Acts 19:1-23

Disciples of John the Baptist at Ephesus

19:1 While ¹  Apollos was in Corinth, ²  Paul went through the inland ³  regions ⁴  and came to Ephesus. ⁵  He ⁶  found some disciples there ⁷  19:2 and said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” ⁸  They replied, ⁹  “No, we have not even ¹⁰  heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 19:3 So Paul ¹¹  said, “Into what then were you baptized?” “Into John’s baptism,” they replied. ¹²  19:4 Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, ¹³  that is, in Jesus.” 19:5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, 19:6 and when Paul placed ¹⁴  his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came ¹⁵  upon them, and they began to speak ¹⁶  in tongues and to prophesy. ¹⁷  19:7 (Now there were about twelve men in all.) ¹⁸ 

Paul Continues to Minister at Ephesus

19:8 So Paul ¹⁹  entered ²⁰  the synagogue ²¹  and spoke out fearlessly ²²  for three months, addressing ²³  and convincing ²⁴  them about the kingdom of God. ²⁵  19:9 But when ²⁶  some were stubborn ²⁷  and refused to believe, reviling ²⁸  the Way ²⁹  before the congregation, he left ³⁰  them and took the disciples with him, ³¹  addressing ³²  them every day ³³  in the lecture hall ³⁴  of Tyrannus. 19:10 This went on for two years, so that all who lived in the province of Asia, ³⁵  both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord. ³⁶ 

The Seven Sons of Sceva

19:11 God was performing extraordinary ³⁷  miracles by Paul’s hands, 19:12 so that when even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his body ³⁸  were brought ³⁹  to the sick, their diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. ⁴⁰  19:13 But some itinerant ⁴¹  Jewish exorcists tried to invoke the name ⁴²  of the Lord Jesus over those who were possessed by ⁴³  evil spirits, saying, “I sternly warn ⁴⁴  you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 19:14 (Now seven sons of a man named ⁴⁵  Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this.) ⁴⁶  19:15 But the evil spirit replied to them, ⁴⁷  “I know about Jesus ⁴⁸  and I am acquainted with ⁴⁹  Paul, but who are you?” ⁵⁰  19:16 Then the man who was possessed by ⁵¹  the evil spirit jumped on ⁵²  them and beat them all into submission. ⁵³  He prevailed ⁵⁴  against them so that they fled from that house naked and wounded. 19:17 This became known to all who lived in Ephesus, ⁵⁵  both Jews and Greeks; fear came over ⁵⁶  them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was praised. ⁵⁷  19:18 Many of those who had believed came forward, ⁵⁸  confessing and making their deeds known. ⁵⁹  19:19 Large numbers ⁶⁰  of those who had practiced magic ⁶¹  collected their books ⁶²  and burned them up in the presence of everyone. ⁶³  When ⁶⁴  the value of the books was added up, it was found to total fifty thousand silver coins. ⁶⁵  19:20 In this way the word of the Lord ⁶⁶  continued to grow in power ⁶⁷  and to prevail. ⁶⁸ 

A Riot in Ephesus

19:21 Now after all these things had taken place, ⁶⁹  Paul resolved ⁷⁰  to go to Jerusalem, ⁷¹  passing through Macedonia ⁷²  and Achaia. ⁷³  He said, ⁷⁴  “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” ⁷⁵  19:22 So after sending ⁷⁶  two of his assistants, ⁷⁷  Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, ⁷⁸  he himself stayed on for a while in the province of Asia. ⁷⁹ 

19:23 At ⁸⁰  that time ⁸¹  a great disturbance ⁸²  took place concerning the Way. ⁸³ 

[19:1]  ¹ tn Grk “It happened that while.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[19:1]  ² map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[19:1]  ³ tn Or “interior.”

[19:1]  ⁴ tn BDAG 92 s.v. ἀνωτερικός has “upper τὰ ἀ. μέρη the upper (i.e. inland) country, the interior Ac 19:1.”

