Did any prisoners escape when the earthquake opened the prison doors at Philippi?
No prisoners escaped. The earthquake opened the prison doors, yet the prisoners stayed inside. Paul and Silas assured the jailer, “We are all here; nobody has escaped.” The jailer had drawn his sword to kill himself because Roman law condemned a jailer who lost a prisoner.
Les explains that the earthquake opened the prison doors, but everything remained so intact that the prisoners did not lose their lives. They could have fled, but they did not; they all stayed right there in prison with the doors open. When the jailer awoke and saw the doors open, he drew his sword to kill himself, because under Roman law losing a prisoner meant he was a dead duck anyway. Paul and Silas called out, “Don’t do that, don’t kill yourself, we’re all here, nobody has escaped.” The jailer then called for a light, sprang in, came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas. Les suggests this jailer was a citizen of Philippi who may have witnessed the scourging of Paul and Silas and heard them preach in the street, so it was not totally new to him when they spoke with him.