Acts 16:21 (DBY)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Acts 16:22 And the crowd rose up too against them; and the praetors, having torn off their clothes, commanded to scourge [them].

Acts 16:23 And having laid many stripes upon them they cast [them] into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely;

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "and having brought them up to the..." into verse 22's "And the crowd rose up too against...", so "announce" 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 "announce" and "customs" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.