[19:1]  ⁵ map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[19:1]  ⁶ tn Grk “and found.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the sequencing with the following verse the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[19:1]  ⁷ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[19:2]  ⁸ tn The participle πιστεύσαντες (pisteusante") is taken temporally.

[19:2]  ⁹ tn Grk “they [said] to him” (the word “said” is implied in the Greek text).

[19:2]  ¹⁰ tn This use of ἀλλά (alla) is ascensive and involves an ellipsis (BDAG 45 s.v. ἀλλά 3): “No, [not only did we not receive the Spirit,] but also we have not heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” However, this is lengthy and somewhat awkward in English, and the ascensive meaning can be much more easily represented by including the word “even” after the negation. Apparently these disciples were unaware of the provision of the Spirit that is represented in baptism. The language sounds like they did not know about a Holy Spirit, but this seems to be only linguistic shorthand for not knowing about the Spirit’s presence (Luke 3:15-18). The situation is parallel to that of Apollos. Apollos and these disciples represent those who “complete” their transition to messianic faith as Jews.

[19:3]  ¹¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:3]  ¹² tn Grk “they said.”

[19:4]  ¹³ sn These disciples may have had their contact with John early on in the Baptist’s ministry before Jesus had emerged. This is the fifth time Luke links John the Baptist and Jesus (Acts 1:5; 11:16; 13:25; 18:25).

[19:6]  ¹⁴ tn Or “laid.”

[19:6]  ¹⁵ sn The coming of the Holy Spirit here is another case where the Spirit comes and prophesy results in Acts (see Acts 2). Paul’s action parallels that of Peter (Acts 8) and not just with Gentiles.

[19:6]  ¹⁶ tn The imperfect verb ἐλάλουν (elaloun) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[19:6]  ¹⁷ tn The imperfect verb ἐπροφήτευον (eprofhteuon) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[19:7]  ¹⁸ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[19:8]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:8]  ²⁰ tn Grk “So entering the synagogue, he spoke out fearlessly.” The participle εἰσελθών (eiselqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[19:8]  ²¹ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[19:8]  ²² tn Or “boldly.”

[19:8]  ²³ tn Although the word διελέξατο (dielexato; from διαλέγομαι, dialegomai) is frequently translated “reasoned,” “disputed,” or “argued,” this sense comes from its classical meaning where it was used of philosophical disputation, including the Socratic method of questions and answers. However, there does not seem to be contextual evidence for this kind of debate in Acts 19:8. As G. Schrenk (TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21.

[19:8]  ²⁴ tn Or “addressing them persuasively.” The two participles διαλεγόμενος and πείθων (dialegomeno" and peiqwn) can be understood as a hendiadys (so NIV, NRSV), thus, “addressing them persuasively.”

[19:8]  ²⁵ sn To talk about Jesus as the Christ who has come is to talk about the kingdom of God. This is yet another summary of the message like that in 18:28.

[19:9]  ²⁶ tn BDAG 1105-6 s.v. ὡς 8.b lists this use as a temporal conjunction.

[19:9]  ²⁷ tn Or “some became hardened.” See BDAG 930 s.v. σκληρύνω b and Acts 7:51-53.

[19:9]  ²⁸ tn Or “speaking evil of.” BDAG 500 s.v. κακολογέω has “speak evil of, revile, insult…τὶ someth. τὴν ὁδόν the Way (i.e. Christian way of life) Ac 19:9.”

[19:9]  ²⁹ sn The Way refers to the Christian movement (Christianity). Luke frequently refers to it as “the Way” (Acts 9:2; 18:25-26; 19:23; 22:4; 24:14, 22).

[19:9]  ³⁰ tn Grk “leaving them, he took.” The participle ἀποστάς (apostas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[19:9]  ³¹ tn The words “with him” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[19:9]  ³² tn Although the word διελέξατο (dielexato; from διαλέγομαι, dialegomai) is frequently translated “reasoned,” “disputed,” or “argued,” this sense comes from its classical meaning where it was used of philosophical disputation, including the Socratic method of questions and answers. However, there does not seem to be contextual evidence for this kind of debate in Acts 19:9. As G. Schrenk (TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21.

