SEV Biblia, Chapter 16:13
Y un día de los sbados salimos de la puerta junto al río, donde solía ser la oracin; y sentndonos, hablamos a las mujeres que se habían juntado.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Acts 16:13
Verse 13. By a river side, where prayer was wont to be made] ou enomizeto proseuch einai, where it was said there was a proseucha. The proseucha was a place of prayer, or a place used for worship, where there was no synagogue. It was a large building uncovered, with seats, as in an amphitheatre. Buildings of this sort the Jews had by the sea side, and by the sides of rivers. See this subject considered at large in the note on Luke vi. 12. It appears that the apostles had heard from some of the Gentiles, or from some of the Jews themselves, that there was a place of prayer by the river side; and they went out in quest of it, knowing that, as it was the Sabbath, they should find some Jews there.
Spake unto the women] Probably this was before the time of their public worship, and while they were waiting for the assembling of the people in general; and Paul improved the opportunity to speak concerning Christ and salvation to the women that resorted thither.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 13. And on the sabbath , etc.] That is, as the Syriac version renders it, on the sabbath day; the Jewish sabbath, the seventh day of the week; though the words may be rendered, on a certain day of the week agreeably to ( Acts 20:7) where the first of the sabbath means the first day of the week; but be this as it will, on this day, we went out of the city by a river side ; perhaps the river Strymon, which was near; the Alexandrian copy and some others, and the Vulgate Latin version read, without the gate ; and the Syriac version, without the gates of the city; all to the same sense: it looks as if there was no synagogue of the Jews in this place, or otherwise the apostle and his companions would have gone into that, according to their custom; and this the rather seems to be the case, since it is so particularly remarked, that at Thessalonica, the next place they stayed at there was one, ( Acts 17:1) and the reason might be, because that Philippi being a Roman colony, the Jews were not suffered to have one in it; wherefore Paul and his company, whether on the Jewish sabbath, or on any other day of the week, took a walk out of the city; either for the sake of a walk, or rather to converse together, and consider what was to be done, or to look out for an opportunity to preach the Gospel; and they came to a place, where prayer was wont to be made ; or as the words may be rendered, where was thought to be a place of prayer; a proseucha, an oratory, or a place built and made use of for prayer; that is, as they walked along, they saw a place, which in their opinion looked like a religious house, or a place for prayer, and so made up to it, where they found some persons assembled together on that account: this sense is confirmed by several versions; the Vulgate Latin version reads, where there seemed to be prayer, and so reads Bezas most ancient copy; and the Syriac version is very express, for there was seen atwlx tyb , an house of prayer; to which agrees the Arabic version, we went out to a certain place, which was thought to be a place of prayer; to which may be added the Ethiopic version, and we thought there was prayer there; and that the Jews had their oratories, or prayer houses, is certain; (See Gill on Luke 6:12) and that these were without the cities, and in the fields, appears from a passage of Epiphanius f799 , who says, there were anciently places of prayer, both among the Jews, without the city, and among the Samaritans, there was a place of prayer at Sichem, which is now called Neapolis, without the city, in the field, about two stones distance, in form of a theatre, open to the air, and without covering, built by the Samaritans, who in all things imitated the Jews: and if these were commonly built by fountains and rivers, and as some think, in imitation of Isaac, who went out into the field, to meditate; which the Chaldee paraphrase renders, to pray; and is also in the same place said to come, as the Jerusalem paraphrase renders it, arabl to a well, or fountain, ( Genesis 24:62,63) then this clause may be rendered, where it was usual for a prayer house to be: and then the sense is, there being no synagogue in the city, the apostle and those with him went out of it, to the river side, to look out for a prayer house; where such places were wont to be built, and they accordingly found one: and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither ; who seem to have been Jewish women, who met here to attend public prayer, there being no religious worship of the true God in the city; and among these worshippers of God was Lydia, hereafter mentioned; and worship not being begun, the apostle and his companions sat down among them, and entered into some religious conversation with them, and took the opportunity of preaching the Gospel, which was what they wanted, and were seeking after.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 6-15 - The removals of ministers, and the dispensing the means of grace by them, are in particular under Divine conduct and direction. We mus follow Providence: and whatever we seek to do, if that suffer us not we ought to submit and believe to be for the best. People greatly nee help for their souls, it is their duty to look out for it, and to invite those among them who can help them. And God's calls must be complied with readily. A solemn assembly the worshippers of God mus have, if possible, upon the sabbath day. If we have not synagogues, we must be thankful for more private places, and resort to them; no forsaking the assembling together, as our opportunities are. Among the hearers of Paul was a woman, named Lydia. She had an honest calling which the historian notices to her praise. Yet though she had a callin to mind, she found time to improve advantages for her soul. It will no excuse us from religious duties, to say, We have a trade to mind; for have not we also a God to serve, and souls to look after? Religion doe not call us from our business in the world, but directs us in it Pride, prejudice, and sin shut out the truths of God, till his grac makes way for them into the understanding and affections; and the Lor alone can open the heart to receive and believe his word. We mus believe in Jesus Christ; there is no coming to God as a Father, but by the Son as Mediator.
