Acts 16:29 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas.

NIV: The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.

NASB: And the jailer asked for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas;

CSB: The jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.

NLT: The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.

KJV: Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,

NKJV: Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.

It is sometime in the middle of the night in Philippi, a Roman outpost. Paul and Silas had been accused of encouraging the worship of Jesus, a faith not legally endorsed by the Roman Empire. In response, a crowd attacked them and the city magistrates ordered them beaten with iron rods and imprisoned (Acts 16:20–24). As with most crimes that do not warrant execution, the magistrates plan on exiling them in the morning (Acts 16:35).

In prison, Paul and Silas do not let their pain or their situation determine their outlook. They sing hymns of praise to God and pray while the other prisoners sit and listen. Suddenly, the earth shakes, the cell doors open, and the shackles come unlocked (Acts 16:25–26). When the jailer realizes what has happened, he draws his sword; allowing prisoners to escape is a capital offense, and it is better to die of one's own hand than to risk crucifixion (Acts 12:18–19; 16:25–27).

But Paul cries out in reassurance: the prisoners have all remained (Acts 16:28). Incredulous, the jailer submits to his prisoners. He has heard these two have been preaching about salvation through a Christ. He now believes them. He and his household receive their words and see to their wounds (Acts 16:30–34).

Paul and Silas started their stay in Philippi by bringing one Gentile woman and her household to Christ (Acts 16:14–15). Their last night, they watch a jailer and his family follow (Acts 16:32–34). For some reason, Philippi becomes one of the strongest churches of Paul's ministry, even supporting him as he ministers to other churches (Philippians 4:14–16). No one is beyond the Holy Spirit's grasp, and no one is too "other" to serve God's kingdom.

Acts 16:25–40 records Paul's first imprisonment. The Philippian magistrates arrested Paul and Silas and had them beaten for spreading the news about Jesus. The two are now chained in a cell, praying and singing to God. An earthquake shakes the prison, releasing all the doors and chains. Paul assures the jailer no one has left, and the jailer tends to the pair's wounds. They share Jesus' offer of forgiveness of sins, and the jailer and his household accept Christ. In the morning, the magistrates attempt to release Paul and Silas, only to be confronted with their own crime: they have illegally punished two Roman citizens. After apologizing, the magistrates ask Paul and Silas to leave town.

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.