[19:9]  ³³ tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.

[19:9]  ³⁴ tn The “lecture hall” was a place where teachers and pupils met. The term is a NT hapax legomenon (BDAG 982 s.v. σχολή). L&N 7.14 notes, “it is better to use a translation such as ‘lecture hall’ rather than ‘school,’ since one does not wish to give the impression of the typical classroom situation characteristic of present-day schools.”

[19:10]  ³⁵ tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.

[19:10]  ³⁶ sn The word of the Lord is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rJhma tou kuriou; Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logo" tou kuriou; here and in Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 16:32; 19:20; 1 Thess 1:8, 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said.

[19:11]  ³⁷ tn BDAG 1019 s.v. τυγχάνω 2.d states, “δυνάμεις οὐ τὰς τυχούσας extraordinary miracles Ac 19:11.”

[19:12]  ³⁸ tn Or “skin” (the outer surface of the body).

[19:12]  ³⁹ tn Or “were taken.” It might be that as word went out into the region that since the sick could not come to Paul, healing was brought to them this way. The “handkerchiefs” are probably face cloths for wiping perspiration (see BDAG 934 s.v. σουδάριον) while the “aprons” might be material worn by workmen (BDAG 923-24 s.v. σιμικίνθιον).

[19:12]  ⁴⁰ tn The words “of them” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[19:13]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “some Jewish exorcists who traveled about.” The adjectival participle περιερχομένων (periercomenwn) has been translated as “itinerant.”

[19:13]  ⁴² tn Grk “to name the name.”

[19:13]  ⁴³ tn Grk “who had.” Here ἔχω (ecw) is used of demon possession, a common usage according to BDAG 421 s.v. ἔχω 7.a.α.

[19:13]  ⁴⁴ sn The expression I sternly warn you means “I charge you as under oath.”

[19:14]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “a certain Sceva.”

[19:14]  ⁴⁶ sn Within the sequence of the narrative, this amounts to a parenthetical note by the author.

[19:15]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “answered and said to them.” The expression, redundant in English, has been simplified to “replied.”

[19:15]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “Jesus I know about.” Here ᾿Ιησοῦν (Ihsoun) is in emphatic position in Greek, but placing the object first is not normal in contemporary English style.

[19:15]  ⁴⁹ tn BDAG 380 s.v. ἐπίσταμαι 2 has “know, be acquainted with τινά…τὸν Παῦλον Ac 19:15.” Here the translation “be acquainted with” was used to differentiate from the previous phrase which has γινώσκω (ginwskw).

[19:15]  ⁵⁰ sn But who are you? This account shows how the power of Paul was so distinct that parallel claims to access that power were denied. In fact, such manipulation, by those who did not know Jesus, was judged (v. 16). The indirect way in which the exorcists made the appeal shows their distance from Jesus.

[19:16]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “in whom the evil spirit was.”

[19:16]  ⁵² tn Grk “the man in whom the evil spirit was, jumping on them.” The participle ἐφαλόμενος (efalomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. L&N 15.239 has “ἐφαλόμενος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐπ᾿ αὐτούς ‘the man jumped on them’ Ac 19:16.”

[19:16]  ⁵³ tn Grk “and beating them all into submission.” The participle κατακυριεύσας (katakurieusa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. According to W. Foerster, TDNT 3:1098, the word means “the exercise of dominion against someone, i.e., to one’s own advantage.” These exorcists were shown to be powerless in comparison to Jesus who was working through Paul.

[19:16]  ⁵⁴ tn BDAG 484 s.v. ἰσχύω 3 has “win out, prevail…κατά τινος over, against someone Ac 19:16.”

[19:17]  ⁵⁵ map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[19:17]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “fell on.” BDAG 377 s.v. ἐπιπίπτω 2 has “φόβος ἐ. ἐπί τινα fear came upon someone…Ac 19:17.”

