Acts 16:27 (DRB)

Passage

And the keeper of the prison, awakening out of his sleep and seeing the doors of the prison open, drawing his sword, would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

Nearby Context

Acts 16:25 And at midnight, Paul and Silas, praying, praised God. And they that were in prison heard them.

Acts 16:26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened and the bands of all were loosed.

Acts 16:27 And the keeper of the prison, awakening out of his sleep and seeing the doors of the prison open, drawing his sword, would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

Acts 16:28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying: Do thyself no harm, for we all are here.

Acts 16:29 Then calling for a light, he went in: and trembling, fell down at the feet of Paul and Silas.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "keeper", "prison", "awakening", "sleep", "seeing", "doors", and "open". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "keeper" and "prison", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 26's "And suddenly there was a great earthquake..." into verse 28's "But Paul cried with a loud voice...", so "keeper" and "prison" 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 "keeper" and "prison" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.