Bible Strands
Acts 16:37
But Paul said to the officers, “They beat us publicly without a trial and threw us into prison, even though we are Roman citizens. And now do they want to send us away secretly? Absolutely not! Let them come themselves and escort us out!”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Paul addresses the prison officers in Philippi immediately after the jailer reports the magistrates' release order. He speaks at the threshold of departure to demand formal recognition of their legal status.
The words — The participle δείραντες (deirantes) translates literally as "having beaten," directly referencing the prior unlawful beating. The conjunction δὲ (de) marks the contrast between the proposed secret release and Paul's insistence on public accountability.
The thread — This demand for legal recognition parallels the appeal in Acts 22:25 and mirrors the Psalms' indictment of rulers who subvert justice in Psalms 58:1 and Psalms 94:20. The narrative thread tracks the friction between civil procedure and the rights of the accused.
Why it lands — The text explicitly records Paul refusing covert release and demanding the magistrates escort them out. Readers must apply this standard by insisting that authority operates within established legal boundaries rather than through administrative convenience.
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
But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out.
Cross-references
- Acts 22:25 But as they stretched him out to strap him down, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it lawful for you to flog a Roman citizen without a trial?”
- Psalms 58:1 For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David. Do you indeed speak justly, O rulers? Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men?
- Psalms 94:20 Can a corrupt throne be Your ally—one devising mischief by decree?
- Proverbs 28:1 The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
- Daniel 3:25 “Look!” he exclaimed. “I see four men, unbound and unharmed, walking around in the fire—and the fourth looks like a son of the gods!”
- Matthew 10:16 Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
- Acts 16:20 They brought them to the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews and are throwing our city into turmoil
- Psalms 82:1 A Psalm of Asaph. God presides in the divine assembly; He renders judgment among the gods:
- Daniel 6:18 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting. No entertainment was brought before him, and sleep fled from him.