Acts 16:21 (YLT)

Passage

and they proclaim customs that are not lawful for us to receive nor to do, being Romans.'

Nearby Context

Acts 16:19 And her masters having seen that the hope of their employment was gone, having caught Paul and Silas, drew <FI>them<Fi> to the market-place, unto the rulers,

Acts 16:20 and having brought them to the magistrates, they said, `These men do exceedingly trouble our city, being Jews;

Acts 16:21 and they proclaim customs that are not lawful for us to receive nor to do, being Romans.'

Acts 16:22 And the multitude rose up together against them, and the magistrates having torn their garments from them, were commanding to beat <FI>them<Fi> with rods,

Acts 16:23 many blows also having laid upon them, they cast them to prison, having given charge to the jailor to keep them safely,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "proclaim", "customs", "lawful", "receive", and "romans". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "proclaim" and "customs", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "and having brought them to the magistrates..." into verse 22's "And the multitude rose up together against...", so "proclaim" and "customs" 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 "proclaim" and "customs" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.