Acts 16:4 (DBY)

Passage

And as they passed through the cities they instructed them to observe the decrees determined on by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem.

Nearby Context

Acts 16:2 who had a [good] testimony of the brethren in Lystra and Iconium.

Acts 16:3 Him would Paul have go forth with him, and took [him and] circumcised him on account of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew his father that he was a Greek.

Acts 16:4 And as they passed through the cities they instructed them to observe the decrees determined on by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem.

Acts 16:5 The assemblies therefore were confirmed in the faith, and increased in number every day.

Acts 16:6 And having passed through Phrygia and the Galatian country, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "passed", "through", "cities", "instructed", "observe", "decrees", "determined", and "apostles". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "passed" and "through", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Him would Paul have go forth with..." into verse 5's "The assemblies therefore were confirmed in the...", so "passed" and "through" 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 "passed" and "through" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.