries on Acts 16:23

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23Laid many stripes upon them - The Jews never gave more than thirty-nine stripes to any criminal; but the Romans had no law relative to this: they gave as many as they chose; and the apostles had, undoubtedly, the fullest measure. And perhaps St. Paul refers to this, where he says, 2 Corinthians 11:23; : ̔, in stripes beyond measure or moderation.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23And when they had laid many stripes on them - The Jews were by law prohibited from inflicting more than 40 stripes, and usually inflicted but 39, 2 Corinthians 11:24. But there was no such law among the Romans. They were unrestricted in regard to the number of lashes, and probably inflicted many more. Perhaps Paul refers to this when he says 2 Corinthians 11:23, “In stripes above measure.” that is, beyond the usual measure among the Jews, or beyond…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-24Verses 16-24 Satan, though the father of lies, will declare the most important truths, when he can thereby serve his purposes. But much mischief is done to the real servants of Christ, by unholy and false preachers of the gospel, who are confounded with them by careless observers. Those who do good by drawing men from sin, may expect to be reviled as troublers of the city. While they teach men to fear God, to believe in Christ, to forsake sin, and to live…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 22-24They took all necessary security measures. They wanted to guarantee that Paul and Silas did not escape after they stripped and beat them with wooden rods (see 22:24–26; 2 Corinthians 6:5; 11:23–25). However, as at Christ’s tomb, human efforts could not stop God's intervention (Matthew 27:65).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 23-2423-24. when they had laid many stripes upon them--the bleeding wounds from which they were not washed till it was done by the converted jailer (Ac 16:33). charged the jailer ... who ... thrust them into the inner prison--"pestilential cells, damp and cold, from which the light was excluded, and where the chains rusted on the prisoners. One such place may be seen to this day on the slope of the Capitol at Rome" [Howson].Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 16:23

• Afflictions and Adversities
• Criminals
• Heresy
• Malice
• Minister, Christian
• Paul
• Philippi
• Prisoners
• Readings, Select
• Scourging
• Silas

In the dictionaries

• Establish
• Gather
• Gone
• Harm
• Jailer
• James
• Judge
• Light
• Macedonia
• Note

Commentaries on Acts 16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings