Acts 16:38 (GNV)

Passage

And the sergeants tolde these woordes vnto the gouernours, who feared whe they heard that they were Romanes.

Nearby Context

Acts 16:36 Then the keeper of the prison tolde these woordes vnto Paul, saying, The gouerness haue sent to loose you: nowe therefore get you hence, and goe in peace.

Acts 16:37 Then sayde Paul vnto them, After that they haue beaten vs openly vncodemned, which are Romanes, they haue cast vs into prison, and nowe would they put vs out priuily? nay verely: but let them come and bring vs out.

Acts 16:38 And the sergeants tolde these woordes vnto the gouernours, who feared whe they heard that they were Romanes.

Acts 16:39 Then came they and praied them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the citie.

Acts 16:40 And they went out of the prison, and entred into the house of Lydia: and when they had seene the brethren, they comforted them, and departed.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sergeants", "tolde", "woordes", "vnto", "gouernours", "feared", "heard", and "romanes". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sergeants" and "tolde", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 37's "Then sayde Paul vnto them After that..." into verse 39's "Then came they and praied them and...", so "sergeants" and "tolde" 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 "sergeants" and "tolde" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.