Acts 19:24–28

19:24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines84 of Artemis,85 brought a great deal86 of business87 to the craftsmen. 19:25 He gathered88 these89 together, along with the workmen in similar trades,90 and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity91 comes from this business. 19:26 And you see and hear that this Paul has persuaded92 and turned away93 a large crowd,94 not only in Ephesus95 but in practically all of the province of Asia,96 by saying97 that gods made by hands are not gods at all.98 19:27 There is danger not only that this business of ours will come into disrepute,99 but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis100 will be regarded as nothing,101 and she whom all the province of Asia102 and the world worship will suffer the loss of her greatness.”103

19:28 When104 they heard105 this they became enraged106 and began to shout,107 “Great is Artemis108 of the Ephesians!”

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84	tn BDAG 665 s.v. ναός 1.a states, “Specif. of temples: of replicas of the temple of Artemis at Ephesus 19:24 … but here, near ἱερόν vs. 27 … ναός can be understood in the more restricted sense shrine, where the image of the goddess stood.”
85	sn Artemis was the name of a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus.
86	tn Grk “brought not a little business” (an idiom).
87	sn A great deal of business. The charge that Christianity brought economic and/or social upheaval was made a number of times in Acts: 16:20–21; 17:6–7; 18:13.
88	tn Grk “gathering.” The participle συναθροίσας (sunathroisas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
89	tn Grk “whom”; because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been replaced with a pronoun (“these”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.
90	sn Workmen in similar trades. In effect, Demetrius gathered the Ephesian chamber of commerce together to hear about the threat to their prosperity.
91	tn Another possible meaning is “that this business is an easy way for us to earn a living.”
92	tn Grk “persuading.” The participle πείσας (peisas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
93	tn Or “misled.”
94	tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 3.a has “of pers. ὄχλος a large crowd … Ac 11:24, 26; 19:26.”
95	map For location see JP1-D2; JP2-D2; JP3-D2; JP4-D2.
96	tn Grk “Asia”; see the note on this word in v. 22.
97	tn The participle λέγων (legōn) has been regarded as indicating instrumentality.
98	tn The words “at all” are not in the Greek text but are implied. sn Gods made by hands are not gods at all. Paul preached against paganism’s idolatry. Here is a one-line summary of a speech like that in Acts 17:22–31.
99	tn Or “come under public criticism.” BDAG 101 s.v. ἀπελεγμός has “come into disrepute Ac 19:27.”
100	sn Artemis was the name of a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus.
101	tn BDAG 597 s.v. λογίζομαι 1.b has “εἰς οὐθὲν λογισθῆναι be looked upon as nothing … Ac 19:27.”
102	tn Grk “Asia”; see the note on this word in v. 22.
103	tn Or “her magnificence.” BDAG 488 s.v. καθαιρέω 2.b has “καθαιρεῖσθαι τῆς μεγαλειότητος αὐτῆς suffer the loss of her magnificence Ac 19:27”; L&N 13.38 has “ ‘and to have her greatness done away with’ Ac 19:27.” sn Suffer the loss of her greatness. It is important to appreciate that money alone was not the issue, even for the pagan Ephesians. The issue was ultimately the dishonor of their goddess to whom they were devoted in worship. The battle was a “cosmic” one between deities.
104	tn Grk “And when.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
105	tn Grk “And hearing.” The participle ἀκούσαντες (akousantes) has been taken temporally.
106	tn Grk “they became filled with rage” (an idiom). The reaction of the Ephesians here is like that of the Jews earlier, though Luke referred to “zeal” or “jealousy” in the former case (Acts 7:54).
107	tn Grk “and began shouting, saying.” The imperfect verb ἔκραζον (ekrazon) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect. The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
108	sn Artemis was a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus.

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