Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 16:28
But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
28. But Paul cried ] The sound of one voice would arrest the action, for at the sight of the open doors he had concluded that all had made use of the opportunity and had escaped.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Do thyself no harm – This is the solemn command of religion in his case, and in all others. It enjoins upon people to do themselves no harm by self-murder, whether by the sword, the pistol, the halter; by intemperance, by lust, or by dissipation. In all cases, Christianity seeks the true welfare of man. In all cases, if it were obeyed, people would do themselves no harm. They would promote their own best interests here, and their eternal welfare hereafter.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 28. Do thyself no harm] As it was now dark, being midnight, St. Paul must have had a Divine intimation of what the jailor was going to do; and, to prevent it, cried out aloud, Do thyself no harm, for we are all here.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The other prisoners were smitten with amazement; neither did they mind (or it might have been kept from them) that the doors were opened, and their chains loosed: but as for the apostles, the same God who wrought this deliverance for them, might inform them of the intent of it; that by this means the conversion of the jailer and his family was intended; and that their doctrine might be magnified, which had been so much vilified.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
28. But Paul cried with a loudvoicethe better to arrest the deed.
Do thyself no harm, for weare all hereWhat divine calmness and self-possession! Noelation at their miraculous liberation, or haste to take advantage ofit; but one thought filled the apostle’s mind at that momentanxietyto save a fellow creature from sending himself into eternity,ignorant of the only way of life; and his presence of mind appears inthe assurance which he so promptly gives to the desperate man, thathis prisoners had none of them fled as he feared. But how, it hasbeen asked by skeptical critics, could Paul in his inner prison knowwhat the jailer was about to do? In many conceivable ways, withoutsupposing any supernatural communication. Thus, if the jailer sleptat the door of “the inner prison,” which suddenly flew openwhen the earthquake shook the foundations of the building; if, too,as may easily be conceived, he uttered some cry of despair on seeingthe doors open; and, if the clash of the steel, as the affrighted mandrew it hastily from the scabbard, was audible but a few yards off,in the dead midnight stillness, increased by the awe inspired in theprisoners by the miraclewhat difficulty is there in supposing thatPaul, perceiving in a moment how matters stood, after crying out,stepped hastily to him, uttering the noble entreaty here recorded?Not less flat is the question, why the other liberated prisoners didnot make their escape:as if there were the smallest difficulty inunderstanding how, under the resistless conviction that there must besomething supernatural in their instantaneous liberation withouthuman hand, such wonder and awe should possess them as to take awayfor the time not only all desire of escape, but even all thought onthe subject.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
But Paul cried with a loud voice,…. Knowing by divine revelation, what the jailer was about to do; though being in the innermost prison, in a dark dungeon, he could not see him, unless it can be thought, that the opening of the doors had let in light sufficient; and it may be also, that he knew in the same way, what designs of grace God had towards this man and his family:
saying, do thyself no harm; which is an instance of great tenderness, humanity, and love, to one that had used him and his companion with so much severity and cruelty:
for we are all here; not only Paul and Silas, but the rest of the prisoners also; who either being so intent upon hearing the prayers and praises of the apostles, or so terrified with the earthquake, that they took no notice of their bands being loosed, and so never thought or attempted to make their escape; and as for Paul and Silas, all this happened to them, not for their deliverance in this way, as in the case of Peter, but to show the power of God, what he could do, and his presence with his servants.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Do thyself no harm ( ). The usual construction ( and the aorist subjunctive) for a prohibition not to
begin to do a thing. The older Greek would probably have used here. The later Greek does not always preserve the old distinction between , to do a thing, and , to practice, though keeps it in Php 4:9 and is rightly used in Lu 3:10-14. As a matter of fact does not occur in Matthew or in Mark, only twice in John, six times in Luke’s Gospel, thirteen in Acts, and elsewhere by Paul.
Sprang in (). First aorist active of , old verb, but here only in the N.T. Cf. in 14:14. The jailor was at the outer door and he wanted lights to see what was inside in the inner prison.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
1) “But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying,” (epouesen de Paulos megale phone legon) “Then Paul called with a megaphone-like voice saying,” repeatedly saying, over and over to the jailer, to deter him from committing suicide; He cared for the life and soul of the one who guarded and held him in solitary confinement, as he cared for the souls of lost men, Jew and Gentile, Rom 1:14-16; 1Co 9:19-23.
2) “Do thyself no harm: (meden prakes seauto kakon) “Do not do to thyself harm,” or permanent injury, which is evil. Did he see the jailer by some accompanying light? or did he hear him draw his clanging steel sword in the darkness of the inner cell door? No one knows. But that he held or detained a lost sinner, from a suicide’s grave and a devil’s hell, because he cared for his soul, is evident, and was blessed, Pro 11:30.
