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And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.
Acts 16:34 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB He brought them up into his house, and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, with all his household, having believed in God.
  • BSB Then he brought them into his home and set a meal before them. So he and all his household rejoiced that they had come to believe in God.
  • NKJV Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.
  • NASB And he brought them into his house and set food before them, and was overjoyed, since he had become a believer in God together with his whole household.
  • NLT He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

He brought them into his home, fed them, and rejoiced with his whole household for believing in God.

Overview

Joy and hospitality crown his conversion, fruits that consistently mark genuine faith in Acts. A night that began in violence ends around a shared table in gladness. This is the gospel's transforming power: a hardened jailer becomes a joyful brother, his house turned from a prison-keeper's lodging into a place of fellowship.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 24

  • Rom 15:13Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
  • Acts 2:46And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
  • Isa 61:10I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
  • Isa 55:12For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
  • Phlm 1:7For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother.
  • Rom 5:11And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
  • Acts 8:39And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
  • Isa 58:7–11Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
  • Isa 12:1–3And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.
  • Luke 15:32It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
  • Acts 11:14Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.
  • Rom 5:2By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
  • 1 Pet 1:6–8Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
  • 1 Jn 3:18My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
  • Isa 57:17–18For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart.
  • Gal 5:22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
  • Luke 5:29And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.
  • Luke 15:22–25But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
  • 1 Th 4:9–10But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
  • Jas 2:14–17What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
  • Phil 4:4Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
  • Acts 16:27–29And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
  • Luke 19:6And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
  • Phil 4:17Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (10)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Acts videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Acts 16:34YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on ActsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.

How Acts 16:34 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.