The Meaning of Acts 16:27 Explained

Acts 16:27

KJV: And 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.

YLT: and the jailor having come out of sleep, and having seen the doors of the prison open, having drawn a sword, was about to kill himself, supposing the prisoners to be fled,

Darby: And the jailor being awakened out of his sleep, and seeing the doors of the prison opened, having drawn a sword was going to kill himself, thinking the prisoners had fled.

ASV: And the jailor, being roused out of sleep and seeing the prison doors open, drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  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. 

What does Acts 16:27 Mean?

Context Summary

Acts 16:25-40 - Salvation In The Jail
Some, as we have seen, are converted by the gentle opening of the heart; others amid the convulsions of the storm. The first knowledge of salvation may have reached the heart of the jailer through the saving of the possessed girl, Acts 16:17. If only the heart is right with Christ, it can sing in the darkest night; and the impression of those holy songs must have wrought still further upon the conscience of this rough Roman official, who had treated his prisoners with uncommon severity, Acts 16:24. The inner prison! Perhaps some of our readers have been in it! They have come to an end of themselves and their feet are fastened!
But God has His own way of deliverance and never forsakes His own. Art thou in the stocks today? Then pray and sing praises! Choose, for instance, Psalms 103:1-22. God will be thy very present help. Thou shalt win thy jailer, and become a monument of God's saving mercy. There is no course for the convicted sinner but to trust in the salvation wrought upon the Cross; or still better, in Him who wrought it.
Paul was perfectly justified in insisting upon his civil rights when he had the opportunity, Acts 16:37. It made the way easier for his new converts. [source]

Chapter Summary: Acts 16

1  Paul and Silas are Joined by Timothy,
7  and being called by the Spirit from one country to another,
14  convert Lydia,
16  and cast out a spirit of divination;
19  for which cause they are whipped and imprisoned
25  The prison doors are opened
31  The jailor is converted,
35  and they are delivered

Greek Commentary for Acts 16:27

Being roused out of sleep [εχυπνος γενομενος]
Becoming εχυπνος — exupnos (rare word, only here in N.T., in lxx and Josephus). An earthquake like that would wake up any one. [source]
Open [ανεωιγμενος]
Perfect passive participle with double reduplication in predicate position, standing open. Drew his sword (σπασαμενος την μαχαιραν — spasamenos tēn machairan). First aorist middle participle of σπαω — spaō to draw, as in Mark 14:47, drawing his own sword himself. Our word spasm from this old word. Was about Imperfect active of μελλω — mellō with both syllabic and temporal augment and followed here by present infinitive. He was on the point of committing suicide as Brutus had done near here. Stoicism had made suicide popular as the escape from trouble like the Japanese harikari. Had escaped (εκπεπευγεναι — ekpepheugenai). Second perfect active infinitive of εκπευγω — ekpheugō old verb with perfective force of εκ — ek to flee out, to get clean away. This infinitive and accusative of general reference is due to indirect discourse after νομιζων — nomizōn Probably the prisoners were so panic stricken by the earthquake that they did not rally to the possibility of escape before the jailor awoke. He was responsible for the prisoners with his life (Acts 12:19; Acts 27:42). [source]
Drew his sword [σπασαμενος την μαχαιραν]
First aorist middle participle of σπαω — spaō to draw, as in Mark 14:47, drawing his own sword himself. Our word spasm from this old word. [source]
Was about [ημελλεν]
Imperfect active of μελλω — mellō with both syllabic and temporal augment and followed here by present infinitive. He was on the point of committing suicide as Brutus had done near here. Stoicism had made suicide popular as the escape from trouble like the Japanese harikari. Had escaped (εκπεπευγεναι — ekpepheugenai). Second perfect active infinitive of εκπευγω — ekpheugō old verb with perfective force of εκ — ek to flee out, to get clean away. This infinitive and accusative of general reference is due to indirect discourse after νομιζων — nomizōn Probably the prisoners were so panic stricken by the earthquake that they did not rally to the possibility of escape before the jailor awoke. He was responsible for the prisoners with his life (Acts 12:19; Acts 27:42). [source]
Had escaped [εκπεπευγεναι]
Second perfect active infinitive of εκπευγω — ekpheugō old verb with perfective force of εκ — ek to flee out, to get clean away. This infinitive and accusative of general reference is due to indirect discourse after νομιζων — nomizōn Probably the prisoners were so panic stricken by the earthquake that they did not rally to the possibility of escape before the jailor awoke. He was responsible for the prisoners with his life (Acts 12:19; Acts 27:42). [source]
Would have killed [ἔμελλεν ἀναιρεῖν]
Rev., more correctly, was about to kill. Knowing that he must suffer death for the escape of his prisoners. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Acts 16:27

