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So they went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia; and when they had seen the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.
Acts 16:40 · New King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB They went out of the prison, and entered into Lydia’s house. When they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them, and departed.
  • KJV And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed.
  • BSB After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house to see the brothers and encourage them. Then they left the city.
  • NASB They left the prison and entered the house of Lydia, and when they saw the brothers and sisters, they encouraged them and departed.
  • NLT When Paul and Silas left the prison, they returned to the home of Lydia. There they met with the believers and encouraged them once more. Then they left town.

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

They visited Lydia's house, encouraged the believers, and then departed.

Overview

Before leaving, Paul and Silas strengthened the new church meeting in Lydia's home. Their priority was the perseverance of the believers, not merely their own movements. The Philippian church born here would become one of Paul's most beloved, the recipient of his joyful letter from a later imprisonment.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 9

  • Acts 16:14A certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, one who worshiped God, heard us; whose heart the Lord opened to listen to the things which were spoken by Paul.
  • Acts 14:22confirming the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that through many afflictions we must enter into God’s Kingdom.
  • 1 Th 3:2–3and sent Timothy, our brother and God’s servant in the Good News of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith;
  • 2 Cor 4:16–18Therefore we don’t faint, but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day.
  • 2 Cor 1:3–7Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort;
  • 2 Cor 4:8–12We are pressed on every side, yet not crushed; perplexed, yet not to despair;
  • Acts 12:12–17Thinking about that, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.
  • Acts 4:23Being let go, they came to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.
  • Acts 16:2The brothers who were at Lystra and Iconium gave a good testimony about him.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (6)

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 16:40YouTube · 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 16:40 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.