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Acts 19

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Paul Encounters John's Disciples 1–7

1
And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, ​
2
He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. ​
3
And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. ​
4
Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. ​
5
When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ​
6
And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. ​
7
And all the men were about twelve.

Ministry in Ephesus and the Hall of Tyrannus 8–10

8
And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God. ​
9
But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus. ​
10
And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. ​

Miracles and the Sons of Sceva 11–20

11
And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: ​
12
So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. ​
13
Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. ​
14
And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. ​
15
And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? ​
16
And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
17
And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
18
And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. ​
19
Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. ​
20
So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.

Paul Plans Future Missions 21–22

21
After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome. ​
22
So he sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered unto him, Timotheus and Erastus; but he himself stayed in Asia for a season.

The Riot of the Silversmiths 23–41

23
And the same time there arose no small stir about that way. ​
24
For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen; ​
25
Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth.
26
Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands:
27
So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth.
28
And when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. ​
29
And the whole city was filled with confusion: and having caught Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul's companions in travel, they rushed with one accord into the theatre. ​
30
And when Paul would have entered in unto the people, the disciples suffered him not.
31
And certain of the chief of Asia, which were his friends, sent unto him, desiring him that he would not adventure himself into the theatre. ​
32
Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly was confused; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together.
33
And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made his defence unto the people. ​
34
But when they knew that he was a Jew, all with one voice about the space of two hours cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.
35
And when the townclerk had appeased the people, he said, Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is a worshipper of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter? ​
36
Seeing then that these things cannot be spoken against, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rashly.
37
For ye have brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of churches, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess. ​
38
Wherefore if Demetrius, and the craftsmen which are with him, have a matter against any man, the law is open, and there are deputies: let them implead one another.
39
But if ye enquire any thing concerning other matters, it shall be determined in a lawful assembly.
40
For we are in danger to be called in question for this day's uproar, there being no cause whereby we may give an account of this concourse. ​
41
And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly.

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Acts 19

Verse 1

the upper coasts — Anoterikos, the inland country, is found only here in the New Testament. Paul ‘passed through’ it to Ephesus, as he had promised in Acts 18:21, ‘I will return again unto you, if God will’. Apollos, who had been at Ephesus (18:24), is now at Corinth, where some say ‘I of Apollos’ (1 Cor 1:12).

Verse 2

Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? — The question is put to men called ‘disciples’ (v.1). Peter’s word at Pentecost gives the order: ‘Repent, and be baptized… and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost’ (Acts 2:38). John had said of Christ, ‘he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire’ (Matt 3:11).

Verse 3

Unto what then were ye baptized? — The question asks into what, eis ti, they were baptized; Matt 28:19 names it, ‘in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost’. They answer ‘Unto John’s baptism’, the one Apollos knew at Ephesus (Acts 18:25).

Verse 4

the baptism of repentance — Mark 1:4 gives John’s baptism the same description, ‘the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins’, and Paul describes it so at Antioch in Pisidia (Acts 13:24). John pointed beyond himself, ‘there cometh one after me’ (Acts 13:25), and Paul names that one here as ‘Christ Jesus’.

Verse 5

baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus — The same words stand of the Samaritans in Acts 8:16, and at Pentecost Peter calls for baptism ‘in the name of Jesus Christ’ (Acts 2:38). Paul’s question to the Corinthians, ‘were ye baptized in the name of Paul?’ (1 Cor 1:13), shows what the name decides.

Verse 6

laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them — The Spirit given with the laying on of hands is told also in Acts 8:17. ‘Spake with tongues’ recalls Acts 2:4, and ‘prophesied’ joins it as in Joel’s promise quoted in Acts 2:17, ‘your sons and your daughters shall prophesy’.

Verse 8

spake boldly for the space of three months — ‘Spake boldly’ is parrhesiazomai, the verb used of Apollos in Acts 18:26, and ‘disputing’ is dialegomai, ‘reasoned’ in 18:19. The subject, ‘the kingdom of God’, is what Paul teaches at the end of Acts, in 28:31, ‘Preaching the kingdom of God’.

Verse 9

the school of one Tyrannus — Schole is found only here in the New Testament. ‘Hardened’ is skleryno, the verb of Heb 3:8, ‘Harden not your hearts’. ‘Separated’ is aphorizo, used of Barnabas and Saul in Acts 13:2 and of Paul himself in Rom 1:1. ‘That way’ is the name for the faith, as in Acts 9:2.

Verse 10

all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word — The three months of v.8 and the two years here, with the ‘season’ of v.22, fall within the ‘three years’ of Acts 20:31. Asia is the province the Spirit had earlier forbidden Paul to enter (Acts 16:6). The pair recurs in v.17 and in Acts 20:21, ‘both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks’.

Verse 11

special miracles — ‘Special’ is ou tychousan, ‘not the common’, the phrase rendered ‘no little’ in Acts 28:2 (‘no little kindness’). ‘Miracles’ is dynameis, works of power. God is the one who ‘wrought’, ‘by the hands of Paul’, as ‘by the hands of the apostles’ signs and wonders were wrought in Acts 5:12.