Acts 11:28 Should be [μελλειν εσεσται]
Μελλω — Mellō occurs either with the present infinitive (Acts 16:27), the aorist infinitive (Acts 12:6), or the future as here and Acts 24:15; Acts 27:10. Over all the world (επ ολην την οικουμενην — eph' holēn tēn oikoumenēn). Over all the inhabited earth (γην — gēn understood). Probably a common hyperbole for the Roman empire as in Luke 2:1. Josephus (Ant. VIII. 13, 4) appears to restrict it to Palestine. In the days of Claudius He was Roman Emperor a.d. 41-44. The Roman writers (Suetonius, Dio Cassius, Tacitus) all tell of dearths (assiduae sterilitates) during the brief reign of Claudius who was preceded by Caligula and followed by Nero. [source]
Acts 16:23 Many stripes [πολλας πληγας]
The Jewish law was forty stripes save one (2 Corinthians 11:24). The Roman custom depended on the caprice of the judge and was a terrible ordeal. It was the custom to inflict the stripes on the naked body (back) as Livy 2.5 says: “Missique lictores ad sumendum supplicium, nudatos virgis caedunt.” On πληγας — plēgas (from πλησσω — plēssō to strike a blow) See note on Luke 10:30; and notes on Luke 12:47. The jailor (τωι δεσμοπυλακι — tōi desmophulaki). Late word (δεσμοσ πυλαχ — desmosαρχιδεσμοπυλαχ — phulax keeper of bonds), in the N.T. only here (Acts 16:23, Acts 16:27, Acts 16:36). The lxx has the word ασπαλως τηρειν — archidesmophulax (Genesis 39:21-23). Chrysostom calls this jailor Stephanus, he was of Achaia (1 Corinthians 16:15). To keep safely Present active infinitive, to keep on keeping safely, perhaps “as dangerous political prisoners” (Rackham). He had some rank and was not a mere turnkey. [source]

What do the individual words in Acts 16:27 mean?

Awoken then having been the jailer and having seen open the doors of the prison having drawn his sword he was about himself to kill supposing to have escaped the prisoners
Ἔξυπνος δὲ γενόμενος δεσμοφύλαξ καὶ ἰδὼν ἀνεῳγμένας τὰς θύρας τῆς φυλακῆς σπασάμενος τὴν μάχαιραν ἤμελλεν ἑαυτὸν ἀναιρεῖν νομίζων ἐκπεφευγέναι τοὺς δεσμίους

Ἔξυπνος  Awoken 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἔξυπνος  
Sense: roused out of a sleep.
γενόμενος  having  been 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Middle, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: γίνομαι  
Sense: to become, i.
δεσμοφύλαξ  jailer 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: δεσμοφύλαξ  
Sense: a keeper of a prison, a jailor.
ἰδὼν  having  seen 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: εἶδον 
Sense: to see with the eyes.
ἀνεῳγμένας  open 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Participle Middle or Passive, Accusative Feminine Plural
Root: ἀνοίγω 
Sense: to open.
θύρας  doors 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Plural
Root: θύρα  
Sense: a door.
τῆς  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
φυλακῆς  prison 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: φυλακή  
Sense: guard, watch.
σπασάμενος  having  drawn 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Middle, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: σπάω  
Sense: to draw.
τὴν  his 
Parse: Article, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
μάχαιραν  sword 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: μάχαιρα  
Sense: a large knife, used for killing animals and cutting up flesh.
ἤμελλεν  he  was  about 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: μέλλω  
Sense: to be about.
ἑαυτὸν  himself 
Parse: Reflexive Pronoun, Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἑαυτοῦ  
Sense: himself, herself, itself, themselves.
ἀναιρεῖν  to  kill 
Parse: Verb, Present Infinitive Active
Root: ἀναιρέω  
Sense: to take up, to lift up (from the ground).
νομίζων  supposing 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: νομίζω  
Sense: to hold by custom or usage, own as a custom or usage, to follow a custom or usage.
ἐκπεφευγέναι  to  have  escaped 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Infinitive Active
Root: ἐκφεύγω  
Sense: to flee out of, flee away.
δεσμίους  prisoners 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: δέσμιος  
Sense: bound, in bonds, a captive, a prisoner.