God’s Word Translation
Acts 16:39
39So the officials went to the jail and apologized to Paul and Silas. As the officials escorted Paul and Silas out of the jail, they asked them to leave the city.
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 told the guards, “Roman officials have had us beaten publicly without a trial and have thrown us in jail, even though we’re Roman citizens. Now are they going to throw us out secretly? There’s no way they’re going to get away with that! Have them escort us out!” 38The guards reported to the officials what Paul had said. When the Roman officials heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were afraid. So the officials went to the jail and apologized to Paul and Silas. As the officials escorted Paul and Silas out of the jail, they asked them to leave the city. 40After Paul and Silas left the jail, they went to Lydia’s house. They met with the believers, encouraged them, and then left.
Read all of Acts 16Acts 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 11:8Then all these officials of yours will come, bow down to me, and say, ‘You and all the people who follow you, get out!’ After that I will leave.” Burning with anger, Moses left Pharaoh.
- Isaiah 45:14This is what the Lord says: The products from Egypt, the merchandise from Sudan, and the important Sabaeans will come to you. They will belong to you. They will follow you. They will come to you in chains. They will bow to you and pray to you, “Certainly God is with you alone, and there is no other God.”
- Isaiah 49:23Then kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens will nurse you. They will bow in front of you with their faces touching the ground. They will lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord. Those who wait with hope for me will not be put to shame.
- Isaiah 60:14The descendants of those who oppress you will bow in front of you. All who despise you will bow at your feet. They will call you the city of the Lord, Zion, the city of the Holy One of Israel.
- Micah 7:9I have sinned against the Lord. So I will endure his fury until he takes up my cause and wins my case. He will bring me into the light, and I will see his victory.
- Revelation 3:9I will make those who are in Satan’s synagogue come and bow at your feet and realize that I have loved you. They claim that they are Jewish, but they are lying.
- Daniel 6:16So the king gave the order, and Daniel was brought to him and thrown into the lions’ den. The king told Daniel, “May your God, whom you always worship, save you!”
- Matthew 8:34Everyone from the city went to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their territory.
- Mark 5:17Then the people began to beg Jesus to leave their territory.
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
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries