Acts 16:26

26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened and all the bonds were unfastened.

Acts 16:26 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 16:26

And suddenly there was a great earthquake
An extraordinary and unusual one; which did not arise from natural causes, from wind being pent up in the earth, but from the prayers and praises of the saints, going up to heaven; when God was pleased to testify his presence and power this way; and the effects which followed upon this earthquake, show it to be a supernatural one: so that the foundations of the prison were shaken;
not the roof and walls only, as is common in earthquakes, but the very foundation also; and yet the edifice was not thrown down, as is usual when the foundation is shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened;
both of the outer and inner prisons, which is another unusual effect of earthquakes: and everyone's bands were loosed;
not only the bands of Paul and Silas, but of the rest of the prisoners; though the Arabic version reads, "all the fetters and bands of both were loosed", referring it only to Paul and Silas; this circumstance shows also, that the earthquake was miraculous, for when was it ever known that such an effect ever followed one?

Acts 16:26 In-Context

24 Having received such an order, {he} put them in the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

25 Now about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying [and] singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened and all the bonds were unfastened.

27 And [after] the jailer was awake and saw the doors of the prison open, he drew [his] sword [and] was about to kill himself, [because he] thought the prisoners had escaped.

28 But Paul called out with a loud voice, saying, "Do no harm to yourself, for we are all here!"

Footnotes

• [a] Or "chains"