Verse 12

handkerchiefs or aprons — Soudarion is the ‘napkin’ of Luke 19:20 and John 11:44; simikinthion, ‘aprons’, is found only here. The cloths work as the border of Christ’s garment did for the woman in Luke 8:44. Verse 11 gives the source: the miracles are what ‘God wrought’.

Verse 13

vagabond Jews, exorcists — ‘Vagabond’ is perierchomai, to go about, the verb of the women ‘wandering about from house to house’ in 1 Tim 5:13. ‘Exorcists’ (exorkistes) is found only here. ‘We adjure you’ is horkizo, the verb of Mark 5:7. They invoke ‘Jesus whom Paul preacheth’, the name taken from Paul’s preaching.

Verse 14

seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests — ‘Chief of the priests’ is archiereus, the word for the high priests of Jerusalem, as in Acts 4:6, ‘Annas the high priest’. Sceva is named only here. The sons ‘did so’, that is, attempted what v.13 describes.

Verse 15

Jesus I know, and Paul I know — Two different verbs: ‘Jesus I know’ is ginosko, ‘Paul I know’ is epistamai, to be acquainted with, the verb of ‘knowing only the baptism of John’ in Acts 18:25. The spirit’s knowledge of Jesus matches ‘I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God’ (Luke 4:34).

Verse 18

many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds — ‘Confessed’ is exomologeo, to acknowledge openly, the verb of those baptized by John, ‘confessing their sins’ (Matt 3:6). ‘Deeds’ is praxis, practices, the word of Rom 8:13, ‘the deeds of the body’. Ps 32:5 has the same movement: ‘I acknowledged my sin unto thee’.

Verse 19

curious arts — Perierga, overbusy things, is found only here and in 1 Tim 5:13, where it is ‘busybodies’. The law named such practices: ‘an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch’ (Deut 18:10). The burning of the books matches Deut 7:25, ‘The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire’.

Verse 21

Paul purposed in the spirit — The phrase stands with ‘pressed in the spirit’ (Acts 18:5) and ‘bound in the spirit’ (20:22). ‘Must’ is dei, and the Lord confirms it in 23:11, ‘so must thou bear witness also at Rome’. ‘Passed through’ (dierchomai) is the verb of v.1.

Verse 23

no small stir about that way — ‘Stir’ is tarachos, found elsewhere only in Acts 12:18, ‘no small stir among the soldiers’. ‘No small’ recurs in v.24, ‘no small gain’. ‘That way’ is the name for the faith that appears in v.9 and again in Acts 24:22. Paul speaks of ‘our trouble which came to us in Asia’ in 2 Cor 1:8.

Verse 24

Demetrius, a silversmith — Argyropoios, found only here. ‘Gain’ is ergasia, the word of Acts 16:16 and 16:19, where the owners of the girl with the spirit of divination lose ‘the hope of their gains’. ‘Shrines’ (naos) is the word usually rendered ‘temple’.

Verse 28

Great is Diana of the Ephesians — The cry is repeated in v.34. ‘Diana’ is the Latin name for the goddess the Greek calls Artemis. The silver shrines of v.24 are what Ps 115:4 calls ‘the work of men’s hands’, and Ps 48:1 gives the other cry, ‘Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised’.

Verse 29

Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia — Aristarchus is ‘of the Thessalonians’ in Acts 20:4, sails with Paul in 27:2 and is called ‘my fellowprisoner’ in Col 4:10. ‘Companions in travel’ (synekdemos) is found only here and in 2 Cor 8:19. ‘Theatre’ (theatron) is the word behind ‘spectacle’ in 1 Cor 4:9.

Verse 31

the chief of Asia — Asiarches is found only here. They are called ‘friends’ (philos) of Paul. The disciples had already ‘suffered him not’ when he ‘would have entered in unto the people’ (v.30), and the request of these officials is the same, that he not give himself to the theatre.

Verse 33

Alexander… the Jews putting him forward — An Alexander is named with Hymenaeus in 1 Tim 1:20 and as ‘the coppersmith’ in 2 Tim 4:14; the text does not say whether any of them is this man. ‘Beckoned’ (kataseio) is used of Peter (Acts 12:17) and Paul (13:16; 21:40), and ‘made his defence’ is apologeomai, the verb of Acts 25:8, ‘he answered for himself’.

Verse 35

the townclerk — Grammateus, the word elsewhere rendered ‘scribe’. ‘Worshipper’ (neokoros), literally a temple-keeper, and ‘the image which fell down from Jupiter’ (diopetes) are each found only here. He answers the cry of v.28, calling her ‘the great goddess Diana’.

Verse 37

robbers of churches — Hierosylos, a temple-robber, is found only here; its verb is in Rom 2:22, ‘dost thou commit sacrilege?’, so ‘churches’ here means temples. ‘Blasphemers’ is blasphemeo. Paul’s own plea at Caesarea is in the same terms: ‘Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar’ (Acts 25:8).

Verse 40

in danger to be called in question for this day’s uproar — ‘Uproar’ is stasis, a riot or sedition, the word of Acts 24:5. ‘Concourse’ (systrophe) is found only here and in Acts 23:12, of the Jews who ‘banded together’ against Paul. ‘Give an account’ translates apodidomi logon, the idiom of Luke 16:2, ‘give an account of thy stewardship’.