Acts 16 · Verse 39

Acts 16:39

And they came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city.
Acts 16:39, King James Version

Acts 16:39 in other translations

BSBThey came to appease them and led them out, requesting that they leave the city.
WEBand they came and begged them. When they had brought them out, they asked them to depart from the city.
ASVand they came and besought them; and when they had brought them out, they asked them to go away from the city.
YLTand having come, they besought them, and having brought them forth, they were asking them to go forth from the city;
DARBYAnd they came and besought them, and having brought them out, asked them to go out of the city.
BBEThen they came and made prayers to them, requesting them, when they had taken them out, to go away from the town.
WebsterAnd they came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city.

What does Acts 16:39 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Acts 16:39-40
39-40. And they came--in person. and besought them--not to complain of them. What a contrast this suppliant attitude of the preachers of Philippi to the tyrannical air with which they had the day before treated the preachers! (See Is 60:14; Re 3:9). brought them out--conducted them forth from the prison into the street, as insisted on. and desired--"requested." them to depart out of the city--perhaps fearing again to excite the populace.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verse 39. And they came and besought them. A most humiliating act for Roman magistrates; but in this case it was unavoidable. The apostles had them completely in their power, and could easily effect their disgrace and ruin. Probably they besought them by declaring them innocent; by affirming that they were ignorant that they were Roman citizens, etc.

And desired them to depart, etc. Probably,

(1.) to save their own character, and to secure from their taking any further steps to convict the magistrates of violating the laws; and;

(2.) to evade any further popular tumult on their account. This advice they saw fit to comply with, after they had seen and comforted the brethren, Acts 16:40. They had accomplished their main purpose in going to Philippi; they had preached the gospel; had laid, the foundation of a flourishing church, (comp. the Epistle to the Philippians;) and they were now prepared to prosecute the purpose of their agency into surrounding regions. Thus the opposition of the people and the magistrates at Philippi was the occasion of the founding of the church there; and thus their unkind and inhospitable request that they should leave them, was the means of the extension of the gospel into adjacent regions.

(a) "besought them" Ex 11:8, Rev 3:9 (b) "desired them" Mt 8:34

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Acts 16:35-40

Paul, though willing to suffer for the cause of Christ, and without any desire to avenge himself, did not choose to depart under the charge of having deserved wrongful punishment, and therefore required to be dismissed in an honourable manner. It was not a mere point of honour that the apostle stood upon, but justice, and not to himself so much as to his cause. And when proper apology is made, Christians should…

Read the full comment on Acts 16:35-40 →

Acts 16:39 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.

καὶkaiAndG2532
ἐλθόντεςelthonteshaving comeG2064
παρεκάλεσανparekalesanthey appealed toG3870
αὐτούς,autousthemG846
καὶkaiandG2532
ἐξαγαγόντεςexagagonteshaving brought [them] outG1806
ἠρώτωνērōtōnthey were asking [them]G2065
ἀπελθεῖνapeltheinto go outG565
τῆςtēstheG3588
πόλεως.¶poleōscity.G4172

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

Cross references for Acts 16:39

  • Matthew 8:34

    And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.

  • Mark 5:17

    And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.

  • Daniel 6:23

    Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.

  • Daniel 6:16

    Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.

  • Isaiah 49:23

    And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

  • Exodus 11:8

    And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger.

  • Micah 7:9-10

    I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness. Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the Lord thy God? mine eyes shall behold her: now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets.

  • Isaiah 60:14

    The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

  • Isaiah 45:14

    Thus saith the Lord, The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.

  • Revelation 3:9

    Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
came.
Ex 11:8; Isa 45:14; 49:23; 60:14; Mic 7:9,10; Re 3:9
and brought.
Da 6:16,23
and desired.
Mt 8:34; Mr 5:17

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

Context

  • Acts 16:38

    And the serjeants told these words unto the magistrates: and they feared, when they heard that they were Romans.

  • Acts 16:39

    And they came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city.

  • Acts 16:40

    And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed.

Read all of Acts 16

Acts 16:39 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y viniendo, les rogaron; y sacándolos, les pidieron que se saliesen de la ciudad.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et ils vinrent et les prièrent de se rendre à leur vœu, et les ayant menés dehors, leur demandèrent de sortir de la ville.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und sie kamen und redeten ihnen zu; und sie führten sie hinaus und baten sie, daß sie aus der Stadt gehen möchten.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		et venientes deprecati sunt eos, et educentes rogabant ut egrederentur de urbe.