Acts 16:35-40
Expanded Bible
35 The next morning, the ·Roman officers [magistrates] sent the police to tell the jailer, “Let these men go free.”
36 The jailer ·said [L reported these words] to Paul, “The ·officers [magistrates] have sent an order to let you go free. You can leave now. Go in peace.”
37 But Paul said to ·the police [L them], “They beat us in public ·without a trial [L uncondemned], even though we are Roman citizens [C Roman law stated that citizens could not be beaten without a trial]. And they threw us in ·jail [prison]. Now they want to ·make us go away [get rid of us; throw us out] ·quietly [in secret]. No! Let them come themselves and bring us out.”
38 The police ·told [reported to] the ·Roman officers [magistrates] what Paul said. When ·the officers [L they] heard that ·Paul and Silas [L they] were Roman citizens, they were afraid. 39 So they came and ·told Paul and Silas they were sorry [apologized to them; appeased them] and took them out of ·jail [prison] and asked them to leave the city. 40 So when they came out of the ·jail [prison], they went to Lydia’s house where they saw some of the ·believers [L brothers (and sisters)] and encouraged them. Then they left.
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Acts 16:35-40
Amplified Bible
35 Now when day came, the chief magistrates sent their officers, saying, “Release those men.” 36 And the jailer repeated the words to Paul, saying, “The chief magistrates have sent word to release you; so come out now and go in peace.” 37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us in public without a trial, men who are Romans, and have thrown us into prison; and now they are sending us out secretly? No! Let them come here themselves and bring us out!” 38 The officers reported this message to the chief magistrates, and [a]when they heard that the prisoners were Romans, they were frightened; 39 so they came [to the prison] and appealed to them [with apologies], and when they brought them out, they kept begging them to leave the city. 40 So they left the prison and went to Lydia’s house; and when they had seen the brothers and sisters, they encouraged and comforted them, and left.
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- Acts 16:38 Paul was a Roman citizen because he was born in Tarsus (22:28), capitol of Cilicia and a city that the emperor Augustus had pronounced “free” because of its support of Rome. Nothing is known of Silas’ family background, but if his name is short for “Silvanus,” it is a Roman name (taken from the god of the forest) and it could be that Silas was also born a Roman citizen. Details on Roman citizenship at that time are sketchy at best, but it is clear from Acts that punishing a citizen without a trial and guilty verdict was illegal, probably involving severe penalties for the magistrates in charge. Also, a Roman citizen charged with a crime had the right to go to Rome and be tried in the emperor’s court (25:9-12).
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