Paul and Silas Seized and Dragged to the MagistratesBible World
16:24Acts 16:24
Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
After they had been beaten and scourged by sentence of the magistrates at Philippi, the jailer charged to keep them securely thrust Paul and Silas into the innermost prison under close guard and himself made their feet fast in the stocks as instruments of torture. This left them in the darkness of a cold dungeon in a painful, constrained and unnatural position, with feet raised and bound while their wounded, lacerated and bleeding backs rested against the rough stone floor. Though in extreme torture they did not complain or curse as expected, but with angels of God with them in the prison, at midnight they prayed and sang praises to God with joy and thankfulness to suffer for Christ. God worked with His servants to bring glory to Himself, shaking the prison walls and opening the doors to deliver them, for their imprisonment was in His direct providence that the light of truth might reach within those walls in the conversion of the jailer and all his household. Their faithfulness when the work looked discouraging shows that workers for God are to hold fast to the living principles of truth whatever the cost, counting suffering for it a joy and bearing the message and letting their light shine wherever they are, since prison walls cannot stop the work.
Confinement in Inner Prison
The verse belongs to the advance of the gospel beyond Asia Minor into Europe, when the way was preparing for Paul and his fellow workers to cross over after the night vision at Troas on the borders of the Mediterranean Sea, where a man of Macedonia stood praying for help. At Philippi in the Macedonian dungeon, Paul and Silas had been beaten and scourged by command and sentence of the magistrates before they were handed to the jailer with a charge to keep them securely. Their confinement followed that order after the beating, when they were thrown into the inner prison in a painful position with feet fastened.
The jailer obeyed by thrusting them into the innermost prison under close guard and making their feet fast in the stocks, carrying out the order personally. He put them in the innermost cell and added severe restraint to the pain of their scourging. The stocks were instruments of torture. Their confinement left them in the darkness of a cold dungeon in a painful, constrained and unnatural position. Their feet were raised and bound while their wounded, lacerated, swollen and bleeding backs rested against the rough stone floor, causing extreme pain and torture.
The scourging and imprisonment they received was a severe Roman penalty. The magistrates later realized they had probably imposed it on innocent men, especially after seeing the woman freed from satanic influence now quiet and peaceable.
Prayer Praise and Deliverance
Angels of God accompanied Paul and Silas inside the prison and were with them there in the inner prison with feet fast in the stocks. The jailer saw their swollen, bleeding wounds and expected groans and curses, but instead heard prayer and singing with joy. Despite extreme torture in a painful, raised and bound position they did not complain, but at midnight prayed and sang praises to God with joy. They encouraged one another, were thankful and grateful to suffer for Christ and his name, and were sustained by deep love for his cause.
Their imprisonment brought glory to God and showed that God was with and working with his servants, his chosen servants. He could shake prison walls and open strong iron bars, and heavenly angels brought an earthquake that opened the prison doors and freed the prisoners. So their shameful affliction ended in deliverance by God. Their midnight praise was not failure but the means by which that power was revealed.
Their being thrust into the inner prison was in the direct providence of God, for the light of truth would never have reached within those prison walls if they had not been imprisoned. There in the Macedonian dungeon Paul presented Christ to convicted sinners. Their faithfulness in suffering resulted in the conversion of the jailer and all his household.
When they later came to Thessalonica their appearance bore witness to and showed the shameful treatment they had endured at Philippi. They explained their suffering without exalting themselves. They magnified God's grace in delivering them and gave glory to God rather than dwelling on their suffering.
Example for Faithful Workers
After being beaten by command of the magistrates, Paul and Silas were thrust into the inner prison with their feet made fast in the stocks. Their condition looked very discouraging and looked as if their effort to proclaim the truth had been a failure. Yet angels of God were with them in the prison where they sang the praises of God, and their faithfulness in suffering resulted in the conversion of the jailer and all his household, showing that workers for God are to hold fast to the living principles of truth whatever the consequences to themselves.
They were put in the inner prison after the jailer received orders and after being scourged, with their feet fastened in stocks in a painful position. Their imprisonment and suffering did not lead them to complain, but at midnight they sang praises to God, sustained by love for Christ's cause and deep love for it. Their example shows that those who love the truth can count suffering for it as a joy and remain undaunted in their work, and that faith and devotion can make midnight praise possible where prison walls or martyrdom cannot stop the work.
They were thrust into the inner prison for obeying God rather than man and refusing to stop preaching though forbidden by law. This proves that those who obey the truth in the face of the world will be brought into strait places with reproach and persecution, especially when the message goes with a loud cry. They must therefore bear the message wherever they are and constantly let their light shine. Though treated as convicted prisoners in the Macedonian dungeon and held fast in stocks, Paul was not turned from serving Christ, and his faith, strengthened by effort and sacrifice, upheld him amid persecution.
