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.
• 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.
• New Living Translation (NLT)So they came to the jail and apologized to them. Then they brought them out and begged them to leave the city.

Context of Acts 16:39

37But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.” 38The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. 40After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left.

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 11:8All these officials of yours will come to me, bowing down before me and saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will leave.” Then Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh.
• Isaiah 45:14This is what the Lord says: “The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, and those tall Sabeans— they will come over to you and will be yours; they will trudge behind you, coming over to you in chains. They will bow down before you and plead with you, saying, ‘Surely God is with you, and there is no other; there is no other god.’ ”
• Isaiah 49:23Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground; they will lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”
• Isaiah 60:14The children of your oppressors will come bowing before you; all who despise you will bow down at your feet and will call you the City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
• Micah 7:9Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the Lord’s wrath, until he pleads my case and upholds my cause. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness.
• Revelation 3:9I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.
• Daniel 6:16So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”
• Matthew 8:34Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.
• Mark 5:17Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

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