Acts 19:24-26

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Acts 19:24 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. Acts 19:24 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. Acts 19:24 tn Grk “brought not a little business” (an idiom).
4. Acts 19:24 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. Acts 19:25 tn Grk “gathering.” The participle συναθροίσας (sunathroisas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
6. Acts 19:25 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. Acts 19:25 sn Workmen in similar trades. In effect, Demetrius gathered the Ephesian chamber of commerce together to hear about the threat to their prosperity.
8. Acts 19:25 tn Another possible meaning is “that this business is an easy way for us to earn a living.”
9. Acts 19:26 tn Grk “persuading.” The participle πείσας (peisas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
10. Acts 19:26 tn Or “misled.”
11. Acts 19:26 tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 3.a has “of pers. ὄχλος a large crowd…Ac 11:24, 26; 19:26.”
12. Acts 19:26 tn Grk “Asia”; see the note on this word in v. 22.
13. Acts 19:26 tn The participle λέγων (legōn) has been regarded as indicating instrumentality.
14. Acts 19:26 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.