Acts 19:19-21

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Acts 19:19 tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 4.a has “many, quite a few” for ἱκανοί (hikanoi) in this verse.
2. Acts 19:19 tn On this term see BDAG 800 s.v. περίεργος 2.
3. Acts 19:19 tn Or “scrolls.”
4. Acts 19:19 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.”
5. Acts 19:19 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.
6. Acts 19:19 tn Or “fifty thousand silver drachmas.” 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).
7. Acts 19:20 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.
8. Acts 19:20 tn The imperfect verb ηὔξανεν (ēuxanen) has been translated as a progressive imperfect, as has the following verb ἴσχυεν (ischuen).
9. Acts 19:20 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.
10. Acts 19:21 tn Grk “all these things had been fulfilled.”
11. Acts 19:21 tn Grk “Paul purposed in [his] spirit” (an idiom). According to BDAG 1003 s.v. τίθημι 1.b.ε the entire idiom means “to resolve” (or “decide”): “ἔθετο ὁ Παῦλος ἐν τῷ πνεύματι w. inf. foll. Paul resolved 19:21.”
12. Acts 19:21 sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.
13. Acts 19:21 sn Achaia was the Roman province of Achaia located across the Aegean Sea from Ephesus. Its principal city was Corinth.
14. Acts 19:21 tn Grk “Achaia, saying.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the awkwardness in English of having two participial clauses following one another (“passing through…saying”), the participle εἰπών (eipōn) has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence begun here in the translation.
15. Acts 19:21 sn This is the first time Paul mentions Rome. He realized the message of Christianity could impact that society even at its heights.