Acts 19:8–20

Paul Continues to Minister at Ephesus

19:8 So Paul19 entered20 the synagogue21 and spoke out fearlessly22 for three months, addressing23 and convincing24 them about the kingdom of God.25 19:9 But when26 some were stubborn27 and refused to believe, reviling28 the Way29 before the congregation, he left30 them and took the disciples with him,31 addressing32 them every day33 in the lecture hall34 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 extraordinary37 miracles by Paul’s hands, 19:12 so that when even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his body38 were brought39 to the sick, their diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.40 19:13 But some itinerant41 Jewish exorcists tried to invoke the name42 of the Lord Jesus over those who were possessed by43 evil spirits, saying, “I sternly warn44 you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 19:14 (Now seven sons of a man named45 Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this.)46 19:15 But the evil spirit replied to them,47 “I know about Jesus48 and I am acquainted with49 Paul, but who are you?”50 19:16 Then the man who was possessed by51 the evil spirit jumped on52 them and beat them all into submission.53 He prevailed54 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 over56 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 numbers60 of those who had practiced magic61 collected their books62 and burned them up in the presence of everyone.63 When64 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 Lord66 continued to grow in power67 and to prevail.68

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19	tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
20	tn Grk “So entering the synagogue, he spoke out fearlessly.” The participle εἰσελθών (eiselthōn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
21	sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.
22	tn Or “boldly.”
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.
24	tn Or “addressing them persuasively.” The two participles διαλεγόμενος and πείθων (dialegomenos and peithōn) can be understood as a hendiadys (so NIV, NRSV), thus, “addressing them persuasively.”
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.
26	tn BDAG 1105–6 s.v. ὡς 8.b lists this use as a temporal conjunction.
27	tn Or “some became hardened.” See BDAG 930 s.v. σκληρύνω b and Acts 7:51–53.
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.”
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).
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.
31	tn The words “with him” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
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.
33	tn BDAG 437 s.v. ῥμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.
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.”
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. sn The expression all who lived in the province of Asia is good Semitic hyperbole (see Col 1:7, “all the world”). The message was now available to the region.
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 (rhēma tou kuriou; Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logos 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.
37	tn BDAG 1019 s.v. τυγχάνω 2.d states, “δυνάμεις οὐ τὰς τυχούσας extraordinary miracles Ac 19:11.”
38	tn Or “skin” (the outer surface of the body).
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).
40	tn The words “of them” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
41	tn Grk “some Jewish exorcists who traveled about.” The adjectival participle περιερχομένων (perierchomenōn) has been translated as “itinerant.”
42	tn Grk “to name the name.”
43	tn Grk “who had.” Here ἔχω (echō) is used of demon possession, a common usage according to BDAG 421 s.v. ἔχω 7.a.α.
44	sn The expression I sternly warn you means “I charge you as under oath.”
45	tn Grk “a certain Sceva.”
46	sn Within the sequence of the narrative, this amounts to a parenthetical note by the author.
47	tn Grk “answered and said to them.” The expression, redundant in English, has been simplified to “replied.”
48	tn Grk “Jesus I know about.” Here Ἰησοῦν (Iēsoun) is in emphatic position in Greek, but placing the object first is not normal in contemporary English style.
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 (ginōskō).
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.
51	tn Grk “in whom the evil spirit was.”
52	tn Grk “the man in whom the evil spirit was, jumping on them.” The participle ἐφαλόμενος (ephalomenos) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. L&N 15.239 has “ἐφαλόμενος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐπʼ αὐτούς ‘the man jumped on them’ Ac 19:16.”
53	tn Grk “and beating them all into submission.” The participle κατακυριεύσας (katakurieusas) 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.
54	tn BDAG 484 s.v. ἰσχύω 3 has “win out, prevail … κατά τινος over, against someone Ac 19:16.”
55	map For location see JP1-D2; JP2-D2; JP3-D2; JP4-D2.
56	tn Grk “fell on.” BDAG 377 s.v. ἐπιπίπτω 2 has “φόβος ἐ. ἐπί τινα fear came upon someone … Ac 19:17.”
57	tn Or “exalted.”
58	tn Grk “came”; the word “forward” is supplied in the translation to clarify the meaning and to conform to the contemporary English idiom.
59	tn Or “confessing and disclosing their deeds.” BDAG 59 s.v. ἀναγγέλλω 2 has “W. ἐξομολογεῖσθαι: ἀ. τὰς πράξεις αὐτοʼν make their deeds known Ac 19:18.” sn Making their deeds known. Ephesus was a major pagan religious center with much syncretistic “magical” practice. Coming to Jesus changed the lives and attitudes of these believers, creating a social impact.
60	tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 4.a has “many, quite a few” for ἱκανοί (hikanoi) in this verse.
61	tn On this term see BDAG 800 s.v. περίεργος 2.
62	tn Or “scrolls.”
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.”
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.
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).
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 (rhēma tou kuriou; Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logos 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.
67	tn The imperfect verb ηὔξανεν (ēuxanen) has been translated as a progressive imperfect, as has the following verb ἴσχυεν (ischuen).
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.

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