Greek Textus Receptus
τη 3588 T-DSF τε 5037 PRT ημερα 2250 N-DSF των 3588 T-GPN σαββατων 4521 N-GPN εξηλθομεν 1831 5627 V-2AAI-1P εξω 1854 ADV της 3588 T-GSF πολεως 4172 N-GSF παρα 3844 PREP ποταμον 4215 N-ASM ου 3757 ADV ενομιζετο 3543 5712 V-IPI-3S προσευχη 4335 N-NSF ειναι 1511 5750 V-PXN και 2532 CONJ καθισαντες 2523 5660 V-AAP-NPM ελαλουμεν 2980 5707 V-IAI-1P ταις 3588 T-DPF συνελθουσαις 4905 5631 V-2AAP-DPF γυναιξιν 1135 N-DPF
Vincent's NT Word Studies
13. Out of the city (exw thv polewv). The best texts read pulhv, the gate.River. Probably the Gangas or Gangites.
Where prayer was wont to be made (ou enonizeto proseuch einai). The best texts read ejnomizomen proseuchn, where we supposed there was a place of prayer. The number of Jews in Philippi was small, since it was a military and not a mercantile city; consequently there was no synagogue, but only a proseucha, or praying-place, a slight structure, and often open to the sky. It was outside the gate, for the sake of retirement, and near a stream, because of the ablutions connected with the worship.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
16:13 {By a river side} (para potamon). The little river Gangites (or Gargites) was one mile west of the town. Philippi as a military outpost had few Jews. There was evidently no synagogue inside the city, but "without the gates" (exw tes pules) they had noticed an enclosure "where we supposed" (hou enomizomen, correct text, imperfect active), probably as they came into the city, "was a place of prayer" (proscucen einai). Infinitive with accusative of general reference in indirect discourse. proseuce is common in the LXX and the N.T. for the act of prayer as in #Ac 2:42 qen for a place of prayer either a synagogue (III Macc. 7:20) or more often an open air enclosure near the sea or a river where there was water for ceremonial ablutions. The word occurs also in heathen writers for a place of prayer (Schurer, _Jewish People_, Div. II, Vol. II, p. 69, Engl. Tr.). Deissmann (_Bible Studies_, p. 222) quotes an Egyptian inscription of the third century B.C. with this sense of the word and one from Panticapaeum on the Black Sea of the first century A.D. (_Light from the Ancient East_, p. 102). Juvenal (III. 296) has a sneering reference to the Jewish proseuca. Josephus (_Ant_. XIV. 10, 23) quotes a decree of Halicarnassus which allowed the Jews "to make their prayers (proseucas) on the seashore according to the custom of their fathers." There was a synagogue in Thessalonica, but apparently none in Amphipolis and Apollonia (#Ac 17:1). The rule of the rabbis required ten men to constitute a synagogue, but here were gathered only a group of women at the hour of prayer. In pioneer days in this country it was a common thing to preach under bush arbours in the open air. John Wesley and George Whitfield were great open air preachers. Paul did not have an inspiring beginning for his work in Europe, but he took hold where he could. The conjecture was correct. It was a place of prayer, but only a bunch of women had come together (tais sunelqousais gunaixin), excuse enough for not preaching to some preachers, but not to Paul and his party. The "man of Macedonia" turned out to be a group of women (Furneaux). Macedonian inscriptions show greater freedom for women in Macedonia than elsewhere at this time and confirm Luke's story of the activities of women in Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea. {We sat down and spake} (kaqisantes elaloumen). Having taken our seats (aorist active participle of kaqizw) we began to speak or preach (inchoative imperfect of lalew, often used for preaching). Sitting was the Jewish attitude for public speaking. It was not mere conversation, but more likely conversational preaching of an historical and expository character. Luke's use of the first person plural implies that each of the four (Paul, Silas, Timothy, Luke) preached in turn, with Paul as chief speaker.
