Acts 16:7 (LSB)

Passage

and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them;

Nearby Context

Acts 16:5 So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were abounding in number daily.

Acts 16:6 And they passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia;

Acts 16:7 and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them;

Acts 16:8 and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas.

Acts 16:9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "And they passed through the Phrygian and..." into verse 8's "and passing by Mysia they came down...", so "Spirit" and "after" 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 "after" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.