[19:17]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “exalted.”

[19:18]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “came”; the word “forward” is supplied in the translation to clarify the meaning and to conform to the contemporary English idiom.

[19:18]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “confessing and disclosing their deeds.” BDAG 59 s.v. ἀναγγέλλω 2 has “W. ἐξομολογεῖσθαι: ἀ. τὰς πράξεις αὐτο'ν make their deeds known Ac 19:18.”

[19:19]  ⁶⁰ tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 4.a has “many, quite a few” for ἱκανοί (Jikanoi) in this verse.

[19:19]  ⁶¹ tn On this term see BDAG 800 s.v. περίεργος 2.

[19:19]  ⁶² tn Or “scrolls.”

[19:19]  ⁶³ tn Or “burned them up publicly.” L&N 14.66 has “‘they brought their books together and burned them up in the presence of everyone’ Ac 19:19.”

[19:19]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “and when.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[19:19]  ⁶⁵ tn Or “fifty thousand silver drachmas” (about $10,000 US dollars). BDAG 128 s.v. ἀργύριον 2.c states, “ἀργυρίου μυριάδας πέντε 50,000 (Attic silver) drachmas Ac 19:19.” Another way to express the value would be in sheep: One drachma could buy one sheep. So this many drachmas could purchase a huge flock of sheep. A drachma also equals a denarius, or a day’s wage for the average worker. So this amount would be equal to 50,000 work days or in excess of 8,300 weeks of labor (the weeks are calculated at six working days because of the Jewish cultural context). The impact of Christianity on the Ephesian economy was considerable (note in regard to this the concerns expressed in 19:26-27).

[19:20]  ⁶⁶ sn The word of the Lord is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rJhma tou kuriou; Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logo" tou kuriou; here and in Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 16:32; 19:10; 1 Thess 1:8, 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said.

[19:20]  ⁶⁷ tn The imperfect verb ηὔξανεν (huxanen) has been translated as a progressive imperfect, as has the following verb ἴσχυεν (iscuen).

[19:20]  ⁶⁸ sn The word of the Lord…to prevail. Luke portrays the impact of Christianity in terms of the Lord’s transforming power in the lives of individuals.

[19:21]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “all these things had been fulfilled.”

[19:21]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “Paul purposed in [his] spirit” (an idiom). According to BDAG 1003 s.v. τίθημι 1.b.ε the entire idiom means “to resolve” (or “decide”): “ἔθετο ὁ Παῦλος ἐν τῷ πνεύματι w. inf. foll. Paul resolved 19:21.”

[19:21]  ⁷¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[19:21]  ⁷² sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[19:21]  ⁷³ sn Achaia was the Roman province of Achaia located across the Aegean Sea from Ephesus. Its principal city was Corinth.

[19:21]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “Achaia, saying.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the awkwardness in English of having two participial clauses following one another (“passing through…saying”), the participle εἰπών (eipwn) has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence begun here in the translation.

[19:21]  ⁷⁵ sn This is the first time Paul mentions Rome. He realized the message of Christianity could impact that society even at its heights.

[19:22]  ⁷⁶ tn The aorist participle ἀποστείλας (aposteila") has been taken temporally reflecting action antecedent to that of the main verb (ἐπέσχεν, epescen).

[19:22]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “two of those who ministered to him.”

[19:22]  ⁷⁸ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[19:22]  ⁷⁹ tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.

[19:23]  ⁸⁰ tn Grk “There happened at that time.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated. Instead the verb “took place” has been supplied in the translation.

[19:23]  ⁸¹ tn BDAG 512 s.v. κατά B.2.a, “in definite indications of time…Of the past: κ. ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρόν at that time, then…Ac 12:1; 19:23.”

[19:23]  ⁸² tn Grk “no little disturbance” (an idiom; see BDAG 991 s.v. τάραχος 2).

[19:23]  ⁸³ sn The Way refers to the Christian movement (Christianity).