Acts 19:12

19:12 so that when even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his body ¹  were brought ²  to the sick, their diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. ³ 

Acts 20:35

20:35 By all these things, ⁴  I have shown you that by working in this way we must help ⁵  the weak, ⁶  and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” ⁷ 

[19:12]  ¹ tn Or “skin” (the outer surface of the body).

[19:12]  ² 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]  ³ tn The words “of them” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[20:35]  ⁴ sn The expression By all these things means “In everything I did.”

[20:35]  ⁵ tn Or “must assist.”

[20:35]  ⁶ tn Or “the sick.” See Eph 4:28.

[20:35]  ⁷ sn The saying is similar to Matt 10:8. Service and generosity should be abundant. Interestingly, these exact words are not found in the gospels. Paul must have known of this saying from some other source.