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He entered the synagogue and for three months spoke out boldly and argued persuasively about the kingdom of God.(A) When some stubbornly refused to believe and spoke evil of the Way before the congregation, he left them, taking the disciples with him, and argued daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.[a](B) 10 This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.(C)

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Footnotes

  1. 19.9 Other ancient authorities read of a certain Tyrannus, from eleven o’clock in the morning to four in the afternoon

Paul Continues to Minister at Ephesus

So Paul[a] entered[b] the synagogue[c] and spoke out fearlessly[d] for three months, addressing[e] and convincing[f] them about the kingdom of God.[g] But when[h] some were stubborn[i] and refused to believe, reviling[j] the Way[k] before the congregation, he left[l] them and took the disciples with him,[m] addressing[n] them every day[o] in the lecture hall[p] of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years, so that all who lived in the province of Asia,[q] both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.[r]

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 19:8 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  2. Acts 19:8 tn Grk “So entering the synagogue, he spoke out fearlessly.” The participle εἰσελθών (eiselthōn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  3. Acts 19:8 sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.
  4. Acts 19:8 tn Or “boldly.”
  5. Acts 19:8 tn Although the word διελέξατο (dielexato; from διαλέγομαι, dialegomai) is frequently translated “reasoned,” “disputed,” or “argued,” this sense comes from its classical meaning where it was used of philosophical disputation, including the Socratic method of questions and answers. However, there does not seem to be contextual evidence for this kind of debate in Acts 19:8. As G. Schrenk (TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21.
  6. Acts 19:8 tn Or “addressing them persuasively.” The two participles διαλεγόμενος and πείθων (dialegomenos and peithōn) can be understood as a hendiadys (so NIV, NRSV), thus, “addressing them persuasively.”
  7. Acts 19:8 sn To talk about Jesus as the Christ who has come is to talk about the kingdom of God. This is yet another summary of the message like that in 18:28. The nature of the kingdom of God in the NT and in Jesus’ teaching (along with Paul’s teaching here) has long been debated by interpreters and scholars, with discussion primarily centering around the nature of the kingdom (earthly, heavenly, or both) and the kingdom’s arrival (present, future, or both). An additional major issue concerns the relationship between the kingdom of God and the person and work of Jesus himself. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21; Acts 1:3.
  8. Acts 19:9 tn BDAG 1105-6 s.v. ὡς 8.b lists this use as a temporal conjunction.
  9. Acts 19:9 tn Or “some became hardened.” See BDAG 930 s.v. σκληρύνω b and Acts 7:51-53.
  10. Acts 19:9 tn Or “speaking evil of.” BDAG 500 s.v. κακολογέω has “speak evil of, revile, insultτὶ someth. τὴν ὁδόν the Way (i.e. Christian way of life) Ac 19:9.”
  11. Acts 19:9 sn The Way refers to the Christian movement (Christianity). Luke frequently refers to it as “the Way” (Acts 9:2; 18:25-26; 19:23; 22:4; 24:14, 22).
  12. Acts 19:9 tn Grk “leaving them, he took.” The participle ἀποστάς (apostas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  13. Acts 19:9 tn The words “with him” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
  14. Acts 19:9 tn Although the word διελέξατο (dielexato; from διαλέγομαι, dialegomai) is frequently translated “reasoned,” “disputed,” or “argued,” this sense comes from its classical meaning where it was used of philosophical disputation, including the Socratic method of questions and answers. However, there does not seem to be contextual evidence for this kind of debate in Acts 19:9. As G. Schrenk (TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21.
  15. Acts 19:9 tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.
  16. Acts 19:9 tn The “lecture hall” was a place where teachers and pupils met. The term is a NT hapax legomenon (BDAG 982 s.v. σχολή). L&N 7.14 notes, “it is better to use a translation such as ‘lecture hall’ rather than ‘school,’ since one does not wish to give the impression of the typical classroom situation characteristic of present-day schools.”
  17. Acts 19:10 tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia. The Roman province of Asia made up about one-third of modern Asia Minor and was on the western side of it. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.sn The expression all who lived in the province of Asia is good Semitic hyperbole (see Col 1:7, “all the world”). The message was now available to the region.
  18. Acts 19:10 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; 19:20; 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.