Acts 16:7 (DRB)

Passage

And when they were come into Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia: and the Spirit of Jesus suffered them not.

Nearby Context

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

Acts 16:6 And when they had passed through Phrygia and the country of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia.

Acts 16:7 And when they were come into Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia: and the Spirit of Jesus suffered them not.

Acts 16:8 And when they had passed through Mysia, they went down to Troas.

Acts 16:9 And a vision was shewed to Paul in the night, which was a man of Macedonia standing and beseeching him and saying: Pass over into Macedonia and help us.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "come", "mysia", "attempted", "bithynia", "jesus", and "suffered". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "come", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "And when they had passed through Phrygia..." into verse 8's "And when they had passed through Mysia...", so "Spirit" and "come" 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 "Spirit" and "come" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.