Acts 16:16

Acts 16:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
• New International Version (NIV)Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling.
• English Standard Version (ESV)As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling.
• New Living Translation (NLT)One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future. She earned a lot of money for her masters by telling fortunes.

Context of Acts 16:16

14Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. 15And 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. 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. 17This 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.” 18And 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.

Acts 16:16 word by word

Ἐγένετο δὲ πορευομένων ἡμῶν εἰς τὴν προσευχήν, παιδίσκην τινὰ ἔχουσαν πνεῦμα πύθωνα ὑπαντῆσαι ἡμῖν, ἥτις ἐργασίαν πολλὴν παρεῖχεν τοῖς κυρίοις αὐτῆς μαντευομένη.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andδέde · thenG1161
• it came to passγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
• as weἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• wentπορεύωporeuomai · to travelG4198
• toεἰςeis · towardG1519
• prayerπροσευχήproseuchē · prayerG4335
• a certainτιςtis · oneG5100
• damselπαιδίσκηpaidiskē · maidservantG3814
• possessedἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• with a spiritπνεῦμαpneuma · spirit/breath: spiritG4151
• of divinationΠύθωνPuthōn · divining spiritG4436
• metἀπαντάωapantaō · to meetG528
• whichὅστιςhostis hētis ho6ti · who/whichG3748
• broughtπαρέχωparechō · to furnish occasionG3930
• herαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• mastersὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• mastersκύριοςkurios · lord: masterG2962
• muchπολύςpolus polos · muchG4183
• gainἐργασίαergasia · workG2039
• by soothsayingμαντεύομαιmanteuomai · to divineG3132

Cross-references for Acts 16:16

• Acts 16:13And 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.
• Acts 16:18And 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.
• Acts 8:9But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great,
• Exodus 7:11But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.
• Deuteronomy 13:1“If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder,
• Deuteronomy 18:9“When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations.
• 1 Samuel 28:7Then Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “In fact, there is a woman who is a medium at En Dor.”
• 1 Chronicles 10:13So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the Lord, because he did not keep the word of the Lord, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance.
• Isaiah 8:19And when they say to you, “Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,” should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?
• Galatians 5:20idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
• 2 Timothy 3:8Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith;
• Acts 19:24For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no small profit to the craftsmen.
• 1 Timothy 6:10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
• 2 Peter 2:3By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.
• Revelation 18:11“And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore:

Commentaries on Acts 16:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16As we went to prayer - , Into the proseucha : see on Acts 16:13; (note), and on Luke 6:12; (note). The article, , is added here by ABCE, several others, Origen and Theophylact: thus makes the place more emphatic, and seems to determine the above meaning of to be right - not the act of prayer or praying to God, but the place, the oratory, in which these proselytes assembled for the purpose of praying, reading the law and the prophets, and such like…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16As we went to prayer - Greek: as we were going to the proseuche, the place of prayer, Acts 16:13. Whether this was on the same day in which the conversion of Lydia occurred, or at another time, is not mentioned by the historian. A certain damsel - A maid, a young woman. Possessed with a spirit of divination - Greek: Python. See the margin. Python, or Pythios, was one of the names of Apollo, the Grecian god of the fine arts, of music, poetry, medicine, and…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. 16-18The second example of a changed life in Philippi is a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future (a demon that gave her special knowledge). Even though the demon inside her spoke the truth, Paul, like Jesus, did not allow it to share the Christian message (compare Mark 1:25, 34; 3:11–12; Luke 4:35, 41). The Lord commanded that his disciples, not those who oppose the message, should proclaim the gospel (Acts 1:8; 9:15; 26:15–18…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 16-1816-18. as we went to prayer--The words imply that it was on their way to the usual place of public prayer, by the river-side, that this took place; therefore not on the same day with what had just occurred. a ... damsel--a female servant, and in this case a slave (Ac 16:19). possessed of a spirit of divination--or, of Python, that is, a spirit supposed to be inspired by the Pythian Apollo, or of the same nature. The reality of this demoniacal possession…Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 16:16

• Demons
• Minister, Christian
• Paul
• Philippi
• Readings, Select
• Sorcery
• Ventriloquism

In the dictionaries

• Spirit of Divination
• Establish
• Familiar spirit
• Gather
• Gone
• Harm
• James
• Judge
• Light
• Macedonia

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