Acts 16 19

Acts 16:19 kjv

And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers,

Acts 16:19 nkjv

But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.

Acts 16:19 niv

When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities.

Acts 16:19 esv

But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers.

Acts 16:19 nlt

Her masters' hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace.

Acts 16 verses

Acts 16 19 Meaning

This verse describes the immediate, hostile reaction of the owners of the demon-possessed slave girl after Paul casts out the spirit of divination from her. Realizing their lucrative source of income, derived from her fortunetelling, was irrevocably gone, they violently apprehended Paul and Silas. Their intention was to bring them before the public magistrates in the city square, the traditional place for legal proceedings, to face charges, driven purely by the loss of their financial gain rather than any spiritual or moral concern.

Acts 16 19 Context

Acts chapter 16 chronicles Paul's second missionary journey. After Silas joins him and Timothy, they are called by a vision to Macedonia, marking the gospel's expansion into Europe. In Philippi, a prominent Roman colony, Paul preaches to women by a river, leading to Lydia's conversion and the establishment of the first European church. Immediately following this, Paul and Silas encounter a slave girl possessed by a spirit of divination (Greek: pythōn, often associated with Apollo), whose clairvoyant abilities earned her owners much profit. After she repeatedly announced Paul and Silas as servants of the Most High God, Paul, vexed by the demonic announcement, commanded the spirit to come out of her. This successful exorcism is the direct antecedent to verse 19, igniting the owners' fury. This act was not only a spiritual triumph but a direct blow to the economic structure built upon the girl's affliction, setting the stage for the persecution that follows. Philippi's Roman colonial status also meant a Roman legal and social structure was firmly in place, making an appeal to "authorities" (strategoi or magistrates) a formal, and potentially serious, matter.

Acts 16 19 Word analysis

• But when her owners: The Greek kyrioi (κύριοι) here refers to masters or lords, emphasizing their legal proprietorship over the slave girl. This highlights the institution of slavery in the Roman world and the owners' commercial interest. Their concern is purely materialistic, not the girl's welfare or the spiritual power displayed.
• saw that their hope of profit: The Greek elpida tēs ergasias (ἐλπίδα τῆς ἐργασίας). Elpida (hope) here is tied to material gain, not spiritual expectation. Ergasias (profit, labor, business) denotes the financial yield from her divination. This signifies that their primary motivation was avarice, a direct polemic against those who exploit spiritual matters for financial gain, mirroring ancient religious charlatans and modern manipulators.
• was gone: Implies the definitive, irreversible cessation of their income. The power that delivered the girl also dissolved their financial empire built on her suffering.
• they seized: The Greek epilabomenoi (ἐπιλαβόμενοι) means "to lay hold of," often with an implication of taking into custody. This indicates a violent, forceful apprehension, characteristic of those reacting out of uncontrolled anger and desperation.
• Paul and Silas: The specific targets of their anger, recognized as the direct cause of their financial loss.
• and dragged them: The Greek heilkusan (εἵλκυσαν) denotes a harsh, often humiliating pulling or hauling. This was not a polite request but a forceful, public spectacle, intended to shame and intimidate the apostles.
• into the marketplace: The Greek eis tēn agoran (εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν) refers to the agora, the public square or forum. In Roman cities like Philippi, this was the central hub for commerce, public gatherings, and legal proceedings. By dragging them here, the owners were bringing them before the city's populace and directly to the seat of legal judgment.
• to the authorities: The Greek tous archontas (τοὺς ἄρχοντας) generally refers to rulers or magistrates. In Philippi, a Roman colony, these would specifically be the strategoi (συνάρχοντας), Roman civil magistrates or praetors, who held judicial power. This move indicates a formal accusation within the Roman legal framework. The owners bypass any immediate informal justice, opting for official charges that they hope will rectify their economic grievance. This highlights the vulnerability of early Christians to legal systems manipulated by powerful, self-serving individuals.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "But when her owners saw that their hope of profit was gone": This phrase underlines the materialistic opposition to the gospel. It's a vivid depiction of how worldly desires—specifically the pursuit of illicit gain—can ignite fierce resistance to divine power and truth. The owners prioritized their financial comfort over human freedom or spiritual well-being.
• "they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them": This action reveals the extent of their desperation and anger. The verbs seized and dragged depict a violent, disrespectful, and public humiliation, contrasting sharply with the gentle, healing nature of Paul's actions. It signifies the world's aggressive reaction to the Kingdom's peaceful advance.
• "into the marketplace to the authorities": This phrase defines the public and official nature of the accusation. It shows the immediate escalation from a private healing to a legal and public confrontation, positioning the apostles before the civil power, indicating that the gospel would not only challenge spiritual powers but also human systems of authority, often at great cost to its bearers.

Acts 16 19 Bonus section

• Polemics against contemporary beliefs: This event functions as a direct polemic against the pervasive belief in oracles and divination, particularly the Pythian or Delphic spirit, often associated with Apollo, a major pagan deity. Paul's simple command not only expels a demon but invalidates the source of such "spiritual" profit, exposing it as a lie and demonic influence, not divine truth. It undermines the credibility of pagan spiritualism in Roman Philippi.
• Social Status of the Slave Girl: Her position as a "slave girl" (paidiskē), possibly a young woman, accentuates her extreme vulnerability. Her owners capitalized on her affliction without regard for her well-being. Paul's act was not only an exorcism but an act of liberation from a triple bondage: spiritual, physical, and socio-economic.
• The Nature of the "Profit": The ergasia (profit) was specifically derived from manteia (divination, fortune-telling), a practice forbidden in the Law (Deut 18:10-12). This further condemns the owners' actions as not just greedy, but complicit in practices condemned by God.
• Roman Legal Context: In a Roman colony like Philippi, the authorities (strategoi) had significant power, and public disturbance (the basis of the coming charge in v. 20) was taken seriously to maintain Pax Romana. The owners aimed to leverage this rigid legal system to protect their financial interests, showing the worldly system’s potential for being corrupted by selfish motives to suppress the truth.

Acts 16 19 Commentary

Acts 16:19 encapsulates a common human response to the disruption of vested interests, especially when intertwined with economic loss. The healing of the demon-possessed girl, an act of divine compassion and liberation, was perceived by her owners not as a miracle but as an economic catastrophe. Their "hope of profit," directly derived from a young woman's exploitation through demonic affliction, underscores the moral bankruptcy often underpinning human systems that benefit from others' suffering. The swift and violent seizure of Paul and Silas, followed by their public dragging to the authorities in the agora, highlights the immediate, often brutal, persecution faced by early believers. This episode also vividly portrays the contrast between spiritual freedom and material bondage. The owners sought legal retribution, twisting a miraculous deliverance into a crime, revealing how worldly power and self-interest frequently conspire against the truth of the Gospel. It illustrates that spiritual battles often manifest in social, legal, and economic spheres, as light exposes the dark and profit-driven enterprises of man.