Acts 16:21 (DRB)

Passage

And preach a fashion which it is not lawful for us to receive nor observe, being Romans.

Nearby Context

Acts 16:19 But her masters, seeing that the hope of their gain was gone, apprehending Paul and Silas, brought them into the market place to the rulers.

Acts 16:20 And presenting them to the magistrates, they said: These men disturb our city, being Jews:

Acts 16:21 And preach a fashion which it is not lawful for us to receive nor observe, being Romans.

Acts 16:22 And the people ran together against them: and the magistrates, rending off their clothes, commanded them to be beaten with rods.

Acts 16:23 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the gaoler to keep them diligently.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "And presenting them to the magistrates they..." into verse 22's "And the people ran together against them...", so "preach" and "fashion" 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 "preach" and "fashion" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.