Acts 16:26 (WEB)

Passage

Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were loosened.

Nearby Context

Acts 16:24 who, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison, and secured their feet in the stocks.

Acts 16:25 But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

Acts 16:26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were loosened.

Acts 16:27 The jailer, being roused out of sleep and seeing the prison doors open, drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.

Acts 16:28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, “Don’t harm yourself, for we are all here!”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "suddenly", "great", "earthquake", "foundations", "prison", "shaken", "immediately", and "doors". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "suddenly" and "great", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 25's "But about midnight Paul and Silas were..." into verse 27's "The jailer being roused out of sleep...", so "suddenly" and "great" 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 "suddenly" and "great" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.