Acts 16:20
New International Version
They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar

New Living Translation
“The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials.

English Standard Version
And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city.

Berean Standard Bible
They brought them to the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews and are throwing our city into turmoil

Berean Literal Bible
And having brought them up to the magistrates, they said, "These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city

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

New King James Version
And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city;

New American Standard Bible
and when they had brought them to the chief magistrates, they said, “These men, Jews as they are, are causing our city trouble,

NASB 1995
and when they had brought them to the chief magistrates, they said, “These men are throwing our city into confusion, being Jews,

NASB 1977
and when they had brought them to the chief magistrates, they said, “These men are throwing our city into confusion, being Jews,

Legacy Standard Bible
and when they had brought them to the chief magistrates, they said, “These men are throwing our city into confusion, being Jews,

Amplified Bible
and when they had brought them before the chief magistrates, they said, “These men, who are Jews, are throwing our city into confusion and causing trouble.

Christian Standard Bible
Bringing them before the chief magistrates, they said, “These men are seriously disturbing our city. They are Jews

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Bringing them before the chief magistrates, they said, “These men are seriously disturbing our city. They are Jews

American Standard Version
and when they had brought them unto the magistrates, they said, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And they presented them to the Magistrate and to the Leaders of the city and they were saying, “These men are troubling our city because they are Jews.”

Contemporary English Version
They told the officials, "These Jews are upsetting our city!

Douay-Rheims Bible
And presenting them to the magistrates, they said: These men disturb our city, being Jews;

English Revised Version
and when they had brought them unto the magistrates, they said, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,

GOD'S WORD® Translation
In front of the Roman officials, they said, "These men are stirring up a lot of trouble in our city. They're Jews,

Good News Translation
They brought them before the Roman officials and said, "These men are Jews, and they are causing trouble in our city.

International Standard Version
They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men are stirring up a lot of trouble in our city. They are Jews

Literal Standard Version
and having brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men being Jews exceedingly trouble our city;

Majority Standard Bible
They brought them to the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews and are throwing our city into turmoil

New American Bible
They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These people are Jews and are disturbing our city

NET Bible
When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, "These men are throwing our city into confusion. They are Jews

New Revised Standard Version
When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, “These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews

New Heart English Bible
When they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, "These men, being Jews, are agitating our city,

Webster's Bible Translation
And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,

Weymouth New Testament
Then they brought them before the praetors. "These men," they said, "are creating a great disturbance in our city.

World English Bible
When they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men, being Jews, are agitating our city

Young's Literal Translation
and having brought them to the magistrates, they said, 'These men do exceedingly trouble our city, being Jews;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Paul and Silas Imprisoned
19When the girl’s owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities in the marketplace. 20 They brought them to the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews and are throwing our city into turmoil 21by promoting customs that are unlawful for us Romans to adopt or practice.”…

Cross References
Esther 3:8
Then Haman informed King Xerxes, "There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the peoples of every province of your kingdom. Their laws are different from everyone else's, and they do not obey the king's laws. So it is not in the king's best interest to tolerate them.

Jeremiah 38:4
Then the officials said to the king, "This man ought to die, for he is discouraging the warriors who remain in this city, as well as all the people, by speaking such words to them; this man is not seeking the well-being of these people, but their ruin."

Acts 16:19
When the girl's owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities in the marketplace.

Acts 16:21
by promoting customs that are unlawful for us Romans to adopt or practice."


Treasury of Scripture

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

being.

Acts 18:2
And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them.

Acts 19:34
But when they knew that he was a Jew, all with one voice about the space of two hours cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.

Ezra 4:12-15
Be it known unto the king, that the Jews which came up from thee to us are come unto Jerusalem, building the rebellious and the bad city, and have set up the walls thereof, and joined the foundations…

do.

Acts 17:6-8
And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; …

Acts 28:22
But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that every where it is spoken against.

1 Kings 18:17,18
And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? …

Jump to Previous
Agitating Authorities Chief City Confusion Creating Disturbance Disturbing Exceedingly Great Greatly Jews Magistrates Praetors Throwing Trouble Troubling Uproar Utterly
Jump to Next
Agitating Authorities Chief City Confusion Creating Disturbance Disturbing Exceedingly Great Greatly Jews Magistrates Praetors Throwing Trouble Troubling Uproar Utterly
Acts 16
1. Paul and Silas are Joined by Timothy,
7. and being called by the Spirit from one country to another,
14. convert Lydia,
16. and cast out a spirit of divination;
19. for which cause they are whipped and imprisoned.
25. The prison doors are opened.
31. The jailor is converted,
35. and they are delivered.














(20) The magistrates.--The Greek word used (Strategi, literally, generals--the name survived in 1750 in the Italian Stradigo, used of the prefect of Messina) is used with St. Luke's usual accuracy, for the praetors, or duumviri, who formed the executive of the Roman colonia.

These men, being Jews.--We must remember that the decree of Claudius (see Note on Acts 18:2), banishing the Jews from Rome on account of their disturbing that city, would be known, and probably acted on, at Philippi (see Notes on Acts 16:12-13), and would give a special force to the accusation. Here, also, there is something specially characteristic of the nature of many of the early persecutions. Christians were exposed, on the one hand, to the relentless enmity of the Jews, and, on the other, they were identified by heathen rulers and mobs with the Jews, and so came in, where the latter were the objects of popular antipathy, for a two-fold measure of suffering.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
They brought them
προσαγαγόντες (prosagagontes)
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 4317: From pros and ago; to lead towards, i.e. to conduct near, or to approach.

to the
τοῖς (tois)
Article - Dative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

magistrates
στρατηγοῖς (stratēgois)
Noun - Dative Masculine Plural
Strong's 4755: From the base of stratia and ago or hegeomai; a general, i.e. a governor, the chief of the temple-wardens.

[and] said,
εἶπαν (eipan)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 2036: Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.

“These
Οὗτοι (Houtoi)
Demonstrative Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3778: This; he, she, it.

men
ἄνθρωποι (anthrōpoi)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 444: A man, one of the human race. From aner and ops; man-faced, i.e. A human being.

are
ὑπάρχοντες (hyparchontes)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 5225: To begin, am, exist, be in possession. From hupo and archomai; to begin under, i.e. Come into existence; expletively, to exist (verb).

Jews
Ἰουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 2453: Jewish. From Iouda; Judaean, i.e. Belonging to Jehudah.

[and] are throwing
ἐκταράσσουσιν (ektarassousin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 1613: To disturb (trouble) greatly (exceedingly). From ek and tarasso; to disturb wholly.

our
ἡμῶν (hēmōn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

city {into turmoil}
πόλιν (polin)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4172: A city, the inhabitants of a city. Probably from the same as polemos, or perhaps from polus; a town.


Links
Acts 16:20 NIV
Acts 16:20 NLT
Acts 16:20 ESV
Acts 16:20 NASB
Acts 16:20 KJV

Acts 16:20 BibleApps.com
Acts 16:20 Biblia Paralela
Acts 16:20 Chinese Bible
Acts 16:20 French Bible
Acts 16:20 Catholic Bible

NT Apostles: Acts 16:20 When they had brought them to (Acts of the Apostles Ac)
Acts 16:19
Top of Page
Top of Page