Acts 16:39

Acts 16:39 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And they came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city.
• New International Version (NIV)They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city.
• English Standard Version (ESV)So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then they came and pleaded with them and brought them out, and asked them to depart from the city.

Context of Acts 16:39

37But Paul spoke to the police who had brought the message. He said, ‘The city officers did not find that we had done anything wrong. But they commanded their soldiers to hit us with sticks in front of everybody. We are citizens of Rome but they still did this to us. They even put us into prison. Now they want us to leave the prison and go away. They want to send us away secretly. We will not agree! The Roman officers must come here to the prison themselves. Then they must lead us out for everyone to see.’ 38The police returned to the city officers. They told them what Paul had said. The officers now understood that Paul and Silas were citizens of Rome. This made them very afraid. So they went to see Paul and Silas in the prison. They told Paul and Silas that they were very sorry. Then they led Paul and Silas out of the prison. They asked them to leave the city. 40After Paul and Silas left the prison, they went to Lydia's house. There they met the other believers. They spoke to the believers to make them strong. Then Paul and Silas left Philippi.

Acts 16:39 word by word

καὶ ἐλθόντες παρεκάλεσαν αὐτούς, καὶ ἐξαγαγόντες ἠρώτων ἀπελθεῖν ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• they cameἔρχομαιerchomai · to come/goG2064
• and besoughtπαρακαλέωparakaleō · to plead/comfortG3870
• themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• broughtἐξάγωexagō · to lead outG1806
• and desiredἐρωτάωerōtaō · to askG2065
• to departἐξέρχομαιexerchomai · to go outG1831
• out of the cityὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• out of the cityπόλιςpolis · cityG4172

Cross-references for Acts 16:39

• Exodus 11:8Moses continued to say to the king, ‘All your officers will come to me. They will fall down in front of me and they will say, “Now go! Leave here with all your people.” After that, I will leave.’ After he said that, Moses left Pharaoh. Moses was very angry.
• Isaiah 45:14This is what the Lord says to his people: ‘I promise you that you will rule Egypt and Ethiopia, and also those tall people from Seba. They will bring to you the things that they buy and sell. Those valuable things will belong to you. They will walk behind you in chains, as your slaves. They will bend down low in front of you, and they will even pray to you. They will agree, “Surely God is with you. There is nobody else like him. There is no other God.” ’
• Isaiah 49:23The kings of those nations will take care of your children. The kings' daughters will feed them. The rulers will bend down low in front of you, so that their faces touch the ground. They will taste the dirt by your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord. I will not disappoint people who wait for me to help them.
• Isaiah 60:14The descendants of your cruel enemies will come to you. They will bend down low in front of you. Everybody who insulted you before will now give you honour. They will call you, ‘The City of the Lord, Zion that is home for Israel's Holy God.’
• Micah 7:9I have not obeyed the Lord, so he is angry with me. He will continue to punish me, until the time when he speaks for me. Then he will make things right for me. He will bring me out into the light. He always does what is really right. And I will see that then.
• Revelation 3:9Some people there say that they are Jews. But that is not true. They are telling lies. Instead, they belong to a group of Satan's people. I will cause those people to bend down low in front of you to give you honour. Then they will understand that I love you.
• Daniel 6:16So the king sent his servants to fetch Daniel. Then they threw Daniel into the cave where the lions lived. The king said to Daniel, ‘You have always continued to serve your God. I am sure that he will save you.’
• Matthew 8:34So everybody came out of the town to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they said, ‘Please go away. Leave our part of the country.’
• Mark 5:17Then the people who lived there said to Jesus, ‘Please go away. Leave this place.’

Commentaries on Acts 16:39

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 39And 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…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 35-40Verses 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 deserved wrongful punishment, and therefore required to be dismissed in an honourable manner. It was not a mere point of honour that the apostle stood upon, but justice, and not to himself so much as to his cause. And when proper apology is made, Christians should never express personal anger…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 37-39Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, so it was illegal to beat and imprison them (16:22–24). When the city officials learned this, they were understandably alarmed because they had broken Roman law. Let them come themselves and escort us out!: Paul used his rights as a Roman citizen to save his reputation and protect the Christian message from receiving a bad name. Luke wanted to show that Christianity should have the same status as Judaism in the Roman…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 39-4039-40. And they came--in person. and besought them--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 treated the preachers! (See Is 60:14; Re 3:9). brought them out--conducted them forth from the prison into the street, as insisted on. and desired--"requested." them to depart out of the city--perhaps fearing again to excite the populace.Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 16:39

• Criminals
• Minister, Christian
• Paul
• Philippi
• Prisoners
• Readings, Select
• Reproof
• Silas
• Trial

In the dictionaries

• Establish
• Freedom
• Gather
• Gone
• Harm
• 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