After they had been beaten and scourged by sentence of the magistrates at Philippi, the jailer charged to keep them securely thrust Paul and Silas into the innermost prison under close guard and himself made their feet fast in the stocks as instruments of torture.
This left them in the darkness of a cold dungeon in a painful, constrained and unnatural position, with feet raised and bound while their wounded, lacerated and bleeding backs rested against the rough stone floor.
Though in extreme torture they did not complain or curse as expected, but with angels of God with them in the prison, at midnight they prayed and sang praises to God with joy and thankfulness to suffer for Christ.
God worked with His servants to bring glory to Himself, shaking the prison walls and opening the doors to deliver them, for their imprisonment was in His direct providence that the light of truth might reach within those walls in the conversion of the jailer and all his household.
Their faithfulness when the work looked discouraging shows that workers for God are to hold fast to the living principles of truth whatever the cost, counting suffering for it a joy and bearing the message and letting their light shine wherever they are, since prison walls cannot stop the work.
Confinement in Inner Prison
The verse belongs to the advance of the gospel beyond Asia Minor into Europe, when the way was preparing for Paul and his fellow workers to cross over after the night vision at Troas on the borders of the Mediterranean Sea, where a man of Macedonia stood praying for help. At Philippi in the Macedonian dungeon, Paul and Silas had been beaten and scourged by command and sentence of the magistrates before they were handed to the jailer with a charge to keep them securely. Their confinement followed that order after the beating, when they were thrown into the inner prison in a painful position with feet fastened.
The jailer obeyed by thrusting them into the innermost prison under close guard and making their feet fast in the stocks, carrying out the order personally. He put them in the innermost cell and added severe restraint to the pain of their scourging. The stocks were instruments of torture. Their confinement left them in the darkness of a cold dungeon in a painful, constrained and unnatural position. Their feet were raised and bound while their wounded, lacerated, swollen and bleeding backs rested against the rough stone floor, causing extreme pain and torture.
The scourging and imprisonment they received was a severe Roman penalty. The magistrates later realized they had probably imposed it on innocent men, especially after seeing the woman freed from satanic influence now quiet and peaceable.
Prayer Praise and Deliverance
Angels of God accompanied Paul and Silas inside the prison and were with them there in the inner prison with feet fast in the stocks. The jailer saw their swollen, bleeding wounds and expected groans and curses, but instead heard prayer and singing with joy. Despite extreme torture in a painful, raised and bound position they did not complain, but at midnight prayed and sang praises to God with joy. They encouraged one another, were thankful and grateful to suffer for Christ and his name, and were sustained by deep love for his cause.
Their imprisonment brought glory to God and showed that God was with and working with his servants, his chosen servants. He could shake prison walls and open strong iron bars, and heavenly angels brought an earthquake that opened the prison doors and freed the prisoners. So their shameful affliction ended in deliverance by God. Their midnight praise was not failure but the means by which that power was revealed.
Their being thrust into the inner prison was in the direct providence of God, for the light of truth would never have reached within those prison walls if they had not been imprisoned. There in the Macedonian dungeon Paul presented Christ to convicted sinners. Their faithfulness in suffering resulted in the conversion of the jailer and all his household.
When they later came to Thessalonica their appearance bore witness to and showed the shameful treatment they had endured at Philippi. They explained their suffering without exalting themselves. They magnified God's grace in delivering them and gave glory to God rather than dwelling on their suffering.
Example for Faithful Workers
After being beaten by command of the magistrates, Paul and Silas were thrust into the inner prison with their feet made fast in the stocks. Their condition looked very discouraging and looked as if their effort to proclaim the truth had been a failure. Yet angels of God were with them in the prison where they sang the praises of God, and their faithfulness in suffering resulted in the conversion of the jailer and all his household, showing that workers for God are to hold fast to the living principles of truth whatever the consequences to themselves.
They were put in the inner prison after the jailer received orders and after being scourged, with their feet fastened in stocks in a painful position. Their imprisonment and suffering did not lead them to complain, but at midnight they sang praises to God, sustained by love for Christ's cause and deep love for it. Their example shows that those who love the truth can count suffering for it as a joy and remain undaunted in their work, and that faith and devotion can make midnight praise possible where prison walls or martyrdom cannot stop the work.
They were thrust into the inner prison for obeying God rather than man and refusing to stop preaching though forbidden by law. This proves that those who obey the truth in the face of the world will be brought into strait places with reproach and persecution, especially when the message goes with a loud cry. They must therefore bear the message wherever they are and constantly let their light shine. Though treated as convicted prisoners in the Macedonian dungeon and held fast in stocks, Paul was not turned from serving Christ, and his faith, strengthened by effort and sacrifice, upheld him amid persecution.