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Acts 19

KJV · Chapter 19/28

1And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,

2He 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.

3And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.

4Then 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.

5When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

6And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

7And all the men were about twelve.

8And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.

9But 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.

10And 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.

11And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:

12So 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.

13Then 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.

14And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.

15And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?

16And 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.

17And 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.

18And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds.

19Many 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.

20So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.

21After 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.

22So he sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered unto him, Timotheus and Erastus; but he himself stayed in Asia for a season.

23And the same time there arose no small stir about that way.

24For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen;

25Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth.

26Moreover 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:

27So 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.

28And when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.

29And 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.

30And when Paul would have entered in unto the people, the disciples suffered him not.

31And certain of the chief of Asia, which were his friends, sent unto him, desiring him that he would not adventure himself into the theatre.

32Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly was confused; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together.

33And 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.

34But 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.

35And 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?

36Seeing then that these things cannot be spoken against, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rashly.

37For ye have brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of churches, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess.

38Wherefore 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.

39But if ye enquire any thing concerning other matters, it shall be determined in a lawful assembly.

40For 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.

41And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

In Ephesus, Paul baptizes disciples who only knew John's baptism and performs great miracles, including healings through handkerchiefs he had touched. Many burn books of magic, and a riot breaks out because of the craftsmen who make idols of Diana.

Explanation

Ephesus was the center of the cult of Diana (Artemis), with a temple considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, so the gospel's impact there had real economic consequences for the craftsmen who sold shrines of the goddess. The public burning of books of magic, valued at an enormous sum, illustrates a conversion that was costly and visible — not merely internal. The riot shows how the Christian message could shake intertwined economic and religious systems, but also how civil authorities (the city clerk) could act with wisdom to prevent violence.

