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Lydia’s Conversion in Philippi
12From there we went to the Roman colony of Philippi, the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.13On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river, where it was customary to find a place of prayer. After sitting down, we spoke to the women who had gathered there.
Sermons
Michael L. Brown
Art KatzArt Katz
John Bunyan
Tom GarnerSummary
Commentary
- Adam Clarke
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
By a river side, where prayer was wont to be made - Οὑ ενομιζετο προσευχη ειναι, where it was said there was a proseucha. The proseucha was a place of prayer, or a place used for worship, where there was no synagogue. It was a large building uncovered, with seats, as in an amphitheatre. Buildings of this sort the Jews had by the sea side, and by the sides of rivers. See this subject considered at large in the note on Luk 6:12 (note). It appears that the apostles had heard from some of the Gentiles, or from some of the Jews themselves, that there was a place of prayer by the river side; and they went out in quest of it, knowing that, as it was the Sabbath, they should find some Jews there. Spake unto the women - Probably this was before the time of their public worship, and while they were waiting for the assembling of the people in general; and Paul improved the opportunity to speak concerning Christ and salvation to the women that resorted thither.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
on the sabbath day--the first after their arrival, as the words imply. we went out of the city--rather, as the true reading is, "outside of the (city) gate." by a river-side--one of the small streams which gave name to the place ere the city was founded by Philip of Macedon. where prayer was wont to be made--or a prayer-meeting held. It is plain there was no synagogue at Philippi (contrast Act 17:1), the number of the Jews being small. The meeting appears to have consisted wholly of women, and these not all Jewish. The neighborhood of streams was preferred, on account of the ceremonial washings used on such occasions. we sat down and spake unto the women, &c.--a humble congregation, and simple manner of preaching. But here and thus were gathered the first-fruits of Europe unto Christ, and they were of the female sex, of whose accession and services honorable mention will again and again be made.
John Gill Bible Commentary
And on the sabbath,.... That is, as the Syriac version renders it, "on the sabbath day"; the Jewish sabbath, the seventh day of the week; though the words may be rendered, "on a certain day of the week" agreeably to Act 20:7 where the first of the sabbath means the first day of the week; but be this as it will, on this day, we went out of the city by a river side; perhaps the river Strymon, which was near; the Alexandrian copy and some others, and the Vulgate Latin version read, without the gate; and the Syriac version, "without the gates of the city"; all to the same sense: it looks as if there was no synagogue of the Jews in this place, or otherwise the apostle and his companions would have gone into that, according to their custom; and this the rather seems to be the case, since it is so particularly remarked, that at Thessalonica, the next place they stayed at there was one, Act 17:1 and the reason might be, because that Philippi being a Roman colony, the Jews were not suffered to have one in it; wherefore Paul and his company, whether on the Jewish sabbath, or on any other day of the week, took a walk out of the city; either for the sake of a walk, or rather to converse together, and consider what was to be done, or to look out for an opportunity to preach the Gospel; and they came to a place, where prayer was wont to be made; or as the words may be rendered, "where was thought to be a place of prayer"; a "proseucha", an oratory, or a place built and made use of for prayer; that is, as they walked along, they saw a place, which in their opinion looked like a religious house, or a place for prayer, and so made up to it, where they found some persons assembled together on that account: this sense is confirmed by several versions; the Vulgate Latin version reads, "where there seemed to be prayer", and so reads Beza's most ancient copy; and the Syriac version is very express, "for there was seen" , "an house of prayer"; to which agrees the Arabic version, "we went out to a certain place, which was thought to be a place of prayer"; to which may be added the Ethiopic version, "and we thought there was prayer there"; and that the Jews had their oratories, or prayer houses, is certain; See Gill on Luk 6:12 and that these were without the cities, and in the fields, appears from a passage of Epiphanius (f), who says, "there were anciently places of prayer, both among the Jews, "without the city", and among the Samaritans, there was a place of prayer at Sichem, which is now called Neapolis, "without the city", in the field, about two stones distance, in form of a theatre, open to the air, and without covering, built by the Samaritans, who in all things imitated the Jews:'' and if these were commonly built by fountains and rivers, and as some think, in imitation of Isaac, who went out into the field, "to meditate"; which the Chaldee paraphrase renders, "to pray"; and is also in the same place said to come, as the Jerusalem paraphrase renders it, "to a well", or "fountain", Gen 24:62 then this clause may be rendered, "where it was usual for a prayer house to be": and then the sense is, there being no synagogue in the city, the apostle and those with him went out of it, to the river side, to look out for a prayer house; where such places were wont to be built, and they accordingly found one: and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither; who seem to have been Jewish women, who met here to attend public prayer, there being no religious worship of the true God in the city; and among these worshippers of God was Lydia, hereafter mentioned; and worship not being begun, the apostle and his companions sat down among them, and entered into some religious conversation with them, and took the opportunity of preaching the Gospel, which was what they wanted, and were seeking after. (f) Contr. Haeres. Tom. 2. l. 3. Haeres. 80.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
16:13-36 Luke gives his readers cameos of three lives touched by the Good News in Philippi: a wealthy woman (16:14-15), an exploited slave girl (16:16-21), and a middle-class officer (16:23-36). 16:13 The Jewish community at Philippi was too small to have a synagogue, which required ten adult males. Instead, Jews met for prayer in an open space by the Gangites (now called Angista) River that afforded privacy, quiet, and water for Jewish purification rites.
