Acts 16:16 (WEB)

Passage

As we were going to prayer, a certain girl having a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much gain by fortune telling.

Nearby Context

Acts 16:14 A certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, one who worshiped God, heard us; whose heart the Lord opened to listen to the things which were spoken by Paul.

Acts 16:15 When she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and stay.” So she persuaded us.

Acts 16:16 As we were going to prayer, a certain girl having a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much gain by fortune telling.

Acts 16:17 Following Paul and us, she cried out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us a way of salvation!”

Acts 16:18 She was doing this for many days. But Paul, becoming greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” It came out that very hour.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "going", "prayer", "certain", "girl", "having", "divination", and "brought". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "going", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "When she and her household were baptized..." into verse 17's "Following Paul and us she cried out...", so "Spirit" and "going" 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 "going" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.