Acts 16:3 (DRB)

Passage

Him Paul would have to go along with him: and taking him, he circumcised him, because of the Jews who were in those places. For they all knew that his father was a Gentile.

Nearby Context

Acts 16:1 And he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, there was a certain disciple there named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman that believed: but his father was a Gentile.

Acts 16:2 To this man the brethren that were in Lystra and Iconium gave a good testimony.

Acts 16:3 Him Paul would have to go along with him: and taking him, he circumcised him, because of the Jews who were in those places. For they all knew that his father was a Gentile.

Acts 16:4 And as they passed through the cities, they delivered unto them the decrees for to keep, that were decreed by the apostles and ancients who were at Jerusalem.

Acts 16:5 And the churches were confirmed in faith and increased in number daily.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "paul", "along", "taking", "circumcised", "jews", "places", "knew", and "father". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "paul" and "along", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "To this man the brethren that were..." into verse 4's "And as they passed through the cities...", so "paul" and "along" 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 "paul" and "along" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.