Acts 16:21 (ASV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Acts 16:22 And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent their garments off them, and commanded to beat them with rods.

Acts 16:23 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "forth", "customs", "lawful", "receive", "observe", and "romans". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "forth" and "customs", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "and when they had brought them unto..." into verse 22's "And the multitude rose up together against...", so "forth" and "customs" 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 "forth" and "customs" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.