Acts 16:12 (DRB)

Passage

And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were in this city some days conferring together.

Nearby Context

Acts 16:10 And as soon as he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia: being assured that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Acts 16:11 And sailing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the day following to Neapolis.

Acts 16:12 And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were in this city some days conferring together.

Acts 16:13 And upon the Sabbath day, we went forth without the gate by a river side, where it seemed that there was prayer: and sitting down, we spoke to the women that were assembled.

Acts 16:14 And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, one that worshipped God, did hear: whose heart the Lord opened to attend to those things which were said by Paul.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thence", "philippi", "chief", "city", "part", "macedonia", and "colony". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thence" and "philippi", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "And sailing from Troas we came with..." into verse 13's "And upon the Sabbath day we went...", so "thence" and "philippi" 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 "thence" and "philippi" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.