Acts 19:9-23

19:9 But when ¹  some were stubborn ²  and refused to believe, reviling ³  the Way ⁴  before the congregation, he left ⁵  them and took the disciples with him, ⁶  addressing ⁷  them every day ⁸  in the lecture hall ⁹  of Tyrannus. 19:10 This went on for two years, so that all who lived in the province of Asia, ¹⁰  both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord. ¹¹ 

The Seven Sons of Sceva

19:11 God was performing extraordinary ¹²  miracles by Paul’s hands, 19:12 so that when even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his body ¹³  were brought ¹⁴  to the sick, their diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. ¹⁵  19:13 But some itinerant ¹⁶  Jewish exorcists tried to invoke the name ¹⁷  of the Lord Jesus over those who were possessed by ¹⁸  evil spirits, saying, “I sternly warn ¹⁹  you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 19:14 (Now seven sons of a man named ²⁰  Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this.) ²¹  19:15 But the evil spirit replied to them, ²²  “I know about Jesus ²³  and I am acquainted with ²⁴  Paul, but who are you?” ²⁵  19:16 Then the man who was possessed by ²⁶  the evil spirit jumped on ²⁷  them and beat them all into submission. ²⁸  He prevailed ²⁹  against them so that they fled from that house naked and wounded. 19:17 This became known to all who lived in Ephesus, ³⁰  both Jews and Greeks; fear came over ³¹  them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was praised. ³²  19:18 Many of those who had believed came forward, ³³  confessing and making their deeds known. ³⁴  19:19 Large numbers ³⁵  of those who had practiced magic ³⁶  collected their books ³⁷  and burned them up in the presence of everyone. ³⁸  When ³⁹  the value of the books was added up, it was found to total fifty thousand silver coins. ⁴⁰  19:20 In this way the word of the Lord ⁴¹  continued to grow in power ⁴²  and to prevail. ⁴³ 

A Riot in Ephesus

19:21 Now after all these things had taken place, ⁴⁴  Paul resolved ⁴⁵  to go to Jerusalem, ⁴⁶  passing through Macedonia ⁴⁷  and Achaia. ⁴⁸  He said, ⁴⁹  “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” ⁵⁰  19:22 So after sending ⁵¹  two of his assistants, ⁵²  Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, ⁵³  he himself stayed on for a while in the province of Asia. ⁵⁴ 

19:23 At ⁵⁵  that time ⁵⁶  a great disturbance ⁵⁷  took place concerning the Way. ⁵⁸ 

[19:9]  ¹ tn BDAG 1105-6 s.v. ὡς 8.b lists this use as a temporal conjunction.

[19:9]  ² tn Or “some became hardened.” See BDAG 930 s.v. σκληρύνω b and Acts 7:51-53.

[19:9]  ³ 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]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn The words “with him” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[19:9]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.

[19:9]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹⁹ tn BDAG 1019 s.v. τυγχάνω 2.d states, “δυνάμεις οὐ τὰς τυχούσας extraordinary miracles Ac 19:11.”

[19:12]  ²⁸ tn Or “skin” (the outer surface of the body).

[19:12]  ²⁹ 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]  ³⁰ tn The words “of them” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[19:13]  ³⁷ tn Grk “some Jewish exorcists who traveled about.” The adjectival participle περιερχομένων (periercomenwn) has been translated as “itinerant.”

[19:13]  ³⁸ tn Grk “to name the name.”

[19:13]  ³⁹ 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]  ⁴⁰ sn The expression I sternly warn you means “I charge you as under oath.”

[19:14]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “a certain Sceva.”

[19:14]  ⁴⁷ sn Within the sequence of the narrative, this amounts to a parenthetical note by the author.

[19:15]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “answered and said to them.” The expression, redundant in English, has been simplified to “replied.”

[19:15]  ⁵⁶ 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]  ⁵⁷ 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]  ⁵⁸ 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]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “in whom the evil spirit was.”

[19:16]  ⁶⁵ 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]  ⁶⁶ 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]  ⁶⁷ tn BDAG 484 s.v. ἰσχύω 3 has “win out, prevail…κατά τινος over, against someone Ac 19:16.”

[19:17]  ⁷³ map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[19:17]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “fell on.” BDAG 377 s.v. ἐπιπίπτω 2 has “φόβος ἐ. ἐπί τινα fear came upon someone…Ac 19:17.”

[19:17]  ⁷⁵ tn Or “exalted.”

[19:18]  ⁸² 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]  ⁸³ 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]  ⁹¹ tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 4.a has “many, quite a few” for ἱκανοί (Jikanoi) in this verse.

[19:19]  ⁹² tn On this term see BDAG 800 s.v. περίεργος 2.

[19:19]  ⁹³ tn Or “scrolls.”

[19:19]  ⁹⁴ 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]  ⁹⁵ 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]  ⁹⁶ 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]  ¹⁰⁰ 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]  ¹⁰¹ tn The imperfect verb ηὔξανεν (huxanen) has been translated as a progressive imperfect, as has the following verb ἴσχυεν (iscuen).

[19:20]  ¹⁰² 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]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Grk “all these things had been fulfilled.”

[19:21]  ¹¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[19:21]  ¹¹² sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[19:21]  ¹¹³ sn Achaia was the Roman province of Achaia located across the Aegean Sea from Ephesus. Its principal city was Corinth.

[19:21]  ¹¹⁴ 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]  ¹¹⁵ 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]  ¹¹⁸ tn The aorist participle ἀποστείλας (aposteila") has been taken temporally reflecting action antecedent to that of the main verb (ἐπέσχεν, epescen).

[19:22]  ¹¹⁹ tn Grk “two of those who ministered to him.”

[19:22]  ¹²⁰ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[19:22]  ¹²¹ 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]  ¹²⁷ 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]  ¹²⁸ 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]  ¹²⁹ tn Grk “no little disturbance” (an idiom; see BDAG 991 s.v. τάραχος 2).

[19:23]  ¹³⁰ sn The Way refers to the Christian movement (Christianity).