38 The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed.
38 And the serjeants told these words unto the magistrates: and they feared, when they heard that they were Romans.
38 The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens.
38 When the officers reported this, the judges panicked. They had no idea that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens.
38 And the officers told these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans.
38 When the police reported this, the city officials were alarmed to learn that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Acts 16:38
Commentary on Acts 16:35-40
(Read Acts 16:35-40)
Paul, though willing to suffer for the cause of Christ, and without any desire to avenge himself, did not choose to depart under the charge of having deserved wrongful punishment, and therefore required to be dismissed in an honourable manner. It was not a mere point of honour that the apostle stood upon, but justice, and not to himself so much as to his cause. And when proper apology is made, Christians should never express personal anger, nor insist too strictly upon personal amends. The Lord will make them more than conquerors in every conflict; instead of being cast down by their sufferings, they will become comforters of their brethren.