Acts 16:11 (WEB)

Passage

Setting sail therefore from Troas, we made a straight course to Samothrace, and the day following to Neapolis;

Nearby Context

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

Acts 16:10 When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go out to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the Good News to them.

Acts 16:11 Setting sail therefore from Troas, we made a straight course to Samothrace, and the day following to Neapolis;

Acts 16:12 and from there to Philippi, which is a city of Macedonia, the foremost of the district, a Roman colony. We were staying some days in this city.

Acts 16:13 On the Sabbath day we went outside of the city by a riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down, and spoke to the women who had come together.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "setting", "sail", "therefore", "troas", "straight", "course", "samothrace", and "following". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "setting" and "sail", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "When he had seen the vision immediately..." into verse 12's "and from there to Philippi which is...", so "setting" and "sail" 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 "setting" and "sail" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.