And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard: but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him.
Parallel translations
- WEB When we entered into Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard, but Paul was allowed to stay by himself with the soldier who guarded him.
- BSB When we arrived in Rome, Paul was permitted to stay by himself, with a soldier to guard him.
- NKJV Now when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard; but Paul was permitted to dwell by himself with the soldier who guarded him.
- NASB When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.
- NLT When we arrived in Rome, Paul was permitted to have his own private lodging, though he was guarded by a soldier.
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
In Rome Paul is granted the lenient custody of house arrest with a single guard. Even his confinement serves the spread of the gospel.
Overview
Rather than prison, Paul is permitted to live by himself, chained to a soldier who guards him. This relative freedom allows the open ministry described in the chapter's close. God's providence arranges even Paul's imprisonment so that, as he writes elsewhere, his chains advance the gospel (Phil. 1:12-13).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- Acts 27:3And the next day we touched at Sidon. And Julius courteously entreated Paul, and gave him liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself.
- Acts 24:23And he commanded a centurion to keep Paul, and to let him have liberty, and that he should forbid none of his acquaintance to minister or come unto him.
- Acts 28:30–31And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him,
- Rom 1:7–15To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Rev 17:9And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
- Acts 27:31Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.
- Acts 18:2And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them.
- Acts 2:10Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
- Gen 39:21–23But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
- Acts 19:21After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome.
- Rom 15:22–29For which cause also I have been much hindered from coming to you.
- Acts 23:11And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.
- Gen 37:36And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, and captain of the guard.
- Acts 27:43But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land:
- Jer 40:2And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said unto him, The LORD thy God hath pronounced this evil upon this place.
- 2 Kgs 25:8And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem:
- Rev 17:18And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 28:16 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.