The Meaning of Acts 16:28 Explained

Acts 16:28

KJV: But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.

YLT: and Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Thou mayest not do thyself any harm, for we are all here.'

Darby: But Paul called out with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm, for we are all here.

ASV: But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But  Paul  cried  with a loud  voice,  saying,  Do  thyself  no  harm:  for  we are  all  here. 

What does Acts 16:28 Mean?

Context Summary

Acts 16:25-40 - Salvation In The Jail
Some, as we have seen, are converted by the gentle opening of the heart; others amid the convulsions of the storm. The first knowledge of salvation may have reached the heart of the jailer through the saving of the possessed girl, Acts 16:17. If only the heart is right with Christ, it can sing in the darkest night; and the impression of those holy songs must have wrought still further upon the conscience of this rough Roman official, who had treated his prisoners with uncommon severity, Acts 16:24. The inner prison! Perhaps some of our readers have been in it! They have come to an end of themselves and their feet are fastened!
But God has His own way of deliverance and never forsakes His own. Art thou in the stocks today? Then pray and sing praises! Choose, for instance, Psalms 103:1-22. God will be thy very present help. Thou shalt win thy jailer, and become a monument of God's saving mercy. There is no course for the convicted sinner but to trust in the salvation wrought upon the Cross; or still better, in Him who wrought it.
Paul was perfectly justified in insisting upon his civil rights when he had the opportunity, Acts 16:37. It made the way easier for his new converts. [source]

Chapter Summary: 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

Greek Commentary for Acts 16:28

Do thyself no harm [μηδεν πραχηις σεαυτωι κακον]
The usual construction (μη — mē and the aorist subjunctive) for a prohibition not to begin to do a thing. The older Greek would probably have used ποιησηις — poiēsēis here. The later Greek does not always preserve the old distinction between ποιεω — poieō to do a thing, and πρασσω — prassō to practice, though πρασσετε — prassete keeps it in Philemon 4:9 and ποιεω — poieō is rightly used in Luke 3:10-14. As a matter of fact πρασσω — prassō 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. [source]
Sprang in [εισεπηδησεν]
First aorist active of εισπηδαω — eispēdaō old verb, but here only in the N.T. Cf. εκπηδαω — ekpēdaō in Acts 14:14. The jailor was at the outer door and he wanted lights to see what was inside in the inner prison. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Acts 16:28

Hebrews 12:9 And live [καὶ ζήσομεν]
Have true life; not limited to the future life. Comp. John 5:26; John 6:57; 1 John 5:11; Revelation 11:11; Acts 16:28; Romans 6:11; Romans 14:8; 1 John 4:9, and see on living God, Hebrews 3:12. [source]

What do the individual words in Acts 16:28 mean?

Called out however - Paul loud in a voice saying Not do to yourself harm all for we are here
ἐφώνησεν δὲ ‹ὁ› Παῦλος» μεγάλῃ φωνῇ» λέγων Μηδὲν πράξῃς σεαυτῷ κακόν ἅπαντες γάρ ἐσμεν ἐνθάδε

ἐφώνησεν  Called  out 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: φωνέω 
Sense: to sound, emit a sound, to speak.
δὲ  however 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: δέ  
Sense: but, moreover, and, etc.
‹ὁ›  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Παῦλος»  Paul 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: Παῦλος  
Sense: Paul was the most famous of the apostles and wrote a good part of the NT, the 4 Pauline epistles.
μεγάλῃ  loud 
Parse: Adjective, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: μέγας  
Sense: great.
φωνῇ»  in  a  voice 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: φωνή  
Sense: a sound, a tone.
λέγων  saying 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
σεαυτῷ  to  yourself 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 2nd Person Singular
Root: σεαυτοῦ  
Sense: thyself, thee.
κακόν  harm 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: κακός  
Sense: of a bad nature.
ἐσμεν  we  are 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 1st Person Plural
Root: εἰμί  
Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present.
ἐνθάδε  here 
Parse: Adverb
Root: ἐνθάδε  
Sense: here.