The Meaning of Acts 16:39 Explained

Acts 16:39

KJV: And they came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city.

YLT: and having come, they besought them, and having brought them forth, they were asking them to go forth from the city;

Darby: And they came and besought them, and having brought them out, asked them to go out of the city.

ASV: and they came and besought them; and when they had brought them out, they asked them to go away from the city.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  they came  and besought  them,  and  brought [them] out,  and desired  [them] to depart out  of the city. 

What does Acts 16:39 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 16:39

They feared [εποβητησαν]
This is the explanation. They became frightened for their own lives when they saw what they had done to Roman citizens. [source]
They asked [ηρωτων]
Imperfect active of ερωταω — erōtaō They kept on begging them to leave for fear of further trouble. The colonists in Philippi would turn against the praetors if they learned the facts, proud as they were of being citizens. This verb in the Koiné is often used as here to make a request and not just to ask a question. [source]

What do the individual words in Acts 16:39 mean?

And having come they appealed to them having brought [them] out they were asking [them] to go out of the city
καὶ ἐλθόντες παρεκάλεσαν αὐτούς ἐξαγαγόντες ἠρώτων ἀπελθεῖν ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως

ἐλθόντες  having  come 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: ἔρχομαι  
Sense: to come.
παρεκάλεσαν  they  appealed  to 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: παρακαλέω  
Sense: to call to one’s side, call for, summon.
ἐξαγαγόντες  having  brought  [them]  out 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: ἐξάγω  
Sense: to lead out.
ἠρώτων  they  were  asking  [them] 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: ἐρωτάω  
Sense: to question.
ἀπελθεῖν  to  go  out 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Infinitive Active
Root: ἀπέρχομαι  
Sense: to go away, depart.
πόλεως  city 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: πόλις  
Sense: a city.