Acts 16:17

Verse

This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!”

American Standard Version (1901)

The same following after Paul and us cried out, saying, These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim unto you the way of salvation.

Bible in Basic English

She came after Paul and us, crying out and saying, These men are the servants of the Most High God, who are giving you news of the way of salvation.

Douay-Rheims 1899

This same following Paul and us, cried out, saying: These men are the servants of the most high God, who preach unto you the way of salvation.

Free Bible Version

This girl followed Paul and the rest of us around, shouting, “These men are the servants of Almighty God. They are telling you how to be saved!”

Geneva Bible 1599

She followed Paul and vs, and cryed, saying, These men are the seruants of the most high God, which shewe vnto you the way of saluation.

King James (Authorized) Version

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

Plain English Version

That young woman saw Paul and the rest of us going on that road, and she followed us, and she kept on shouting, “These men serve the God that is the greatest of all gods. They can tell you what to do so that God will save you and not punish you.”

Translation for Translators

This young woman followed Paul and the rest of us. She continually shouted, “These men serve the God who is the greatest of all gods! They are telling you how ◄God can save you so that he will not punish you/to be saved►”

Unlocked Literal Bible

This woman followed after Paul and us and shouted, saying, “These men are servants of the Most High God. They proclaim to you the way of salvation.”

Noah Webster Bible

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

World English Bible

Following Paul and us, she cried out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us a way of salvation!”

Young's Literal Translation

she having followed Paul and us, was crying, saying, 'These men are servants of the Most High God, who declare to us a way of salvation;'

Context

Paul and Silas Imprisoned

¹⁶One day as we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl with a spirit of divination, who earned a large income for her masters by fortune-telling.¹⁷This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!”

Sermons

Through the Bible - Acts - Part 2

Zac Poonen

1.6K

Homily 41 on the Acts of the Apostles

St. John Chrysostom

God Uses Men as His Servants

Francis Dixon

Summary

In Acts 16:17, a slave girl possessed by a spirit of divination follows Paul and his companions, proclaiming them as servants of the Most High God who proclaim the way of salvation. While her words were true, the source of her insight was demonic, leading Paul to cast out the evil spirit. This verse illustrates the importance of discerning the spiritual realm and the necessity of relying on God's power to combat evil forces. It also emphasizes the purity and authenticity required in sharing the message of salvation, even when the source appears to be in agreement with God's truth.

Commentary

Adam Clarke
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

These men are the servants, etc. - It is astonishing how such a testimony could be given in such a case; every syllable of it true, and at the same time full, clear, and distinct. But mark the deep design and artifice of this evil spirit: 1. He well knew that the Jewish law abhorred all magic, incantations, magical rites, and dealings with familiar spirits; he therefore bears what was in itself a true testimony to the apostles, that by it he may destroy their credit, and ruin their usefulness. The Jews, by this testimony, would be led at once to believe that the apostles were in compact with these demons, and that the miracles they wrought were done by the agency of these wicked spirits, and that the whole was the effect of magic; and this, of course, would harden their hearts against the preaching of the Gospel. 2. The Gentiles, finding that their own demon bore testimony to the apostles, would naturally consider that the whole was one system; that they had nothing to learn, nothing to correct; and thus the preaching of the apostles must be useless to them. In such a predicament is this, nothing could have saved the credit of the apostles but their dispossessing this woman of her familiar spirit, and that in the most incontestable manner; for what could have saved the credit of Moses and Aaron, when the magicians of Egypt turned their rods into serpents, had not Aaron's rod devoured theirs? And what could have saved the credit of these apostles but the casting out of this spirit of divination, with which, otherwise, both Jews and Gentiles would have believed them in compact?

John Gill Bible Commentary

The same followed Paul and us,.... Silas, Luke, and Timothy; the Arabic version reads, "the same followed Paul and Silas"; as they were going to the oratory: and cried, saying, these men are the servants of the most high God; not of Python, or Apollo, as she and her masters were; or of any of the deities of the Gentiles; nor of sin, nor of Satan, nor of men, but of the one only true and living God, one of whose titles is "Elion", the "Most High", Gen 14:22 and these men were his servants, not merely by right of creation, as all men are, or should be; nor only through the power of divine grace upon their souls, bringing them into a willing obedience to him, as all the saints are; but by office, being ministers of the word: wherefore it follows, which show unto us the way of salvation; which is not by the works of men; for by them the justice of God cannot be satisfied, nor his law fulfilled; God has declared against this way of salvation; it would make void the death of Christ, and frustrate the design of God in it; which is to magnify his grace, and exclude boasting in man: to which may be added, that the best works of men being imperfect, and attended with much sin, would rather damn than save; wherefore it is sinful, dangerous, and vain, to attempt salvation in this way. The only way of salvation is by the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the law is fulfilled, satisfaction is made for sin, peace and pardon are procured, an everlasting righteousness is brought in, and through whom grace and glory are given: and this is a way of salvation, agreeable to all the perfections of God; in which the vilest sinner made sensible of his sins, and of his need of this, has no reason to despair; it is exceeding suitable to his case, and is a way in which none ever perish, that are directed to it: and now this way of salvation is only shown in the Gospel, by the ministers of it; not by the light of nature, for to men who only have that, it is foolishness; nor by the law of Moses, for to such who are under that, it is a stumbling block; nor by the carnal reason of men, it is not of men, nor after men, but by divine revelation: and therefore the natural man receives it not, it is hid from such; and therefore they project various ways of salvation, which are pleasing in their own eyes, but the end of them are the ways of death; the way to life and immortality, is only brought to light in the Gospel: whether she said this of her own accord, or was obliged to it by divine impulse; and whether it was through fear of Paul, and in flattery to him, or was with a good or bad design, is not easy to determine: however, certain it is, what she said was truth; and sometimes the devil himself, the father of lies, is obliged to speak it.

Acts 16:17

Paul and Silas Imprisoned

Scripture
Sermons
Commentary

Berean Standard Bible

This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!”

American Standard Version (1901)

The same following after Paul and us cried out, saying, These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim unto you the way of salvation.

Bible in Basic English

She came after Paul and us, crying out and saying, These men are the servants of the Most High God, who are giving you news of the way of salvation.

Douay-Rheims 1899

This same following Paul and us, cried out, saying: These men are the servants of the most high God, who preach unto you the way of salvation.

Free Bible Version

This girl followed Paul and the rest of us around, shouting, “These men are the servants of Almighty God. They are telling you how to be saved!”

Geneva Bible 1599

She followed Paul and vs, and cryed, saying, These men are the seruants of the most high God, which shewe vnto you the way of saluation.

King James (Authorized) Version

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

Plain English Version

Translation for Translators

Unlocked Literal Bible

This woman followed after Paul and us and shouted, saying, “These men are servants of the Most High God. They proclaim to you the way of salvation.”

Noah Webster Bible

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

World English Bible

Following Paul and us, she cried out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us a way of salvation!”

Young's Literal Translation

she having followed Paul and us, was crying, saying, 'These men are servants of the Most High God, who declare to us a way of salvation;'

Adam Clarke
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

John Gill Bible Commentary

Acts 16:17

Verse

Context

Paul and Silas Imprisoned

Sermons

Summary

Commentary

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

John Gill Bible Commentary

Acts 16:17

Paul and Silas Imprisoned

Through the Bible - Acts - Part 2

Homily 41 on the Acts of the Apostles

God Uses Men as His Servants

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

John Gill Bible Commentary