Acts 16:28 (WEB)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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!”

Acts 16:29 He called for lights, sprang in, fell down trembling before Paul and Silas,

Acts 16:30 brought them out, and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "paul", "cried", "loud", "voice", "saying", "harm", "yourself", and "here". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "paul" and "cried", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 27's "The jailer being roused out of sleep..." into verse 29's "He called for lights sprang in fell...", so "paul" and "cried" 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 "paul" and "cried" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.