Note 2 at Acts 16:24: The stocks were a Roman instrument of torture which not only had holes for the head and arms but also multiple holes for the legs so that they could be forced widely apart into painful positions. The discomfort and pain of the stocks coupled with the pain from the many stripes, gave Paul and Silas more reasons to complain than what most people have today, and yet they chose to pray and sing praises to God (see note 2 at Jn. 14:1, p. 490).