But when they perceived that he was a Jew, all with one voice for a time of about two hours cried out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
Parallel Translations
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But when they perceived that he was a Jew, all with one voice for a time of about two hours cried out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
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When they knewe that he was a Iewe ther arose a shoute almost for the space of two houres of all men cryinge greate is Diana of the Ephesians.
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But when they knew that he was a Iewe, there arose a shoute almost for the space of two houres, of all men crying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.
Cross-references (7)
Passages linked to Acts 19:34 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Acts 19:28 When they heard this they were filled with anger, and cried out, saying, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
- Matthew 6:7 In praying, don’t use vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking.
- Acts 16:20 When they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men, being Jews, are agitating our city
- Revelation 13:4 They worshiped the dragon, because he gave his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”
- 1 Kings 18:26 They took the bull which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, “Baal, hear us!” But there was no voice, and nobody answered. They leaped about the altar which was made.
- Acts 19:26 You see and hear that not at Ephesus alone, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are no gods that are made with hands.
- Romans 2:22 You who say a man shouldn’t commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (12 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 34. Great is Diana of the Ephesians. This was…
34. Great is Diana of the Ephesians. This was a clamorous confession, but without any soundness; neither did it proceed from the faith of the heart. For whence came that great divinity of Diana whereof they spake, save only because like mad men they furiously defend that error which they had once received? It fareth otherwise with true godliness, that we believe with the heart unto righteousness, and then doth the confession of the mouth follow to salvation. Therein doth the distemperature and mad stubbornness of all mad men and brain-sick fools differ from the constancy and zeal of the martyrs. And yet, notwithstanding, our sluggishness is shameful if we be not as ready and stout in the confession of a sure faith as are they in their filthy error. For we see what the Spirit of God prescribeth unto us by the mouth of David,
“I believed, and therefore will I speak,” (Psalm 116:10).
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Instead of reason, the idolaters are sufficiently contented with…
Instead of reason, the idolaters are sufficiently contented with their own madness and outcries, and those are the greatest defenses that they have.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 34 But when they knew that he was a…
34 But when they knew that he was a Jew, all with one voice about the space of two hours cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.
Ver. 34. That he was a Jew] The Jews were generally hated of the Gentiles, and especially after their return from the Babylonish captivity, because they cried down all gods and religions but their own, and would never be drawn again to worship other gods, for which sin they had so exceedingly smarted. At this day the Jews, for their inexpiable guilt in crucifying Christ and their implacable hatred to his people, are by a common consent of nations banished out of the world, as it were. The very Turks themselves so hate the Jews for their crucifying Christ, that they used to say in detestation of a thing, Iudaeus sim, si mentiar, I would I might die a Jew then. Neither will they permit a Jew to turn Turk, unless he be first baptized.
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All with one voice cried out, &c.] So the Papists cry up, ad ravim usque, their Lady of Loretto, of Sichem, of Walsingham, &c., and have nothing in their mouths so much as the Church, the Church; wherein, like oyster wives, they do easily out cry us.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain A Jew, and by consequence an enemy to their…
A Jew, and by consequence an enemy to their idolatry; and, as they might imagine at least, a friend to St. Paul.
All with one voice; unanimity makes not the cause to be good, if it were bad at first.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain Wherefore if Demetrius, and the craftsmen which are with…
Wherefore if Demetrius, and the craftsmen which are with him,.... Who were the ringleaders and encouragers of this tumult:
have a matter against any man; any accusation, or charge, any crime to accuse him of, and charge him with:
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the law is open; or court days are kept; there are certain times fixed for the hearing and trying of causes, where and when such an affair should be regularly brought; and not use such disorderly methods, and throw a city into confusion, and break the peace as these men had done: the Syriac version renders it, "they are artificers"; that is, Demetrius and the craftsmen with him; they are tradesmen, and it does not belong to them, nor should they take upon themselves to judge and determine what is right or wrong:
and there are deputies; or "proconsuls"; the proconsul and his deputy, to whom such matters appertain, and who are judges in such cases, and to whom application should be made, and before whom such cases should be brought, and heard, and tried: the Syriac version reads in the singular number, "and there is a proconsul in the city"; a Roman governor and judge, whose province it is to determine such matters:
let them implead one another; let the plaintiff bring his accusation, and charge, and let the others defend themselves, and let things proceed in a due course of law, and so issue.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain But when they knew that he was a Jew…
But when they knew that he was a Jew - And consequently an enemy to their worship of images; they prevented him, by crying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain But when they knew - When they perceived or…
But when they knew - When they perceived or ascertained.
That he was a Jew - There was a general prejudice against the Jews. They were disposed to charge the whole difficulty on Jews - esteeming Christians to be but a sect of the Jews. They were, therefore, indiscriminate in their wrath, and unwilling to listen to any defense.
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With one voice - Unitedly, in one continued shout and clamor.
About the space of two hours - The day, from sunrise to sunset, among the Greeks and Romans, was divided into twelve equal parts, Joh 11:9. An hour, therefore, did not differ materially from an hour with us. It is not at all improbable that the tumult would continue for so long a time, before it would be possible to allay the excitement.
Cried out ... - This they at first did to silence Alexander. The shouting, however, was continued in order to evince their attachment to Diana, as would be natural in an excited and tumultuous mob of pagan worshippers.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain But when they knew he was a Jew, all…
But when they knew he was a Jew, all with one voice, for the space of two hours, cried out, Great is Diana, &c.--The very appearance of a Jew had the opposite effect to that intended. To prevent him obtaining a hearing, they drowned his voice in one tumultuous shout in honor of their goddess, which rose to such frantic enthusiasm as took two hours to exhaust itself.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 34. But when they knew that he was a…
34. But when they knew that he was a Jew] Better (with Rev. Ver.), perceived. The stamp of his nationality was on his face, and no doubt on his dress also.
all with one voice about the space of two hours cried out] They now had one object against which to direct their uproar and thus became all of one cry. It is clear from this that Jews were not popular, and that as a Jew was the object at which Demetrius and the workmen were excited, the whole body of Jews might well be anxious lest an attack should be made on all the race.
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Great is Diana (Artemis) of the Ephesians] The cry, first raised by the workmen, now became general, and was persisted in with all the energy of a fanatical mob.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (34) When they knew that he was a Jew.—Better,…
(34) When they knew that he was a Jew.—Better, when they recognised.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Perceived for knew, A.V. ejpigigwskein, to recognize; see. (Act_3:10…
Perceived for knew, A.V. ejpigigwskein, to recognize; see. (Act_3:10 Act_4:13)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. W. McGarvey 1914 · Public Domain See notes on verse 32
See notes on verse 32
J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.