Acts 16:11-40

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 16:14

And a certain woman, named Lydia ,.... Whether this woman was a Jewess or a Gentile, is not certain, her name will not determine; she might be called so from the country of Lydia, which was in Asia minor, and where was Thyatira, her native place; Horace makes frequent mention of one of this name F7 Carm. l. 1. ode 8, 13, 25. & l. 3. ode 9. and it might be a Jewish name; we read of R. Simeon ben Lydia F8 Juchasin, fol. 105. 1. ; and as these seem to be Jewish women that met at... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 16:15

And when she was baptized ,.... In water, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, according to the commission of Christ, by the apostle, or some one of his companions; by whom she was instructed into the nature and use of this ordinance; and very likely it was performed in that river, by the side of which the oratory stood, where they were assembled: and her household ; they were baptized also, being converted at the same time; these seem to be her menial servants, who came along... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 16:16

And it came to pass as we went to prayer ,.... That is, to the house of prayer, or to the oratory, as they were in the way to it; for this is not to be understood of their just going to the act, or duty of prayer; for the damsel that now met them, is said to follow them, and to do so for many days, one after another; and it was by their going to the prayer house, that she knew what they were; and besides, the phrase of "going to prayer", as used by us, for the act or duty of prayer, is a... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 16:17

The same followed Paul and us ,.... Silas, Luke, and Timothy; the Arabic version reads, "the same followed Paul and Silas"; as they were going to the oratory: and cried, saying, these men are the servants of the most high God ; not of Python, or Apollo, as she and her masters were; or of any of the deities of the Gentiles; nor of sin, nor of Satan, nor of men, but of the one only true and living God, one of whose titles is עליון , "Elion", the "Most High", Genesis 14:22 and these men... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 16:18

And this she did many days ,.... As the apostle and his company passed to and from the oratory, being for that time at Lydia's house; she followed them, and repeated the above words. This she was suffered to do, time after time; not that the apostle and his friends wanted such a testimony, or that it was of any use to them; but that the expulsion of the evil spirit might be more manliest, and more taken notice of: but Paul being grieved ; at the unhappy condition the maid was in, being... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 16:19

And when her masters saw ,.... As they might by her sedateness and composure; she not being wild and frantic, and not having such motions and agitations she had whilst under the possession of the evil spirit: that the hope of their gains was gone ; the Syriac version adds, "out of her"; namely, the evil spirit which was the ground and foundation of all their hope of gains, they expected to acquire for themselves; that being gone, they had no more work to do, nor tricks to play, nor... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 16:20

And brought them to the magistrates ,.... The same as before; wherefore the Syriac version omits them there, and reads them both together here, calling them the magistrates and chief men of the city; though the word here used, properly signifies military captains, captains of the Roman militia: but that they were the same with the Decuriones, or ten men before mentioned, appears from what Harpocratian says F11 Lexicon, p. 274. , that every year were chosen "ten στρατηγοι ,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 16:21

And teach customs ,.... The Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions read in the singular number, "custom or law"; referring to the doctrine of salvation by Christ, in whose name the spirit of divination was cast out of the maid, and whom they took for a new deity; and so concluded that the apostle and his company were introducing a new religious law or custom, the worship of another God: which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans ; for the city of Philippi was a... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 16:22

And the multitude rose up together against them ,.... The crowd of people that were gathered together in the court on this occasion; being no doubt spirited up by the proprietors of the maid, out of whom the spirit of divination was cast, and encouraged by the rulers, and being provoked at the hearing of unlawful customs being introduced among them; and the magistrates rent off their clothes ; not their own clothes, as did the high priest, Mark 14:63 but the clothes of Paul and Silas;... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 16:23

And when they had laid many stripes upon them ,.... Even above measure, as in 2 Corinthians 11:35 . They cast them into prison ; designing doubtless to inflict some greater punishment upon them, after they had further examined into their affairs: charging the jailer to keep them safely ; suggesting, that he must be answerable for them, should they escape, either through his favour or his negligence; and they might rather give this strict charge, because they perceived that they... read more

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