Lydia’s Conversion in Philippi
12From there we went to the Roman colony of Philippi, the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.13On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river, where it was customary to find a place of prayer. After sitting down, we spoke to the women who had gathered there.
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- Commentary
A Call to Prayer
By Michael L. Brown2.4K52:24PrayerPSA 109:1ACT 6:4ACT 12:12ACT 13:3ACT 14:23ACT 16:13ACT 16:25In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of prayer in experiencing God's blessings and seeing Him move in our lives. He shares stories of persecuted workers who rely on prayer and witness miraculous healings. The speaker encourages the congregation to prioritize prayer and deepen their individual and congregational prayer lives. He acknowledges that time constraints may make it challenging to spend long hours in prayer, but emphasizes that the same attitude of devotion can still yield powerful results. The speaker references Acts 6:4, which highlights the importance of prayer and the ministry of the word.
The Spirit of the Lord 1 of 2
By Art Katz2.3K51:15Spirit Of The LordMAT 6:33ACT 16:5ACT 16:13ACT 16:16In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of obeying the Spirit of God. He refers to a vision that was seen and the certainty that God had called them. The speaker highlights the significance of the ministry of a couple of men under the anointing of the Spirit of God, even though it may not have seemed spectacular or outstanding. He also mentions the difficulty of proclaiming the message of God and the resistance that may be faced. The sermon concludes with the speaker expressing the desire for clear guidance from God before speaking and the anticipation of hearing from Him.
K-475 Last Days Tumult
By Art Katz1.2K53:15Last DaysMRK 13:19ACT 16:6ACT 16:9ACT 16:13ACT 16:16ACT 16:25In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of maintaining joy and praising God even in the midst of adversity. He uses the example of Paul and Silas in the book of Acts, who were imprisoned and beaten but still prayed and sang praises to God. The speaker encourages the audience to let their joy be evident to others, especially in times of suffering, as it can have a powerful impact on those around them. He also highlights the significance of the baptism of the Holy Spirit in enabling believers to maintain joy and praise in difficult circumstances.
A Case of Conscience Resolved
By John Bunyan2Unity in the ChurchRole of Women in WorshipEXO 15:20EST 4:16ZEC 12:10MAT 18:20ACT 16:131CO 14:34GAL 3:281TI 2:12JAS 5:141PE 3:7John Bunyan addresses the contentious issue of whether women in a church should separate from men to conduct their own prayer meetings. He argues against this practice, emphasizing the importance of scriptural authority and the traditional roles of men and women in worship. Bunyan acknowledges the piety and devotion of women but insists that their participation in worship should be in conjunction with men, not apart from them. He critiques the arguments made for women's separate meetings, asserting that they lack biblical support and could lead to confusion and disorder in the church. Ultimately, Bunyan calls for unity and adherence to the teachings of Scripture regarding worship.
We Can Take joy...
By Tom Garner0ACT 16:13Tom Garner preaches on the key verse in Philippians, highlighting Paul's circumstances of imprisonment and suffering, yet expressing confidence, joy, and amazement in God's grace. Paul emphasizes that the good work in believers is initiated by God, not by man's efforts, and that God will continue to perfect this work until the day of Christ Jesus. The sermon delves into the nature of the work, focusing on the rebirth and regeneration done by God within believers, leading to a new creation and a desire for holiness. The purpose of the work is to prepare believers for the day of Christ Jesus, where they will be set free from the internal battle of sin. The certainty of this work lies in the character of God, guaranteeing its completion, with signs such as a desire for truth, worship, sharing faith, and holiness indicating the work of God within individuals.
