Acts 16:9

9 and a vision by night was showed to Paul. But a man of Macedonia that stood, prayed him, and said [and a vision in night was showed to Paul. Some man of Macedonia was standing, and praying him, and saying], Go thou into Macedonia, and help us.

Acts 16:9 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 16:9

And a vision appeared to Paul in the night
Either in a dream, or, it may be, when he was awake:

there stood a man of Macedonia;
an angel in the form of a man; the Syriac version reads, "as a man of Macedonia", and who might appear in a Macedonian habit, or speak in the Macedonian language; or the apostle might conclude him to be so, from his making mention of Macedonia, as the place where he requested him to come, and assist:

and prayed him, saying, come over into Macedonia;
Macedonia was a very large country in Europe; which formerly consisted, as Pliny ^F15 says, of a hundred and fifty people, or nations, and was called Emathia; it took its name of Macedonia from Macedo, a son of Jupiter, and of Thyd, a daughter of Deucalion: according to Ptolomy

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FOOTNOTES:

F16 it had on the north Dalmatia, superior Mysia and Thracia; on the west, the Ionian sea; on the south Epirus; and on the east, part of Thracia, and the gulfs of the Aegean sea. It had formerly other names besides Emathia and Macedonia, as Mygdonia and Edoma, and is now called Albania or Ronnelli. Troas, where the apostle now was, when he had this vision, was just by the Hellespont, over which he must go to Macedonia; and therefore the Macedonian prays him to "come over", adding,

and help us;
by praying and preaching, to pull down the kingdom of Satan, to destroy superstition and idolatry, to enlighten the eyes of men, and turn them from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, and save them from utter ruin and destruction. This shows what a miserable condition this country was in; and that God had some chosen people among them to gather in, whose time was now come; and of what use and service the angels, Christ's ministering spirits, are, who are helpful in weakening the kingdom of Satan, and advancing the interest of Christ, and in spreading his Gospel, and particularly in directing the ministers of it where to preach it; though it follows not from hence, that this angel presided over the whole country, and was their tutelar angel, as some think.

F15 Hist. Nat. l. 4. c. 10.
F16 Geograph. l. 3. c. 13.

Acts 16:9 In-Context

7 And when they came to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus suffered not them [and the Spirit of Jesus suffered them not].

8 But when they had passed by Mysia, they came down to Troas;

9 and a vision by night was showed to Paul. But a man of Macedonia that stood, prayed him, and said [and a vision in night was showed to Paul. Some man of Macedonia was standing, and praying him, and saying], Go thou into Macedonia, and help us.

10 And as he had seen the vision, at once [anon] we sought to go forth into Macedonia, and were made certain, that God had called us to preach to them [made certain that God had called us to evangelize to them].

11 And we went by ship from Troas, and came to Samothracia with straight course [Soothly we going by boat, or sailing, from Troas, with straight course came to Samothracia]; and the day following to Neapolis;