New Living Translation
Acts 16:37
37But Paul replied, “They have publicly beaten us without a trial and put us in prison—and we are Roman citizens. So now they want us to leave secretly? Certainly not! Let them come themselves to release us!”
Acts 16:37 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out.
- New International Version (NIV)But 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.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)But Paul said to them, "They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out."
- New King James Version (NKJV)But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out.”
Context of Acts 16:37
35The next morning the city officials sent the police to tell the jailer, “Let those men go!” 36So the jailer told Paul, “The city officials have said you and Silas are free to leave. Go in peace.” But Paul replied, “They have publicly beaten us without a trial and put us in prison—and we are Roman citizens. So now they want us to leave secretly? Certainly not! Let them come themselves to release us!” 38When the police reported this, the city officials were alarmed to learn that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. 39So they came to the jail and apologized to them. Then they brought them out and begged them to leave the city.
Read all of Acts 16Acts 16:37 word by word
Ὁ δὲ Παῦλος ἔφη πρὸς αὐτούς· δείραντες ἡμᾶς δημοσίᾳ ἀκατακρίτους, ἀνθρώπους Ῥωμαίους ὑπάρχοντας, ἔβαλαν εἰς φυλακήν, καὶ νῦν λάθρᾳ ἡμᾶς ἐκβάλλουσιν; οὐ γάρ, ἀλλ᾽ ἐλθόντες αὐτοὶ ἡμᾶς ἐξαγαγέτωσαν.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Butδέde · thenG1161
- Paulὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- PaulΠαῦλοςPaulos · PaulG3972
- saidφημίphēmi · to assertG5346
- untoπρόςpros · to/withG4314
- themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- They have beatenδέρωderō · to beat upG1194
- usἐγώegō · I/weG1473
- openlyδημόσιοςdēmosios · publicG1219
- uncondemnedἀκατάκριτοςakatakritos · uncondemnedG178
- beingὑπάρχωhuparchō · be alreadyG5225
- RomansῬωμαῖοςRhōmaios · RomanG4514
- ·ἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
- and have castβάλλωballō · to throw: throwG906
- intoεἰςeis · towardG1519
- prisonφυλακήphulakē · prison/watch: prisonG5438
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- nowνῦνnun · nowG3568
- do they thrustἐκβάλλωekballō · to expelG1544
- privilyλάθραlathra · quietlyG2977
- nayοὐou · noG3756
- verilyγάρgar · forG1063
- butἀλλάalla · butG235
- let them comeἔρχομαιerchomai · to come/goG2064
- and fetchἐξάγωexagō · to lead outG1806
Cross-references for Acts 16:37
- Acts 16:20“The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials.
- Acts 22:25When they tied Paul down to lash him, Paul said to the officer standing there, “Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been tried?”
- Psalms 58:1Justice—do you rulers know the meaning of the word? Do you judge the people fairly?
- Psalms 82:1God presides over heaven’s court; he pronounces judgment on the heavenly beings:
- Psalms 94:20Can unjust leaders claim that God is on their side— leaders whose decrees permit injustice?
- Proverbs 28:1The wicked run away when no one is chasing them, but the godly are as bold as lions.
- Daniel 3:25“Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!”
- Daniel 6:18Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. He refused his usual entertainment and couldn’t sleep at all that night.
- Matthew 10:16“Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.
Commentaries on Acts 16:37
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 37They have beaten us openly - being Romans - St. Paul well knew the Roman laws; and on their violation by the magistrates he pleads. The Valerian law forbade any Roman citizen to be bound. The Porcian law forbade any to be beaten with rods. "Poreia lex virgas ab omnium civium Romanorum corpore amovit." And by the same law the liberty of a Roman citizen was never put in the power of the lictor. "Porcia lex libertatem civium lictori eripuit." See Cicero…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 37They have beaten us openly uncondemned - There are three aggravating circumstances mentioned, of which Paul complains: (1) That they had been beaten contrary to the Roman laws. (2) that it had been public; the disgrace had been in the presence of the people, and the reparation ought to be as public. (3) that it had been done without a trial, and while they were uncondemned, and therefore the magistrates ought themselves to come and release them, and thus…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. 3737. Paul said unto them--to the sergeants who had entered the prison along with the jailer, that they might be able to report that the men had departed. They have beaten us openly--The publicity of the injury done them, exposing their naked and bleeding bodies to the rude populace, was evidently the most stinging feature of it to the apostle's delicate feeling, and to this accordingly he alludes to the Thessalonians, probably a year after: "Even after we…Read the comment
Topics related to Acts 16:37
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
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