Apostelgeschichte 16:12

12 und von da nach Philippi, welches die erste Stadt jenes Teiles von Macedonien ist, eine Kolonie. In dieser Stadt aber verweilten wir einige Tage.

Apostelgeschichte 16:12 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 16:12

And from thence to Philippi
This place is by Appianus called Datos, which was its original name; and by Diodorus Siculus, Crenidae ^F3, from the fountains of water, which were many and wholesome, that were about it; and it had its name Philippi, from Philip king of Macedon, father of Alexander the great, who rebuilt it ^F4: it is now vulgarly called Chrixopolis, that is, Chrysopolis, from the veins and mines of gold found about it; it was famous for a battle here fought between Augustus Caesar and Anthony on the one side, and Brutus and Cassius on the other, in which the latter were vanquished:

which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia;
which is called Edonis, in which Ptolomy places it;

and a colony:
that is, of the Romans; see ( Acts 16:37 Acts 16:38 ) and which Pliny ^F5 also calls a colony:

and we were in that city abiding many days;
without doing anything, having no opportunity, or door opened to them to preach the Gospel; which must be a great trial of their faith, after Paul had seen such a vision, by which they were so strongly assured it was the will of God they should come and preach the Gospel here, and after they had travelled so far by sea and land; though some observe, that the word used signifies not only to abide, but to exercise themselves, by teaching and preaching the word, which it is supposed they did with success; and that the women they after met with by the river side, were such, at least some of them, who had been converted under their ministry; but the former seems to be the truest sense.

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FOOTNOTES:

F3 Ptolom. Geograph. l. 3. c. 13.
F4 Pausaniae Eliac. 2. l. 6. p. 352. Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 4. c. 11.
F5 Ib.

Apostelgeschichte 16:12 In-Context

10 Als er aber das Gesicht gesehen hatte, suchten wir alsbald nach Macedonien abzureisen, indem wir schlossen, daß der Herr uns gerufen habe, ihnen das Evangelium zu verkündigen.

11 Wir fuhren nun von Troas ab und kamen geraden Laufs nach Samothrace, und des folgenden Tages nach Neapolis,

12 und von da nach Philippi, welches die erste Stadt jenes Teiles von Macedonien ist, eine Kolonie. In dieser Stadt aber verweilten wir einige Tage.

13 Und am Tage des Sabbaths gingen wir hinaus vor das Tor an einen Fluß, wo es gebräuchlich war, das Gebet zu verrichten; und wir setzten uns nieder und redeten zu den Weibern, die zusammengekommen waren.

14 Und ein gewisses Weib, mit Namen Lydia, eine Purpurkrämerin aus der Stadt Thyatira, welche Gott anbetete, hörte zu, deren Herz der Herr auftat, daß sie achtgab auf das, was von Paulus geredet wurde.