Acts 16:23 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely.

NIV: After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully.

NASB: When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely;

CSB: After they had severely flogged them, they threw them in jail, ordering the jailer to guard them carefully.

NLT: They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape.

KJV: And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:

NKJV: And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely.

A demon-possessed slave girl followed Paul, Silas, Luke, and Timothy to the river where they met to pray. There, she loudly declared, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation" (Acts 16:17). The description suggests she was being intrusive, obnoxious, or possibly sarcastic. The men successfully ignore her for several days. Eventually, Paul decides he's had enough and expels the demon. Unfortunately, the girl's owners depend on the money the fortune-telling demon makes for them. It was not against Roman law to expel a demon, but it was illegal to preach a new religion and encourage the worship of a god not endorsed by the Roman government. The girl's owners charge Paul and Silas with advocating unlawful customs (Acts 16:16–21).

The onlookers join in the persecution, beating Paul and Silas until the magistrates more officially tear off the men's clothes and beat them with rods (Acts 16:22). This proves to be a mistake. Philippi was a Roman city, despite the fact it sits on the border of Macedonia and Greece. That may be why the populace is so riled up about this new religion. But it also means the people knew Roman citizens had special rights. For one, they were entitled to "due process:" they could not be punished, let alone beaten and imprisoned, without a fair trial. While it is true that most of the population in the Roman Empire were not citizens, especially the Jews, Paul and Silas were. They could charge the magistrates with false imprisonment. Instead, they will merely demand an official apology and move on to Berea (Acts 16:35–40).

Acts 16:16–24 shows that religiously confused Gentiles can hinder Paul's ministry as much as Jews. Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke are in Philippi on the border of Macedonia and Greece. When Paul expels a demonic spirit from a slave girl, her owners accuse Paul and Silas of illegally promoting a foreign god. The crowd and the city magistrates beat and imprison the pair. Only later do they realize their mistake: Paul and Silas are both Roman citizens (Acts 16:37), and you can't punish Roman citizens without a trial.

Acts 16 follows Paul and Silas as they take the letter of Acts 15 into modern-day Asia Minor and Macedonia. They collect Timothy in Lystra and Luke in Troas. In Philippi, they meet Lydia and baptize her family. After expelling a demon from a fortune-telling girl, city officials illegally beat and imprison Paul and Silas. An earthquake frees them of their chains, but they stay and bring the jailer and his family to Christ. The next morning, Paul and Silas refuse to leave quietly, politely insisting that their civil rights have been violated. The officials apologize, and Paul, Silas, and Timothy go to Thessalonica.

Acts 15 ends with Paul and Silas spreading the news that Gentile Christians don't have to be circumcised. Acts 16 begins with Paul circumcising a Jewish man, Timothy, to prevent difficulties in preaching to older Jews as the boy grows into church leadership. Paul's second missionary trip finds the church growing east, into Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth (Acts 16:11—18:18). On his way back to Syrian Antioch, Paul will stop by Ephesus and soften the Jews for the extended ministry of Priscilla, Aquila, and Apollos. During his first trip, Paul planted churches and ordained elders; in his second, he commissions more missionaries.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.