Acts 16 verses 25 - 26

Acts 16 verses 25 - 26

25   And having prayed toward midnight Paul and Silas praised God in a hymn. And the prisoners listened to them.

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

---------------------------------------

Retranslation (25):  “And having prayed toward midnight”: Paul and Silas, watching only for those things of God, and restraining themselves from watching the mortal sense of things, sing God’s praises! The praises of Truth! The praises of real Power! The praises of Love that harmonizes! 

And those prisoners that are in bondage, accustomed only to watching mortal mind’s pictures and listening only to mortal mind’s rationalizing, “listen” to those praises sung to God----intently!

Retranslation (26):  And suddenly, what had not been considered came into consciousness like an earthquake! (Removing mountains of disbelief in an instant!) 

Without the medium of matter,----without the intervention of another cause or means,-----without the delay or intervention of time, God is seen! God is seen as producing its effect by it own direct agency,-----not acting by second causes, but instant and present.

Prayer,-----the earnest, persistant watching: cognizing only good----opens the door, the portal, to reality. How?  By freeing it from the obstruction of material fascination: all mental bonds, all impediments to happiness and health are forever deserted and desisted in this manner. Reality is where all wealth resides, where everything useful and needed is eternally present.

------------------------------------------

prayed 4336 proserchomai, to pray to God, i.e. supplicate, worship:---pray (earnestly, for), make prayer.

midnight 3317 mesonyktion; midnight (esp. as a watch):---midnight.

Paul 3972, [one who silences mortal mind thoughts because he has seen the Truth.] 

Silas 4609 [Gr. for Aramaic Saul: H7586 saul, passive participle of 7592; asked; Shaul, the name of an Edomite and two Israelites:----Saul, Shaul.

H7592 saal, or sael, a primitive root; to inquire; by implication to request; by extension to demand:-----ask, ask counsel, ask on, beg, borrow, lay to charge, consult, demand, desire, earnestly, enquire, greet, obtain leave lend, pray, request, require, salute, straitly, surely, wish.

praised in a hymn 5214 hymneo, from 5215; to hymn, i.e. sing a religious ode; by implication to celebrate (God) in song:----sing an hymn (praise unto).

Prisoners 1198  desmios, from 1199; a captive (as bound):----in bonds, prisoner.

1199 desmon, neuter or masculine desmos, from 1210; a band, i.e. ligament (of the body) or shackle (of a prisoner); figuratively an impediment or disability:----band, bond, chain, string.

listened 1874 epakroaomai, from 1909 and the base of 202; to listen (intently) to:-----hear.

suddenly 869 aphno, adverb from 852 (contraction) unawares, i.e. unexpectedly:----suddenly.

852 aphanes, from G1 (as a negative particle) and 5316; non-apparent:----that is not manifest.

5316 phaino, prolonged for the base of 5457; to lighten (shine), i.e. show:---appear, seem, be seen, shine, think.

5457 phos, from phao (to shine or make manifest, esp. by rays); luminosity:----fire light.

earthquake 4578 seismos, a commotion, i.e. (of the air) a gale, (of the ground) an earthquake:----earthquake, tempest.

was 1096 ginomai, to cause to be (“gen”-erate), i.e. become, come into being:---be showed, . . .

great 3173 megas, big:-----exceedingly, greatest, mighty, . . .

so as 5620 hoste, so too, i.e. thus, therefore (in various relations of consecution, as follow):---insomuch as, so that then, insomuch that, wherefore, to.

to be shaken 4531 saleuo, from 4535; to waver, i.e. agitate, rock, topple or (by implication) destroy; figuratively to disturb, incite:----stir up, . . .

the foundations 2310 themelios, from a derivative of 5087; something put down, i.e. substructure (of a building, etc.)(lit. or fig.)-----foundation.

of the jail 1201 desmoterion, from a derivative of 1199 (equivalent to 1196); a place of bondage, i.e. a dungeon:-----prison.

Immediately 3916 parachrema, from 3844 and 5536 (in its original sense); at the thing itself, i.e. instantly:-----forthwith, immediately, presently, straightway, soon.

5536 chrema, something useful or needed, i.e. wealth, price:-----money, riches.

3844 para, near, i.e. from beside, at, in the vicinity of, on account of:----nigh unto, in, out of, with, . . .

immediately adv. (ibid.)

1. Without the intervention of any other cause or event; opposed to mediately. The transfer, whether accepted immediately by himself, or mediately by his agent, vests in him the property. Anon.
2. Instantly; at the present time; without delay, or the intervention of time. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will, be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Matt. viii.

all 3956 pas, all, any, every, the whole:----all manner, all means, always, any, any one, daily, ever, every one, every way, as many as, no, nothing, thoroughly, whatsoever, whole, whosoever.

doors 2374 thyra, a portal or entrance (the opening or the closure):----door, gate.

were opened 455 anoigo, from 303 and oigo (to open); to open up:----open.

opened pp. (ibid) Unclosed; unbarred; unsealed; uncovered; revealed; disclosed; made plain; freed from obstruction.

opener n. (ibid.) One that explains; an interpreter.

and all 3956 

of the bonds 1199, shackles,i.e. impediment, disability:--- bands, bonds, chains, strings.

were loosened 447 aniemi, from 303 and hiemi (to send); to let up, i.e. slacken, or desert, desist from:----forebear, leave, loose.