Acts 16:29 (ASV)

Passage

And he called for lights and sprang in, and, trembling for fear, fell down before Paul and Silas,

Nearby Context

Acts 16:27 And the jailor, being roused out of sleep and seeing the prison doors open, drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.

Acts 16:28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.

Acts 16:29 And he called for lights and sprang in, and, trembling for fear, fell down before Paul and Silas,

Acts 16:30 and brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "light", "lights", "sprang", "trembling", "fear", "fell", and "down". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "called" and "light", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 28's "But Paul cried with a loud voice..." into verse 30's "and brought them out and said Sirs...", so "called" and "light" 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 "called" and "light" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.