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Acts 16 · a question people ask

"they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia" (16:6). How were they forbidden, and why?

In the text

The chapter doesn't say how, or why. It says they "were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia" (16:6), and that "they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit didn’t allow them" (16:7). Then it tells where they went: "Passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas." (16:8). After that comes the vision in the night (16:9). These notes don't say how the Spirit forbade them or didn't allow them, and don't take the vision of 16:9 as the answer.

The verses

“When they had gone through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. When they had come opposite Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit didn’t allow them. Passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. A vision appeared to Paul in the night. There was a man of Macedonia standing, begging him and saying, “Come over into Macedonia and help us.””
Acts 16:6-9 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of Acts 16

Acts 16: What must I do to be saved?

Before the jailer ever asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (16:30), a girl had cried for many days that these men "proclaim to us a way of salvation" (16:17). The answer came in one line: "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved" (16:31).

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Last reviewed October 7, 2026. Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions