Acts 16:35

And when it was day, the magistrates sent the serjeants, saying, Let those men go.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
And	δὲ de	G1161	but · conjunction
when	γενομένης genomenēs	G1096	to cause to be ("gen"-erate) · verb — second aorist middle deponent participle, genitive singular feminine
day	Ἡμέρας Hēmeras	G2250	day · noun — genitive singular feminine
magistrates	στρατηγοὶ stratēgoi	G4755	a general · noun — nominative plural masculine
sent	ἀπέστειλαν apesteilan	G649	set apart · verb — aorist active indicative, 3rd person plural
serjeants	ῥαβδούχους rhabdouchous	G4465	a rod- (the Latin fasces) holder · noun — accusative plural masculine
saying	λέγοντες· legontes	G3004	properly · verb — present active participle, nominative plural masculine
Let	ἀπόλυσον apoluson	G630	to free fully · verb — aorist active imperative, 2nd person singular
those	ἐκείνους. ekeinous	G1565	that one (or (neuter) thing) · demonstrative pronoun — accusative plural masculine
men	ἀνθρώπους anthrōpous	G444	from G3700 (ὀπτάνομαι)) · noun — accusative plural masculine
go	ἀπολύω apolýō	G630	to free fully

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Acts 5:40 And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jes…
Psalms 76:10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.
Jeremiah 5:22 Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decre…
Acts 4:21 So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men g…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Acts 16:35–end

In these verses we have, I. Orders sent for the discharge of Paul and Silas out of prison Act 16:35, Act 16:36. 1. The magistrates that had so basely abused them the day before gave the orders; and their doing it so early, as soon as it was day, intimates that either they were sensible the terrific earthquake they felt at midnight was intended to plead the cause of their prisoners, or their consciences had smitten them for what they had done and made them very uneasy. While the persecuted were singing in the stocks, the persecutors were full of tossings to and fro upon their beds, through anguish of mind, complaining more of the lashes of their consciences than the prisoners did of the lashe…

Read the whole note in the console

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Acts 16:35

when it was day, the magistrates sent the sergeants, saying, Let those men go--The cause of this change can only be conjectured. When the commotion ceased, reflection would soon convince them of the injustice they had done, even supposing the prisoners had been entitled to no special privileges; and if rumor reached them that the prisoners were somehow under supernatural protection, they might be the more awed into a desire to get rid of them.

Adam Clarke on Acts 16:35

And the magistrates sent the sergeants - The original word, ῥαβδουχους, means the lictors, persons who carried before the consul the fasces, which was a hatchet, round the handle of which was a bundle of rods tied. Why the magistrates should have sent an order to dismiss the apostles, whom they had so barbarously used the preceding evening, we cannot tell, unless we receive the reading of the Codex Bezae as genuine, viz. Ἡμερας δε γενομενης, συνηλθον οἱ Ϛρατηγοι επι το αυτο εις την αγοραν, και αναμνησθεντες τον σεισμον τον γεγοντα, εφοβηθησαν, και απεϚειλαν τους ῥαβδουχους κ. τ. λ. And when it was day, the magistrates came together into the court, And Remembering the Earthquake that Had…

Read the whole note in the console

John Gill on Acts 16:35

The Church Fathers

And when it was day, the magistrates sent the sergeants, saying, Let those men go. It is likely the magistrates had learnt what had happened, and did not dare of themselves to dismiss them. And the keeper of the prison told these words to Paul, saying, the magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and go in peace - that is, in safety, fearing no man.
— John Chrysostom, Homily on Acts 36

And when it was day, the magistrates sent officers. Officers were called those who were in charge of punishing the guilty. Hence in Greek they are called ῥαβδοῦχοι, from the rod, because the Greeks call a rod ῥάβδον, of which Hilary mentions in the exposition of the Apostle's sentence, saying: "What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in a spirit of gentleness?" (1 Corinthians 4)? Was Paul inquiring whether he had praetorian power to threaten with the rod, and to be present at the Church of Christ with the office of an officer?
— Bede, Retractions on Acts

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Magistrate — A public civil officer invested with authority. The Hebrew shophetim, or judges, were magistrates having authority in the land (Deut. 1:16, 17). In Judg. 18:7 the word “magistrate” (A.V.) is rendered…
Philippi — (1.) Formerly Crenides, “the fountain,” the capital of the province of Macedonia. It stood near the head of the Sea, about 8 miles north-west of Kavalla. It is now a ruined village, called…
Scourging — (1 Kings 12:11). Variously administered. In no case were the stripes to exceed forty (Deut. 25:3; comp. 2 Cor. 11:24). In the time of the apostles, in consequence of the passing of what was called…
Sergeants — Acts 16:35, 38 (R.V., “lictors”), officers who attended the magistrates and assisted them in the execution of justice.
Criminals · Confined in pri — Confined in pri
Magistrate · An officer of civil law — An officer of civil law
Philippi · (A city of Macedonia) -Paul preaches in — (A city of Macedonia) -Paul preaches in
Prisoners · Paul — Paul
Prisons · Magistrates had power to release from — Magistrates had power to release from
Sergeant · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Silas · Impri — Impri

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Acts 16:35

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Acts 16:35–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Acts 16:35

Adam Clarke on Acts 16:35

John Gill on Acts 16:35

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Acts 16:35

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Acts 16:35–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Acts 16:35

Adam Clarke on Acts 16:35

John Gill on Acts 16:35

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Acts 16:35–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Acts 16:31-34