Acts 16 · Verse 17

Acts 16:17

The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.
Acts 16:17, King James Version

Acts 16:17 in other translations

BSBThis girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!”
WEBFollowing Paul and us, she cried out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us a way of salvation!”
ASVThe same following after Paul and us cried out, saying, These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim unto you the way of salvation.
YLTshe having followed Paul and us, was crying, saying, ‘These men are servants of the Most High God, who declare to us a way of salvation;'
DARBYShe, having followed Paul and us, cried saying, These men are bondmen of the Most High God, who announce to you the way of salvation.
BBEShe came after Paul and us, crying out and saying, These men are the servants of the Most High God, who are giving you news of the way of salvation.
WebsterThe same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, who show to us the way of salvation.

What does Acts 16:17 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Acts 16:16-18

16-18. as we went to prayer--The words imply that it was on their way to the usual place of public prayer, by the river-side, that this took place; therefore not on the same day with what had just occurred. a ... damsel--a female servant, and in this case a slave (Ac 16:19). possessed of a spirit of divination--or, of Python, that is, a spirit supposed to be inspired by the Pythian Apollo, or of the same nature. The…

Read the full comment on Acts 16:16-18 →

Barnes' Notes
Verse 17. The same followed Paul, etc. Why she did this, or under what pretence, the sacred writer has not informed us. Various conjectures have been formed of the reason why this was done. It may have been,

(1.) that as she prophesied for gain, she supposed that Paul and Silas would reward her if she publicly proclaimed that they were the servants of God. Or,

(2.) because she was conscious that an evil spirit possessed her, and that she feared that Paul and Silas would expel that spirit; and that, by proclaiming them to be the servants of God, she hoped to conciliate their favour. Or,

(3.) more probably, it was because she saw evident tokens of their being sent from God, and that their doctrine would prevail; and by proclaiming this she hoped to acquire more authority, and a higher reputation for being herself inspired. Comp. Mk 5:7.

(e) "most high God" Gen 14:18-22 (f) "way of salvation" Acts 18:26, Heb 10:20

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 17 These men are the servants, etc. - It is astonishing how such a testimony could be given in such a case; every syllable of it true, and at the same time full, clear, and distinct. But mark the deep design and artifice of this evil spirit: 1. He well knew that the Jewish law abhorred all magic, incantations, magical rites, and dealings with familiar spirits; he therefore bears what was in itself a true testimony to the apostles, that by it he may destroy their credit, and ruin their usefulness. The Jews, by this testimony, would be led at once to believe that the apostles were in compact with these demons, and that the miracles they wrought were done by the agency of these wicked spirits, and that the whole was the effect of magic; and this, of course, would harden their hearts against the preaching of the Gospel. 2. The Gentiles, finding that their own demon bore testimony to the apostles, would naturally consider that the whole was one system; that they had nothing to learn, nothing to correct; and thus the preaching of the apostles must be useless to them. In such a predicament is this, nothing could have saved the credit of the apostles but their dispossessing this woman of her familiar spirit, and that in the most incontestable manner; for what could have saved the credit of Moses and Aaron, when the magicians of Egypt turned their rods into serpents, had not Aaron's rod devoured theirs? And what could have saved the credit of these apostles but the casting out of this spirit of divination, with which, otherwise, both Jews and Gentiles would have believed them in compact?

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Acts 16:16-24

Satan, though the father of lies, will declare the most important truths, when he can thereby serve his purposes. But much mischief is done to the real servants of Christ, by unholy and false preachers of the gospel, who are confounded with them by careless observers. Those who do good by drawing men from sin, may expect to be reviled as troublers of the city. While they teach men to fear God, to believe in Christ…

Read the full comment on Acts 16:16-24 →

Acts 16:17 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

αὕτηhautēSheG3778
κατακολουθοῦσαkatakolouthousahaving followedG2628
τῷtō<the>G3588
ΠαύλῳPaulōafter PaulG3972
καὶkaiandG2532
ἡμῖνhēminusG3165
ἔκραζενekrazenwas crying outG2896
λέγουσα·legousasaying;G3004
οὗτοιhoutoiTheseG3778
οἱhoi<the>G3588
ἄνθρωποιanthrōpoimenG444
δοῦλοιdouloiservantsG1401
τοῦtouof theG3588
θεοῦtheouGodG2316
τοῦtou<the>G3588
ὑψίστουhupsistouMost HighG5310
εἰσίν,eisinare,G1510
οἵτινεςoitineswhoG3748
καταγγέλλουσινkatangellousinproclaimG2605
ὑμῖνhuminto youG4771
ὁδὸνhodon[the] wayG3598
σωτηρίας.sōtēriasof salvation.G4991

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Acts 16:17

  • John 14:6

    Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

  • 1 Peter 2:16

    As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.

  • Mark 5:7

    And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.

  • Daniel 6:20

    And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?

  • Daniel 3:28

    Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

  • Daniel 3:26

    Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego, came forth of the midst of the fire.

  • Luke 4:34

    Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.

  • Jonah 1:9

    And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.

  • Luke 4:41

    And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.

  • Luke 1:79

    To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

  • Psalms 57:2

    I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.

  • Acts 18:26

    And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
These.
19:13; Mt 8:29; Mr 1:24; Lu 4:34,41
the servants.
Da 3:26,28; 6:16,20; Jon 1:9; 1Pe 2:16
the most.
Ge 14:18-22; Ps 57:2; 78:35; Da 4:2; 5:18,21; Mic 6:6; Mr 5:7
Lu 8:28
the way.
30,31; 18:26; Mt 7:13,14; 22:16; Mr 12:14; Lu 1:77,79; 20:21
Joh 14:6; Heb 10:19-22

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Acts 16:16

    And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:

  • Acts 16:17

    The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.

  • Acts 16:18

    And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.

Read all of Acts 16

Acts 16:17 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Esta, siguiendo á Pablo y á nosotros, daba voces, diciendo: Estos hombres son siervos del Dios Alto, los cuales os anuncian el camino de salud.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et marchant après Paul et nous, elle criait, disant: Ces hommes sont les esclaves du Dieu Très-haut, qui vous annoncent la voie du salut.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Diese folgte dem Paulus und uns nach und schrie und sprach: Diese Menschen sind Knechte Gottes, des Höchsten, die euch den Weg des Heils verkündigen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Hæc subsecuta Paulum et nos, clamabat dicens: Isti homines servi Dei excelsi sunt, qui annuntiant vobis viam salutis.