Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Acts 16:22

"And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent their garments off them, and commanded to beat them with rods." — Acts 16:22 (ASV)

As a Roman colony, Philippi had a form of government that was independent of the provincial administration headquartered in Thessalonica. There were two chief “magistrates” (vv.20, 22, 35–36, 38), who had “officers” (vv.35, 38) serving under them to carry out their orders. Jailers commonly were retired army veterans, who could be expected to follow orders and use their military skills as required.

Incited to anti-Semitic fury by the slave girl’s owners, the crowd turned on Paul and Silas. The magistrates had them stripped and severely flogged as disturbers of the peace and then ordered them to be jailed. The jailer put them into the innermost cell, fastening their feet in stocks. Though both Paul and Silas were Roman citizens and politically exempt from such treatment (cf. comments on v.37), the frenzy of the mob and the rough justice of the colonial magistrates overrode whatever protestations they may have made. Later when writing to the Christians at Corinth, Paul looked back on this experience as one of the afflictions he suffered as a servant of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:23, 25).