Acts 16:39 (DBY)

Passage

And they came and besought them, and having brought them out, asked them to go out of the city.

Nearby Context

Acts 16:37 But Paul said to them, Having beaten us publicly uncondemned, us who are Romans, they have cast us into prison, and now they thrust us out secretly? no, indeed, but let them come themselves and bring us out.

Acts 16:38 And the lictors reported these words to the praetors. And they were afraid when they heard they were Romans.

Acts 16:39 And they came and besought them, and having brought them out, asked them to go out of the city.

Acts 16:40 And having gone out of the prison, they came to Lydia; and having seen the brethren, they exhorted them and went away.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "came", "besought", "having", "brought", "asked", and "city". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "came" and "besought", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 38's "And the lictors reported these words to..." into verse 40's "And having gone out of the prison...", so "came" and "besought" 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 "came" and "besought" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.