Discovery BoxActs 19:24-27 
Context19:24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines 1 of Artemis, 2 brought a great deal 3 of business 4 to the craftsmen. 19:25 He gathered 5 these 6 together, along with the workmen in similar trades, 7 and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity 8 comes from this business. 19:26 And you see and hear that this Paul has persuaded 9 and turned away 10 a large crowd, 11 not only in Ephesus 12 but in practically all of the province of Asia, 13 by saying 14 that gods made by hands are not gods at all. 15 19:27 There is danger not only that this business of ours will come into disrepute, 16 but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis 17 will be regarded as nothing, 18 and she whom all the province of Asia 19 and the world worship will suffer the loss of her greatness.” 20
1 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.”
2 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.
3 tn Grk “brought not a little business” (an idiom).
4 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.
5 tn Grk “gathering.” The participle συναθροίσας (sunaqroisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
6 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.
7 sn Workmen in similar trades. In effect, Demetrius gathered the Ephesian chamber of commerce together to hear about the threat to their prosperity.
8 tn Another possible meaning is “that this business is an easy way for us to earn a living.”
9 tn Grk “persuading.” The participle πείσας (peisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
10 tn Or “misled.”
11 tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 3.a has “of pers. ὄχλος a large crowd…Ac 11:24, 26; 19:26.”
12 map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.
13 tn Grk “Asia”; see the note on this word in v. 22.
14 tn The participle λέγων (legwn) has been regarded as indicating instrumentality.
15 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.
16 tn Or “come under public criticism.” BDAG 101 s.v. ἀπελεγμός has “come into disrepute Ac 19:27.”
17 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.
18 tn BDAG 597 s.v. λογίζομαι 1.b has “εἰς οὐθὲν λογισθῆναι be looked upon as nothing…Ac 19:27.”
19 tn Grk “Asia”; see the note on this word in v. 22.
20 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.
