Acts 16 Study Notes

16:1-3 Paul and Silas continued to retrace the first missionary journey by reentering Galatia. At Lystra, Paul invited a young disciple named Timothy—son of a Jewish woman and Greek man—to join him. Paul circumcised Timothy not because he was caving in to pressure from “believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees” (15:5), but rather to show respect for Jewish law and identity given the fact that Timothy was half-Jewish. If Timothy had remained uncircumcised, it would seem to many Jews that he had rejected not just the Mosaic law but also his Jewish ethnicity. Paul’s continuing mentorship of Timothy throughout his ministry resulted in, among other things, the writing of the letters 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy.

16:4 Besides evangelizing, Paul and his ministry partners conveyed the decisions of the apostles and elders in Jerusalem about circumcision and Gentile converts (see note at 15:19). Paul wanted to make clear that Gentiles could believe in Jesus without adhering to Jewish rites.

16:5 No doubt one of the reasons the churches in this Gentile-dominated region were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers was that the Jerusalem Council had decided to minimize the burden imposed on Gentile believers (see notes at 15:19,20).

16:6-8 Paul and his companions passed through the region of Galatia (probably visiting Iconium and Antioch), and were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. They were also prevented by the Spirit of Jesus (i.e., Holy Spirit) from turning north into Bithynia. So they passed through Mysia and arrived at the coastal city of Troas in Asia. Luke did not indicate why the Spirit constrained Paul’s plans or by what method he made known the restrictions. The reader is left with questions, but see v. 9 and note; also see note at 15:32.

16:9 God gave Paul a vision to communicate his will for the direction his ministry should take, just as he had done with Peter (chap. 10). Paul saw a Macedonian man plead with him to cross over the Aegean Sea to Europe and help them. Thus it seems Paul was restricted from preaching in other places because God planned for him to “preach the gospel” (v. 10) in Macedonia.

16:10 This is the beginning of the first “we” section in the book of Acts. It extends until v. 17. The “we” passages are vv. 10-17; 20:5-15; 21:1-18; 27:1-37; 28:1-16. The we likely indicates that Luke joined Paul’s journey at these points. When connected together, the “we” passages form a continuous geographically joined narrative. This indicates a single unified source for these narratives, most likely Luke’s own memory or the notes he took.

16:11-12 Philippi was a leading city of Macedonia but not the capital (Thessalonica). It was a Roman colony where a number of military veterans lived after completing their service. As a result, Roman law was in effect in Philippi.

16:13 The place of prayer refers to the place where Jews of the city gathered. Philippi apparently did not have a synagogue, since only women and no men are mentioned. The establishment of a synagogue required the participation of at least ten Jewish men. Paul and his companions met with this group of women on the Sabbath, following the pattern of evangelization he had practiced on his first missionary journey.

16:14 The name Lydia may have been a personal name, or it could merely indicate that this woman was from the city of Lydia. She is the only woman named in this passage (vv. 11-14). She was likely a prominent woman since Luke singled her out for her responsiveness to Paul’s message. The purple cloth she sold had important uses in the Roman Empire. Luke combined both human and divine initiative in the description of Lydia’s response. The Lord opened her heart, and she responded to what Paul said.

16:15 Household baptism is mentioned several times in the book of Acts (vv. 31-34; 18:8; cp. 11:14). It is never stated who exactly was involved in such baptisms. If the leader of a household converted, perhaps others of the household (children, servants, spouse, etc.) were persuaded to respond in the same way. It is assumed on the basis of Lydia’s response (16:14) and her question to Paul after her baptism (if you consider me a believer in the Lord) that her confession of faith preceded her baptism. This suggests that only those of the household who were mature enough to make their own positive response to the gospel would have been baptized.

16:16 That the slave girl had a spirit by which she predicted the future implies demonic possession. The ancients were very interested in oracles and prophecies, hence the girl earned income for her owners.

16:17-18 Though the girl cried out truth about Paul and his companions, Paul was greatly annoyed. Luke does not say why, but presumably Paul was irritated at the wild and distracting manner in which the girl carried on. Her manner would repel rather than attract crowds.

16:19 Paul and Silas were arrested for cutting off the revenue from this girl’s fortune-telling, not for a religious violation.

16:20-21 Paul and Silas were accused of causing civil disorder and promoting customs that were not legal among Romans. The practice of variant religion was not illegal in the Roman Empire, but any activity (religious or otherwise) that risked sparking civil unrest was frowned upon.

16:22-24 The chief magistrates acted rashly under the influence of the crowd. Paul and Silas were stripped . . . beaten, and thrown into jail before the charges against them were investigated.

16:25 Rather than being depressed or plotting escape, Paul and Silas displayed confidence in what God had in store for them. This was a powerful testimony to the other prisoners.

16:26 Luke does not say so, but clearly the violent earthquake was an act of God in response to the prayers and praises of Paul and Silas. The jailer understood this (v. 29).

16:27 If prisoners escaped, their Roman guards or jailers were forced to serve their sentences. Believing his prisoners had escaped, the Philippian jailer preferred a quick death over imprisonment or execution.

16:28 We are not told how Paul knew what the jailer was about to do. There may have been just enough light, Paul may have had prophetic insight, or he may have heard enough to surmise what was about to happen.

16:29-30 The jailer fell down trembling because he realized the earthquake was supernatural. This prompted him to ask the most important question in the book of Acts: What must I do to be saved? He was spared from death in the quake, spared from suicide by the discovery that the prisoners had not fled, and now wanted to be spared from God’s future judgment.

16:31 Paul and Silas had a direct answer for his straightforward question: Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household. On household baptism, see note at v. 15.

16:32 Paul’s initial response to the jailer was succinct and to the point. That Paul then spoke the word of the Lord may indicate that he followed his initial answer, which was aimed at bringing the jailer to saving faith, with a more detailed explanation aimed at building the new disciple’s understanding of God and the Christian life.

16:33 Baptism for the jailer and all his family followed almost immediately upon their profession of faith in the Lord. On household baptism, see note at v. 15.

16:34 The jailer’s joy is palpable. What looked like a life-threatening disaster became the joyous beginning of his new life in Christ. He and his family became part of the growing church at Philippi, a church that was dear to Paul. When Paul later wrote that he thanked God every time he remembered the Philippians, this man and his family may have come to mind (Php 1:3).

16:35-36 At dawn the chief magistrates ordered that Paul and Silas be released. It is possible that the magistrates ordered Paul and Silas released because they realized they had overreacted in jailing them in the first place. It is also likely that the magistrates experienced the earthquake and were told about the events at the jail, thus prompting them to fear God’s judgment.

16:37 Paul knew the laws regulating punishment of Roman citizens. Having been illegally beaten and denied trial, he refused to be released and pretend nothing had happened. Paul’s Roman citizenship is mentioned here for the first time in Acts (see 22:25-29; 23:27; 25:11). Roman citizens were exempt from certain kinds of punishment (e.g., crucifixion) and were entitled to due process prior to punishment. The question arises as to how Paul would have proven his citizenship. There probably was a register in Tarsus that recorded his citizenship, but citizens also often carried small wooden tablets (some of which have been found), something like a modern passport, that they used to prove their citizenship. Perhaps Paul carried such a document.

16:38 The fear of the magistrates is understandable. Philippi was a Roman colony that followed Roman law. Many people in the town would have known about the rights of a Roman citizen.

16:39-40 Though not obligated to do so, Paul and Silas chose to count the apology as amends for the wrongs they had suffered. Many times it is best for the Christian to forego demanding full justice.