Acts 19:13-18

19:13 But some itinerant¹ Jewish exorcists tried to invoke the name² of the Lord Jesus over those who were possessed by³ evil spirits, saying, “I sternly warn⁴ you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 19:14 (Now seven sons of a man named⁵ Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this.)⁶ 19:15 But the evil spirit replied to them,⁷ “I know about Jesus⁸ and I am acquainted with⁹ Paul, but who are you?”¹⁰ 19:16 Then the man who was possessed by¹¹ the evil spirit jumped on¹² them and beat them all into submission.¹³ He prevailed¹⁴ against them so that they fled from that house naked and wounded. 19:17 This became known to all who lived in Ephesus,¹⁵ both Jews and Greeks; fear came over¹⁶ them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was praised.¹⁷ 19:18 Many of those who had believed came forward,¹⁸ confessing and making their deeds known.¹⁹

¹tn Grk “some Jewish exorcists who traveled about.” The adjectival participle περιερχομένων (periercomenwn) has been translated as “itinerant.”

²tn Grk “to name the name.”

³tn Grk “who had.” Here ἔχω (ecw) is used of demon possession, a common usage according to BDAG 421 s.v. ἔχω 7.a.α.

⁴sn The expression I sternly warn you means “I charge you as under oath.”

⁵tn Grk “a certain Sceva.”

⁶sn Within the sequence of the narrative, this amounts to a parenthetical note by the author.

⁷tn Grk “answered and said to them.” The expression, redundant in English, has been simplified to “replied.”

⁸tn 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.

⁹tn 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).

¹⁰sn 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.

¹¹tn Grk “in whom the evil spirit was.”

¹²tn 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.”

¹³tn 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.

¹⁴tn BDAG 484 s.v. ἰσχύω 3 has “win out, prevail…κατά τινος over, against someone Ac 19:16.”

¹⁵map For location see JP1-D2; JP2-D2; JP3-D2; JP4-D2.

¹⁶tn Grk “fell on.” BDAG 377 s.v. ἐπιπίπτω 2 has “φόβος ἐ. ἐπί τινα fear came upon someone…Ac 19:17.”

¹⁷tn Or “exalted.”

¹⁸tn Grk “came”; the word “forward” is supplied in the translation to clarify the meaning and to conform to the contemporary English idiom.

¹⁹tn 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.”

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.