Acts 16:38
38 And the serjeants told these words unto the magistrates: and they feared, when they heard that they were Romans.
Other Translations of Acts 16:38
New International Version
38 The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed.
English Standard Version
38 The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens.
The Message
38 When the officers reported this, the judges panicked. They had no idea that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens.
New King James Version
38 And the officers told these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans.
New Living Translation
38 When the police reported this, the city officials were alarmed to learn that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens.
The King James Version is in the public domain.
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.