Acts 16:3 (YLT)

Passage

this one did Paul wish to go forth with him, and having taken <FI>him<Fi> , he circumcised him, because of the Jews who are in those places, for they all knew his father--that he was a Greek.

Nearby Context

Acts 16:1 And he came to Derbe and Lystra, and lo, a certain disciple was there, by name Timotheus son of a certain woman, a believing Jewess, but of a father, a Greek,

Acts 16:2 who was well testified to by the brethren in Lystra and Iconium;

Acts 16:3 this one did Paul wish to go forth with him, and having taken <FI>him<Fi> , he circumcised him, because of the Jews who are in those places, for they all knew his father--that he was a Greek.

Acts 16:4 And as they were going on through the cities, they were delivering to them the decrees to keep, that have been judged by the apostles and the elders who <FI>are<Fi> in Jerusalem,

Acts 16:5 then, indeed, were the assemblies established in the faith, and were abounding in number every day;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "paul", "wish", "forth", "having", "taken", "circumcised", "jews", and "places". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "paul" and "wish", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "who was well testified to by the..." into verse 4's "And as they were going on through...", so "paul" and "wish" 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 "wish" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.