Fun facts

  • The temple of Artemis (Diana) in Ephesus was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, four times larger than the Parthenon in Athens, confirming the scale of the idol business mentioned in the chapter.
  • The sum of 50,000 pieces of silver from the burned books would equal today decades of wages for an ordinary worker of the time — a sign of how profound people's life change was.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Acts 19:1While Apollos kept preaching in Corinth, Paul finally arrives in Ephesus, fulfilling his earlier promise to return, and finds there a group of disciples with a still-incomplete faith.
  2. Acts 19:2These disciples in Ephesus knew only the baptism of John the Baptist, a movement that predated Jesus and focused on repentance. They had not received the full teaching about the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus.
  3. Acts 19:3These disciples answer Paul that they knew only John’s baptism, showing that their teaching had stalled at a stage prior to Jesus Himself.
  4. Acts 19:4Paul explains that John’s baptism was only a baptism of repentance, preparing the people to believe in the One who would come after him: Jesus.
  5. Acts 19:5After hearing Paul’s explanation, these disciples are baptized again, now in the name of the Lord Jesus. It is one of the few cases in the New Testament of a second baptism, showing that the first one, John’s, was considered incomplete in light of the gospel of Jesus.
  6. Acts 19:6As soon as Paul lays hands on them, the Holy Spirit comes upon them, and they begin to speak in tongues and prophesy, completing what was missing in their faith.
  7. Acts 19:7Luke records the exact size of this group, about twelve men, a detail that helps place the size of the community Paul found.
  8. Acts 19:8Paul returns to his pattern of preaching in the synagogue, this time speaking boldly for three full months about the kingdom of God.
  9. Acts 19:9The school of Tyrannus was probably a lecture hall or classroom rented from a Greek teacher, used by Paul to teach without relying solely on the synagogue, making use of a common rest hour in the city.
  10. Acts 19:10Facing resistance from some, Paul changes location, but the result of two years of preaching is that practically the whole province of Asia hears the message, both Jews and Greeks.
  11. Acts 19:11God works unusual miracles through Paul in Ephesus, even more extraordinary than those already seen in other cities along the journey.
  12. Acts 19:12Handkerchiefs and aprons Paul used every day are carried to the sick as a kind of bridge for faith. Similar to the episode with Peter’s shadow in chapter 5, the text records the fact without explaining the mechanism.
  13. Acts 19:13Some itinerant Jewish exorcists try to copy Paul’s method, invoking the name of Jesus as if it were a generic magic formula, without having real faith in Him.
  14. Acts 19:14Those responsible for this attempt were seven sons of a Jew named Sceva, described as a chief priest, showing that not even religious status guaranteed real spiritual authority.
  15. Acts 19:15The evil spirit recognizes Jesus and knows who Paul is, but questions the authority of these exorcists, who had no relationship with Jesus at all.
  16. Acts 19:16The possessed man attacks the seven exorcists with abnormal strength, leaving them wounded and fleeing the house naked—a humiliating result for those who tried to use the name of Jesus without faith.
  17. Acts 19:17The episode becomes known throughout Ephesus, producing widespread fear and causing the name of Jesus to gain even more respect, even through an event that was embarrassing for the exorcists.
  18. Acts 19:18Many of those who already believed begin publicly confessing occult practices they had still been keeping hidden, a sign of more complete repentance after the episode.
  19. Acts 19:19The extremely high value of fifty thousand pieces of silver was in books of magic and sorcery, burned publicly by the new converts in Ephesus. It shows just how strong the city’s culture of occult practices was, and the gesture symbolized a decisive break with that past.
  20. Acts 19:20The overall result of all this is a strong, visible growth of the Christian message in Ephesus, overcoming the powerful magical culture that existed in the city.
  21. Acts 19:21After all this, Paul is already planning his next steps: passing through Macedonia and Achaia to Jerusalem, and from there, he still intends to visit Rome.
  22. Acts 19:22Paul sends two trusted assistants, Timothy and Erastus, ahead to Macedonia, while he himself stays a while longer in Asia.
  23. Acts 19:23Before he can leave, a great uproar breaks out in Ephesus, directly connected to Christian preaching, referred to here as “the Way.”
  24. Acts 19:24Diana, or Artemis in Greek, was the patron goddess of Ephesus, owner of one of the most famous temples in the ancient world. Craftsmen like Demetrius sold silver miniatures of the temple or the goddess as religious keepsakes, a quite profitable trade that Paul’s preaching threatened.
  25. Acts 19:25Demetrius gathers other craftsmen in the same trade and openly argues that all their financial prosperity depended precisely on the trade tied to the goddess’s cult.
  26. Acts 19:26Demetrius admits, however reluctantly, that Paul had managed to convince many people across almost all of Asia that gods made by human hands were not real gods.
  27. Acts 19:27Demetrius’s fear is twofold: losing his own business of selling temple miniatures, and seeing the fame of the great goddess Diana (Artemis), worshipped throughout the region, diminished.
  28. Acts 19:28Demetrius’s speech works: the crowd of craftsmen becomes furious and begins shouting in unison the phrase that becomes the refrain of the whole uproar that follows.
  29. Acts 19:29Confusion takes over the whole city, and the crowd rushes to the theater, dragging along two of Paul’s traveling companions, Gaius and Aristarchus, even though they had no direct part in the matter.
  30. Acts 19:30Paul wants to appear personally before the angry crowd, but the disciples themselves stop him, fearing for his safety.
  31. Acts 19:31Even important provincial officials, friends of Paul, send word warning him not to risk entering the theater overrun by the crowd.
  32. Acts 19:32The scene at the theater is total chaos: people shouting different things at the same time, and most of them not even knowing why they had gathered there.
  33. Acts 19:33The Jews push a man named Alexander to the front, perhaps trying to publicly distance themselves from the accusation, and he tries to explain himself by motioning for silence.
  34. Acts 19:34As soon as they realize Alexander is a Jew, the crowd ignores him and goes back to shouting the same cry in unison for nearly two hours straight.
  35. Acts 19:35The “town clerk” was a real public office in Ephesus, a kind of chief secretary responsible for administrative order before Rome. He is the one who manages to calm the enraged crowd, fearing the uproar would bring trouble with the Roman authorities.
  36. Acts 19:36The town clerk, who had already begun calming the crowd, asks them to stop acting rashly, since the facts could not really be denied.
  37. Acts 19:37He defends Paul and his companions, saying they had not committed sacrilege or directly blasphemed the goddess, despite the general accusation.
  38. Acts 19:38The clerk points out that proper legal channels existed, such as courts and proconsuls, to settle any real business complaint Demetrius might have.
  39. Acts 19:39Any other matter, he says, should be settled in a legitimate, orderly assembly, not in a street riot.
  40. Acts 19:40The clerk warns that the city itself risked being charged with rioting by the Roman authorities, since there was no legal justification for that out-of-control gathering.
  41. Acts 19:41With this practical argument about the legal risk to the city itself, the clerk manages to disperse the crowd, ending the uproar without further violence.

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