Acts 16:13

On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river, where it was customary to find a place of prayer. After sitting down, we spoke to the women who had gathered there.

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — Paul and his companions, having settled in Philippi, go outside the city gate to a riverside prayer site on the Sabbath to address a gathering of women.

The words — ἐξήλθομεν (exēlthomen) means "we went forth" and σαββάτῳ (sabbatō) means "on the Sabbath," marking a deliberate departure from the city walls at a specific weekly interval.

The thread — This riverside gathering mirrors the pattern of Sabbath proclamation in Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:14) and Corinth (Acts 18:4), where Paul adapted his teaching venue to the available audience.

Why it lands — The account demands that readers observe how early Christian ministry operated in available public spaces rather than waiting for established religious infrastructure.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Greek words

King James Version

And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.

Cross-references

Acts 13:14 And from Perga, they traveled inland to Pisidian Antioch, where they entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and sat down.
Acts 18:4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks alike.
Acts 21:5 But when our time there had ended, we set out on our journey. All the disciples, with their wives and children, accompanied us out of the city and knelt down on the beach to pray with us.
Colossians 1:23 if indeed you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope of the gospel you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Matthew 5:1 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain and sat down. His disciples came to Him,
Matthew 13:2 Such large crowds gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat down, while all the people stood on the shore.
Mark 16:15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
Luke 4:20 Then He rolled up the scroll, returned it to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him,
Luke 13:10 One Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues,
John 8:2 Early in the morning He went back into the temple courts. All the people came to Him, and He sat down to teach them.