Acts 16:19 (DBY)

Passage

And her masters, seeing that the hope of their gains was gone, having seized Paul and Silas, dragged [them] into the market before the magistrates;

Nearby Context

Acts 16:17 She, having followed Paul and us, cried saying, These men are bondmen of the Most High God, who announce to you [the] way of salvation.

Acts 16:18 And this she did many days. And Paul, being distressed, turned, and said to the spirit, I enjoin thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And it came out the same hour.

Acts 16:19 And her masters, seeing that the hope of their gains was gone, having seized Paul and Silas, dragged [them] into the market before the magistrates;

Acts 16:20 and having brought them up to the praetors, said, These men utterly trouble our city, being Jews,

Acts 16:21 and announce customs which it is not lawful for us to receive nor practise, being Romans.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "masters", "seeing", "hope", "gains", "gone", "having", "seized", and "paul". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "masters" and "seeing", 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 many days And..." into verse 20's "and having brought them up to the...", so "masters" and "seeing" 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 "seeing" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.