And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
What does Acts 16:25 mean?
The consolations of God to his suffering servants are neither few nor small. How much more happy are true Christians than their prosperous enemies!
Key themes
Read with
Keep this verse inside Acts 16:25-29 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Acts 16:25
And at midnight - Probably their painful posture, and the sufferings of their recent scourging, prevented their. sleeping. Yet, though they had no repose, they had a quiet conscience, and the supports of religion. Prayed - Though they had suffered much, yet they had reason to apprehend more. They sought, therefore, the sustaining grace of God. And sang praises - Compare the notes on Job 35:10 . Nothing but religion would have enabled them to do this. They had endured much, but they had cause still for gratitude. The Christian may find more true joy in a prison than the monarch on his throne. And the prisoners heard them - And doubtless with astonishment.
Context in Acts 16
Show chapter context
Acts 16 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as Peter and Gentile opening. Acts traces the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and the Gentile world through Peter, Paul, and the Spirit-led church. Read this chapter with the wider themes of Spirit, mission, and church in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
Explore by topic
Bible verses about suffering and trials
Key passages on grief, endurance, lament, divine mystery, and the Christian claim that suffering is neither final nor meaningless.
Passages on asking, persistence, confession, dependence, and the way prayer shapes Christian life and attention.
Passages on the nature of truth, honesty, deception, the word of God as truth, and Jesus' claim to be the truth.