| Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary 16:16-24 Satan, though the father of lies, will declare the most important truths, when he can thereby serve his purposes. But much mischief is done to the real servants of Christ, by unholy and false preachers of the gospel, who are confounded with them by careless observers. Those who do good by drawing men from sin, may expect to be reviled as troublers of the city. While they teach men to fear God, to believe in Christ, to forsake sin, and to live godly lives, they will be accused of teaching bad customs.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd it came to pass as we went to prayer,.... That is, to the house of prayer, or to the oratory, as they were in the way to it; for this is not to be understood of their just going to the act, or duty of prayer; for the damsel that now met them, is said to follow them, and to do so for many days, one after another; and it was by their going to the prayer house, that she knew what they were; and besides, the phrase of "going to prayer", as used by us, for the act or duty of prayer, is a mere Anglicism, and unknown to the eastern writers: now this their going to the oratory, was after they had been at Lydia's house, and had been entertained and refreshed there; whether this was on the same day that she was converted and baptized, is not certain: however, so it was, that continued...
Vincent's Word StudiesDamsel See on Acts 12:13. Spirit of divination (πνεῦμα Πύθωνα) continued...
Barnes' Notes on the BibleAs we went to prayer - Greek: as we were going to the proseuche, 'the place of prayer, Acts 16:13. Whether this was on the same day in which the conversion of Lydia occurred, or at another time, is not mentioned by the historian. continued...
Clarke's Commentary on the BibleAs we went to prayer - Εις προσευχην, Into the proseucha: see on Acts 16:13 (note), and on Luke 6:12 (note). The article, την, is added here by ABCE, several others, Origen and Theophylact: thus makes the place more emphatic, and seems to determine the above meaning of προσευχην to be right - not the act of prayer or praying to God, but the place, the oratory, in which these proselytes assembled for the purpose of praying, reading the law and the prophets, and such like exercises of devotion. It appears that the apostles spent dome time here; as it is evident, from this and the following verses, that they often resorted to this place to preach the Gospel. continued...
Geneva Study Bible{10} And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of {f} divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: (10) Satan transforms himself into an angel of light, and covets to enter by undermining, but Paul openly stops him, and casts him out. (f) This is a sure sign of the god Apollo, who would give answers to those that asked him.
People's New Testament 16:16 As we went to prayer. To the place of prayer. A certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination. Literally, The spirit of a Pythoness. This meant, among the Greeks, a prophetic spirit, Pythias being one of the names of Apollo, the god of prophecy. The account shows (1) that the damsel was possessed, (2) that her strange power gave her value in that it was superhuman, (3) that she was a slave, owned by several masters, and brought them much gain by soothsaying. Luke does not say that she foretold the future, but the people thought she did. She was a demoniac. See PNT Mt 8:29.
King James Translators' Notesof divination: or, of Python
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary16-18. as we went to prayer-The words imply that it was on their way to the usual place of public prayer, by the river-side, that this took place; therefore not on the same day with what had just occurred. a … damsel-a female servant, and in this case a slave (Ac 16:19). Continued...
Acts 16:16 Parallel Commentaries
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