Acts 16:19 (ASV)

Passage

But when her masters saw that the hope of their gain was gone, they laid hold on Paul and Silas, and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers,

Nearby Context

Acts 16:17 The same following after Paul and us cried out, saying, These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim unto you the way of salvation.

Acts 16:18 And this she did for many days. But Paul, being sore troubled, turned and said to the spirit, I charge thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And it came out that very hour.

Acts 16:19 But when her masters saw that the hope of their gain was gone, they laid hold on Paul and Silas, and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers,

Acts 16:20 and when they had brought them unto the magistrates, they said, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,

Acts 16:21 and set forth customs which it is not lawful for us to receive, or to observe, being Romans.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "masters", "hope", "gain", "gone", "laid", "hold", "paul", and "silas". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "masters" and "hope", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "And this she did for many days..." into verse 20's "and when they had brought them unto...", so "masters" and "hope" belong inside that flow. In Acts context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "masters" and "hope" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.