RSV ~ Acts 16 Notes

Acts 16:1 | ISB Notes

Timothy: A longtime friend and companion of Paul. He is also mentioned with Paul and Silas (Silvanus) in 1 Thess 1:1 and 2 Thess 1:1. See note on 1 Tim 1:2.

Acts 16:3 | ISB Notes

circumcised: Paul thought it advantageous to circumcise Timothy so their joint ministry among the Jews would not be hindered by scandal (1 Cor 9:20). At this stage, circumcision and other ritual observances of the Torah were permitted for Jewish believers even though unnecessary for Gentiles (15:111). Timothy’s descent from a Jewish mother seems to put him in the former category. Later rabbinic law states that religious affiliation followed matrilineal lines, so that children born of a Jewish mother were automatically Jewish, regardless of the faith of the father.

Acts 16:4 | ISB Notes

the decisions: The prohibitions of the Apostolic Decree (15:23-29). See note on Acts 15:20.

Acts 16:6-10 | ISB Notes

The direction of the second mission was determined by the Spirit. After ministering in the southern territories of the Galatian province (Phrygia and Galatia), the team was forbidden to go directly west (Asia) or directly north (Bithynia), but was channeled northwest to the Aegean port of Troas. Here Paul received further instructions to cross over from Asia Minor to evangelize the mainland of Europe near Greece (Macedonia).

Acts 16:10 | ISB Notes

immediately we: An abrupt shift in narrative perspective. Up to this point, Luke has retold the events in Acts as an outsider or spectator. Here, for the first time, he steps into the story (“we”, not “they”) as a traveling member of Paul’s missionary team. Several “we” sections punctuate the later chapters of Acts and are likely based on historical memoirs that Luke stored away in his memory or possibly in a travel diary (16:1017; 20:5-15; 21:1-18; 27:1-28:16).

Acts 16:12 | ISB Notes

Philippi: A colony of retired army veterans in the Roman province of Macedonia (northern Greece). About eight miles inland from the Aegean Sea, the city was named after Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great. The Church established there (A.D. 50) later received Paul’s NT letter to the Philippians. Few Jews settled in Philippi in the NT period, and it apparently had no synagogue, only a “place of prayer” where pious women gathered on the Sabbath (16:13). According to Jewish tradition, a synagogue could not be built unless ten or more household heads (males) lived in the area.

Acts 16:14 | ISB Notes

Lydia: A reputable businesswoman and possibly a widow.

worshiper of God: Lydia was a righteous Gentile or “God-fearer” attracted to Judaism. See note on Acts 10:2.

opened her heart: Faith in the gospel is a gift from God, who prepares the heart and mind of every believer with the grace needed to embrace the message (Jn 6:44; Eph 2:8).

Acts 16:15 | ISB Notes

her household: The apostles routinely baptized entire households, many of which probably included infants and children as well as servants (16:33; 1 Cor 1:16; CCC 1655). .

Acts 16:16 | ISB Notes

spirit of divination: Literally, “a python spirit”, which refers to a mythical serpent said to guard the Greek temple of Apollo at Delphi. One controlled by a python spirit was seen as a ventriloquist or fortune-teller. Because the owners of the slave girl exploited her misfortune for its moneymaking potential, they were angered when Paul exorcised the demon and their means of income was gone (16:19).

Acts 16:17 | ISB Notes

servants of the Most High: A true confession forced out of a lying spirit (Mk 1:24; 5:7).

Acts 16:20 | ISB Notes

magistrates: An honorific title for the two city leaders of Philippi. In charge of civil order, they authorized a beating (16:22) on charges that Paul and Silas were causing a citywide disturbance with questionable religious teaching.

Acts 16:22 | ISB Notes

beat them with rods: This is probably the shameful treatment at Philippi that Paul would later speak about in 1 Thess 2:2. He received this same type of beating at least two more times in his missionary career (2 Cor 11:25).

Acts 16:26 | ISB Notes

great earthquake: Paul’s miraculous deliverance recalls how Peter was twice rescued from prison by the Lord (5:19; 12:6-11).

Acts 16:27 | ISB Notes

to kill himself: Prison guards were liable to severe punishment if criminals escaped during their watch (12:19). Thinking the inmates had fled, the jailer contemplated suicide as a way to escape the humiliation and condemnation he was sure to receive.

Acts 16:31 | ISB Notes

Believe in the Lord Jesus: The faith asked of the jailer is a faith that embraces Jesus as Lord and Savior and leads directly to Baptism (16:33; Mk 16:16). The spiritual transformation that takes place in this sacrament (2:38) is immediately evident as the jailer no longer views the missionaries as prisoners but as fellow brothers in need of hospitality, food, and first aid (16:33-34; CCC 1226). See note on Acts 16:15.

Acts 16:37 | ISB Notes

Roman citizens: Enjoyed certain privileges not shared by all inhabitants of the empire. Citizens, for example, were exempt from degrading forms of punishment and were not to endure any form of punishment without a thorough investigation of the charges brought against them (22:25-26). Because Paul and Silas were citizens unlawfully mistreated, they felt the injustice should not go overlooked.

Acts 16:40 | ISB Notes

the brethren: The new believers in Philippi, including Lydia

and her household (16:15). Over the years Paul developed a special affection for the Philippian Church, calling them his “joy and crown” (Phil 4:1). they … departed: Apparently Luke himself stayed behind. He rejoins the group in 20:6. See note on Acts 16:10.