Acts 16:7

Mysia. See Additional Note at end of chapter.

Assayed. An archaic expression meaning “attempted” (cf. ch. 9:26).

Bithynia. Bithynia, lying to the north of Paul’s route, had large towns such as Nicomedia and Nicaea and a considerable Jewish population. It was natural that Paul and his party should wish to work there next. But the Lord had other plans for His willing, obedient servants, and they were led, not to the north, but to the west (see Additional Note at end of chapter). There is no record of any work they did on this stage of their journey, and probably they passed through only some unimportant villages.

Spirit. Textual evidence attests (cf. p. 10) the reading “Spirit of Jesus.” This confirms the view that the Spirit stands in the same relation to the Son as to the Father, and may therefore be spoken of as either the Spirit of God, or of Christ, or of Jesus (cf. on Rom. 8:9).

Suffered them not. That is, did not allow them. It is possible that Peter worked in “Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,” for it is to those converted in these regions that he wrote his first epistle (1 Peter 1:1). A likely time for this ministry was after his “dissimulation” at Antioch (Gal. 2:11-16). Therefore some have suggested the possibility that while Paul was working in Phrygia, on his way to Europe, and Barnabas, who had also “dissembled” (Gal. 2:13), was preaching in Cyprus (Acts 15:39), Peter could well have been working in the very regions, including North Galatia, from which the Spirit was now excluding Paul. To what extent Paul and Peter at this moment had accommodated their differences is not known. But these two great men of God were perhaps saved the pain of further misunderstanding by being kept from meeting again in the “mission field”; and Paul was able to say that he had avoided building on another man’s foundation (Rom. 15:20). However this may be, the main reason for the prohibition to work Bithynia and Asia seems to have been the divine purpose that the gospel should be carried into Europe at this time.