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Acts 16:16

And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:

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The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation.

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And this did she ° many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.

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And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers,

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And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,

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And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.

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And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.

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And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:

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Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.

Acts 16:16

16:16 spirit of divination. The “spirit of divination” was actually a “pythonic spirit,” so named because of the legendary serpent slain by Apollo, who supposedly was the god of prophecy.

Acts 16:17

16:17 the most high God. The continual harangue by the girl, referring to “the most high God,” designed to produce ridicule and resentment against Paul, showed that her “spirit of divination” was actually a demonic spirit. Compare the experience of Jesus, whom they recognized as God, with such evil spirits (e.g., Matthew 8:31-32; Mark 1:24).

Acts 16:20

16:20 being Jews. The obvious prejudice against Jews displayed here by the citizenry and officials against Jews perhaps accounts for the minimal Jewish population in such a large city as Philippi.

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