Acts 16 · Verse 40

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.

Acts 16:40, King James Version

Acts 16:40 in other translations

BSB	After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house to see the brothers and encourage them. Then they left the city.
WEB	They went out of the prison and entered into Lydia’s house. When they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them, then departed.
ASV	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.
YLT	and they, having gone forth out of the prison, entered into the house of Lydia, and having seen the brethren, they comforted them, and went forth.
DARBY	And having gone out of the prison, they came to Lydia; and having seen the brethren, they exhorted them and went away.
BBE	And they came out of the prison and went to the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brothers they gave them comfort and went away.
Webster	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.

What does Acts 16:40 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…

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Barnes' Notes

Verse 40. They comforted them. They exhorted them, and encouraged them to persevere, notwithstanding the opposition and persecution which they might meet with.

And departed. That is, Paul and Silas departed. It would appear probable that Luke and Timothy remained in Philippi, or, at least, did not attend Paul and Silas. For Luke, who, in Acts 16:10, uses the first person, and speaks of himself as with Paul and Silas, speaks of them now in the third person, implying that he was not with them until Paul had arrived at Troas, where Luke joined him from Philippi, Acts 20:5,6. In Acts 17:14, also, Timothy is mentioned as being at Berea in company with Silas, from which it appears that he did not accompany Paul and Silas to Thessalonica. Comp. Acts 17:1,4. Paul and Silas, when they departed from Philippi, went to Thessalonica, Acts 17:1.

(c) "and when they had seen the brethren" Acts 16:14

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 40 Entered into the house of Lydia - This was the place of their residence while at Philippi: see Act 16:15. They comforted them, and departed - The magistrates were sufficiently humbled, and the public at large, hearing of this circumstance, must be satisfied of the innocency of the apostles. They, therefore, after staying a reasonable time at the house of Lydia, and exhorting the brethren, departed; having as yet to go farther into Macedonia, and to preach the Gospel in the most polished city in the world, the city of Athens. See the succeeding chapter. Great and lasting good was done by this visit to Philippi: a Church was there founded, and the members of it did credit to their profession. To them the apostle, who had suffered so much for their sakes, was exceedingly dear; and they evidenced this by their contributions to his support in the times of his necessity. They sent him money twice to Thessalonica, Phi 4:16, and once to Corinth, 2Cor 11:9, and long afterwards, when he was prisoner in Rome, Phi 4:9, Phi 4:14, Phi 4:18. About five or six years after this, St. Paul visited Philippi on his way to Jerusalem, and he wrote his epistle to them about ten years after his first journey thither. The first members of the Church of Christ in this place were Lydia and her family; and the next in all probability were the jailor and his family. These doubtless became the instruments of bringing many more to the faith; for the false imprisonment and public acquittal of the apostles by the magistrates must have made their cause popular; and thus the means which were used to prevent the sowing of the seed of life in this city became the means by which it was sown and established. Thus the wrath of man praised God; and the remainder of it he did restrain. Never were these words more exactly fulfilled than on this occasion.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · 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…

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Acts 16:40 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.

ἘξελθόντεςExelthontesHaving gone forthG1831

δὲdethenG1161

ἀπὸapoout ofG575

τῆςtēstheG3588

φυλακῆςphulakēsprisonG5438

εἰσῆλθονeisēlthonthey cameG1525

πρὸςprostoG4314

τὴνtēn<the>G3588

Λυδίαν·LudianLydia;G3070

καὶkaiandG2532

ἰδόντεςidonteshaving seen [them]G1492

παρεκάλεσανparekalesanthey exhortedG3870

τοὺςtoustheG3588

ἀδελφοὺςadelphousbrothersG80

καὶkaiandG2532

ἐξῆλθαν.¶exēlthandeparted.G1831

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

Cross references for Acts 16:40

Acts 14:22
Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
Acts 16:14
And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
1 Thessalonians 3:2-3
And sent Timotheus, our brother, and minister of God, and our fellowlabourer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith: That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
2 Corinthians 1:3-7
Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. …
2 Corinthians 4:8-12
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. …
Acts 12:12-17
And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying. And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate. And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel. …
Acts 4:23
And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them.
Acts 16:2
Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

and entered.
14; 4:23; 12:12-17
they comforted.
14:22; 2Co 1:3-7; 4:8-12,16-18; 1Th 3:2,3

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

Context

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 16:40 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Entonces salidos de la cárcel, entraron en casa de Lidia; y habiendo visto á los hermanos, los consolaron, y se salieron.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et étant sortis de la prison, ils entrèrent chez Lydie; et ayant vu les frères, ils les exhortèrent et partirent.
German Elberfelder 1871	Als sie aber aus dem Gefängnis herausgegangen waren, gingen sie zu der Lydia; und als sie die Brüder gesehen hatten, ermahnten sie sie und gingen weg.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Exeuntes autem de carcere, introierunt ad Lydiam: et visis fratribus consolati sunt eos, et profecti sunt.