- Adam Clarke
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
By a river side, where prayer was wont to be made - Οὑ ενομιζετο προσευχη ειναι, where it was said there was a proseucha. The proseucha was a place of prayer, or a place used for worship, where there was no synagogue. It was a large building uncovered, with seats, as in an amphitheatre. Buildings of this sort the Jews had by the sea side, and by the sides of rivers. See this subject considered at large in the note on Luk 6:12 (note). It appears that the apostles had heard from some of the Gentiles, or from some of the Jews themselves, that there was a place of prayer by the river side; and they went out in quest of it, knowing that, as it was the Sabbath, they should find some Jews there. Spake unto the women - Probably this was before the time of their public worship, and while they were waiting for the assembling of the people in general; and Paul improved the opportunity to speak concerning Christ and salvation to the women that resorted thither.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
on the sabbath day--the first after their arrival, as the words imply. we went out of the city--rather, as the true reading is, "outside of the (city) gate." by a river-side--one of the small streams which gave name to the place ere the city was founded by Philip of Macedon. where prayer was wont to be made--or a prayer-meeting held. It is plain there was no synagogue at Philippi (contrast Act 17:1), the number of the Jews being small. The meeting appears to have consisted wholly of women, and these not all Jewish. The neighborhood of streams was preferred, on account of the ceremonial washings used on such occasions. we sat down and spake unto the women, &c.--a humble congregation, and simple manner of preaching. But here and thus were gathered the first-fruits of Europe unto Christ, and they were of the female sex, of whose accession and services honorable mention will again and again be made.
John Gill Bible Commentary
And on the sabbath,.... That is, as the Syriac version renders it, "on the sabbath day"; the Jewish sabbath, the seventh day of the week; though the words may be rendered, "on a certain day of the week" agreeably to Act 20:7 where the first of the sabbath means the first day of the week; but be this as it will, on this day, we went out of the city by a river side; perhaps the river Strymon, which was near; the Alexandrian copy and some others, and the Vulgate Latin version read, without the gate; and the Syriac version, "without the gates of the city"; all to the same sense: it looks as if there was no synagogue of the Jews in this place, or otherwise the apostle and his companions would have gone into that, according to their custom; and this the rather seems to be the case, since it is so particularly remarked, that at Thessalonica, the next place they stayed at there was one, Act 17:1 and the reason might be, because that Philippi being a Roman colony, the Jews were not suffered to have one in it; wherefore Paul and his company, whether on the Jewish sabbath, or on any other day of the week, took a walk out of the city; either for the sake of a walk, or rather to converse together, and consider what was to be done, or to look out for an opportunity to preach the Gospel; and they came to a place, where prayer was wont to be made; or as the words may be rendered, "where was thought to be a place of prayer"; a "proseucha", an oratory, or a place built and made use of for prayer; that is, as they walked along, they saw a place, which in their opinion looked like a religious house, or a place for prayer, and so made up to it, where they found some persons assembled together on that account: this sense is confirmed by several versions; the Vulgate Latin version reads, "where there seemed to be prayer", and so reads Beza's most ancient copy; and the Syriac version is very express, "for there was seen" , "an house of prayer"; to which agrees the Arabic version, "we went out to a certain place, which was thought to be a place of prayer"; to which may be added the Ethiopic version, "and we thought there was prayer there"; and that the Jews had their oratories, or prayer houses, is certain; See Gill on Luk 6:12 and that these were without the cities, and in the fields, appears from a passage of Epiphanius (f), who says, "there were anciently places of prayer, both among the Jews, "without the city", and among the Samaritans, there was a place of prayer at Sichem, which is now called Neapolis, "without the city", in the field, about two stones distance, in form of a theatre, open to the air, and without covering, built by the Samaritans, who in all things imitated the Jews:'' and if these were commonly built by fountains and rivers, and as some think, in imitation of Isaac, who went out into the field, "to meditate"; which the Chaldee paraphrase renders, "to pray"; and is also in the same place said to come, as the Jerusalem paraphrase renders it, "to a well", or "fountain", Gen 24:62 then this clause may be rendered, "where it was usual for a prayer house to be": and then the sense is, there being no synagogue in the city, the apostle and those with him went out of it, to the river side, to look out for a prayer house; where such places were wont to be built, and they accordingly found one: and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither; who seem to have been Jewish women, who met here to attend public prayer, there being no religious worship of the true God in the city; and among these worshippers of God was Lydia, hereafter mentioned; and worship not being begun, the apostle and his companions sat down among them, and entered into some religious conversation with them, and took the opportunity of preaching the Gospel, which was what they wanted, and were seeking after. (f) Contr. Haeres. Tom. 2. l. 3. Haeres. 80.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
16:13-36 Luke gives his readers cameos of three lives touched by the Good News in Philippi: a wealthy woman (16:14-15), an exploited slave girl (16:16-21), and a middle-class officer (16:23-36). 16:13 The Jewish community at Philippi was too small to have a synagogue, which required ten adult males. Instead, Jews met for prayer in an open space by the Gangites (now called Angista) River that afforded privacy, quiet, and water for Jewish purification rites.