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 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. So they came to the jail and apologized to them. Then they brought them out and begged them to leave the city. 40When Paul and Silas left the prison, they returned to the home of Lydia. There they met with the believers and encouraged them once more. Then they left town.

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 the officials of Egypt will run to me and fall to the ground before me. ‘Please leave!’ they will beg. ‘Hurry! And take all your followers with you.’ Only then will I go!” Then, burning with anger, Moses left Pharaoh.
• Isaiah 45:14This is what the Lord says: “You will rule the Egyptians, the Ethiopians, and the Sabeans. They will come to you with all their merchandise, and it will all be yours. They will follow you as prisoners in chains. They will fall to their knees in front of you and say, ‘God is with you, and he is the only God. There is no other.’”
• Isaiah 49:23Kings and queens will serve you and care for all your needs. They will bow to the earth before you and lick the dust from your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord. Those who trust in me will never be put to shame.”
• Isaiah 60:14The descendants of your tormentors will come and bow before you. Those who despised you will kiss your feet. They will call you the City of the Lord, and Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
• Micah 7:9I will be patient as the Lord punishes me, for I have sinned against him. But after that, he will take up my case and give me justice for all I have suffered from my enemies. The Lord will bring me into the light, and I will see his righteousness.
• Revelation 3:9Look, I will force those who belong to Satan’s synagogue—those liars who say they are Jews but are not—to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love.
• Daniel 6:16So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.”
• Matthew 8:34Then the entire town came out to meet Jesus, but they begged him to go away and leave them alone.
• Mark 5:17And the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone.

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