3) “For we are all here.” (hapantes gar esmen enthade) “For we (prisoners), all who are in your custody, are all here.” Why did the prisoners not all make their escape? Apparently an awe of the sudden supernatural intervention, accompanying the prayer and praise hymns of the imprisoned saints of God (Paul and Silas), simply overwhelmed them and took from them any desire to escape. Paul was interested in the souls of the others when he sounded his appeal, as expressed, Dan 12:3; Act 20:21; Rom 10:1-4; 1Co 16:9.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(28) Do thyself no harm.Few and simple as the words are, they are eminently characteristic of the love and sympathy which burnt in St. Pauls heart. For him the suicide which others would have admired, or, at least, have thought of without horror, would have been the most terrible of all forms of death. He could not bear the thought that even the gaoler who had thrust him into the dungeon, should so perish in his despair.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
28. But Paul Master of the situation here as ever.
Do thyself no harm A memorable caution, which Christianity addresses, not only to this desperate purposer of suicide, but to every man who is ruining himself by sin, whether in health, in estate, in body, in intellect, in soul. All sinners are suicides, cruel to themselves, relentless upon their own natures.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” ’
Paul, seeing him in the light of his glowing lamp, recognised his intention and yelled to him not to harm himself as all the prisoners were still safe. Those that were there were possibly traumatised and sheltering from falling masonry, and, hindered by their manacles, unable to find a way to climb out of the dungeon, or even afraid to do so, and they may only have been but few.
The jailer would undoubtedly be astonished that this man sought to save his life. He had known such care and concern from comrades-in-arms but never from a prisoner whom he had treated so brutally. Here were these men who had caused these strange occurrences and instead of cursing him and bringing down maledictions on him they were concerned to save his life. It was all very strange. Indeed it was uncanny.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Act 16:28. But Paul cried with a loud voice, St. Paul, like a true Christian, a benevolent and brave man through the grace of God, was tender and solicitous about the life of one, who, but a few hours before, had treated him with such rigour. As they were all at present in the dark, it is not easy to say how St. Paul knew of the gaoler’s purpose, unless it were by hearing some desperate words that declared it, or by some immediate suggestion from God; which, amid such a scene of wonders, is by no means improbable.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
Ver. 28. But Paul cried with a loud voice, &c. ] We should likewise cry Cave miser, beware oh wretch, when we see a man busily cutting the throat of his own poor soul, by wilful wickedness, or pitched headlong into hell through despair of God’s mercy. “Of some have compassion making a difference” Jdg 1:22 ; and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire of hell, as the angel pulled Lot out of Sodom, and as God pulled Joshua the high priest as “a brand out of the fire,” Zec 3:2 ; This Jerome calleth Sanctam violentiam, optabilem rapinam, a holy violence, a desirable ravage; and the law of God requireth not only our observation, but our preservation; to cause others to keep it, as well as ourselves.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Act 16:28 . . : Blass remarks that the distinction between and is not always precisely observed in N.T., and takes it as = Attic, . . is not found in St. Matthew or St. Mark and only twice in St. John, whilst by St. Luke it is used six times in his Gospel, thirteen times in Acts, elsewhere in N.T. only by Paul. Philippi was famous in the annals of suicide (C. and H.); see also Plumptre’s note in loco. .: “Multa erant graviora, cur non deberet se interficere; sed Paulus id arripit, quod maxime opportunum erat” Bengel.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Do thyself no harm = Do nothing (Greek. medeis) evil (Greek. kakos. App-128.) to thyself.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Act 16:28. , a loud) so as to restrain the man from his purpose.-, no harm) The Christian faith throws open to view the life to come, and yet it has most effectually called men back from , inflicting violence on themselves (suicide).-, for we all [without exception]) There were many more weighty reasons why he ought not to commit suicide; but Paul lays hold of that one which was most seasonable at the time.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
cried: Lev 19:18, Psa 7:4, Psa 35:14, Pro 24:11, Pro 24:12, Mat 5:44, Luk 6:27, Luk 6:28, Luk 10:32-37, Luk 22:51, Luk 23:34, 1Th 5:15
Do: Exo 20:13, Pro 8:36, Ecc 7:17
Reciprocal: Gen 8:16 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
8
Act 16:28. All was darkness, yet Paul knew the jailor was about to kill himself. Loud noise was necessary to overcome the frenzy of the officer. We are all here was spoken by divine knowledge, for Paul could not have seen all the conditions naturally.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Act 16:28. We are all here. The prisoners, we are especially told, had been listening to the sweet, solemn Hebrew hymns of Paul and Silas when the earthquake and its accompanying marvels took place. Then, feeling that what had happened was supernatural and in some measure connected with those eastern strangers whose voices they had been listening to that solemn night with such rapt attention, they made no effort to escape.
The words of Paul stayed the would-be suicides hand.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
28. He had already planted the hilt of his sword upon the floor, and was about to cast himself upon the point of it, when Paul, who must now have left his dungeon, saw what he was doing, and arrested his mad purpose. (28) “But Paul cried, with a loud voice, saying, Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” Reassured by this statement, and by the calmness of the tone in which it was uttered, he drew back from the leap he was about to make into eternity.
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
16:28 {17} But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
(17) In means which are especially extraordinary, we should not move our foot forward, unless God goes before us.