Seeing then that these things can’t be denied, you ought to be quiet and to do nothing rash. For you have brought these men here, who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of your goddess. If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a matter against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them press charges against one another. But if you seek anything about other matters, it will be settled in the regular assembly.
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Acts 19:36-39 sits inside this longer paragraph.
When the town clerk had quieted the multitude, he said, “You men of Ephesus, what man is there who doesn’t know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great goddess Artemis, and of the image which fell down from Zeus? Seeing then that these things can’t be denied, you ought to be quiet and to do nothing rash. For you have brought these men here, who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of your goddess. If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a matter against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them press charges against one another. But if you seek anything about other matters, it will be settled in the regular assembly. For indeed we are in danger of being accused concerning today’s riot, there being no cause. Concerning it, we wouldn’t be able to give an account of this commotion.” When he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly.
Parallel Translations
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Seeing then that these things can’t be denied, you ought to be quiet and to do nothing rash.
For you have brought these men here, who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of your goddess.
If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a matter against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them press charges against one another.
But if you seek anything about other matters, it will be settled in the regular assembly.
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Seinge then that no man sayth here agaynst ye ought to be content and to do nothinge rasshly:
For ye have brought hyther these me whiche are nether robbers of churches nor yet despisers of youre goddes.
Wherfore yf Demetrius and the craftes men which are with him have eny sayinge to eny man the lawe is open and ther are ruelars let the accuse one another.
Yf ye goo about eny other thinge it maye be determined in a lawfull congregacion
Show all 3 translations
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Seeing then that no man can speake against these things, ye ought to be appeased, and to doe nothing rashly.
For yee haue brought hither these men, which haue neither committed sacrilege, neither doe blaspheme your goddesse.
Wherefore, if Demetrius and the craftes men which are with him, haue a matter against any man, the lawe is open, and there are Deputies: let them accuse one another.
But if ye inquire any thing cocerning other matters, it may be determined in a lawful assembly.
Cross-references (11)
- Proverbs 14:29 (v36) He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a quick temper displays folly.
- Acts 13:7 (v38) who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of understanding. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul, and sought to hear the word of God.
- Romans 2:22 (v37) You who say a man shouldn’t commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?
- 2 Corinthians 6:3 (v37) We give no occasion of stumbling in anything, that our service may not be blamed,
- Proverbs 25:8 (v36) Don’t be hasty in bringing charges to court. What will you do in the end when your neighbor shames you?
Show all 11 cross-references
- Acts 5:35-39 (v36) He said to them, “You men of Israel, be careful concerning these men, what you are about to do. For before these days Theudas rose up,…
- Acts 18:14 (v38) But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If indeed it were a matter of wrong or of wicked crime, you Jews, it…
- Acts 25:8 (v37) while he said in his defense, “Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar, have I sinned at all.”
- 1 Corinthians 6:1 (v38) Dare any of you, having a matter against his neighbor, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?
- 1 Corinthians 10:32 (v37) Give no occasion for stumbling, whether to Jews, or to Greeks, or to the assembly of God;
- Deuteronomy 17:8 (v38) If there arises a matter too hard for you in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (18 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On v37 37. Men which are neither church-robbers. He doth both…
37. Men which are neither church-robbers. He doth both truly and well deny that they be church-robbers; but he doth shortly after falsely define the kind of church-robbery to speak blasphemously against Diana. For seeing that all superstition is profane and polluted, it followeth that those be sacrilegious persons who translate the honor which is due to God alone unto idols. But the wisdom of the town-clerk, and that carnal, is here commended, and not his godliness. For he had respect unto this alone to extinguish the heat of the uproar; and therefore doth he at length conclude, if Demetrius have any private matter, there be judgment-seats and magistrates. And that public affairs must be handled in a lawful, and not in a disordered assembly — in an assembly gathered by the commandment of the magistrates, and not in a concourse which is without consideration, run together through the motion of one man, and to satisfy his appetite. He calleth them deputies, in the plural number, not that Asia had more than one, but because legates did sometimes keep courts in the place of the deputies. Also, he appeaseth them by putting them in fear, because the deputy had occasion offered to punish and fine the city sore.
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 On vv38–39 For there are certain days appointed for civil causes…
For there are certain days appointed for civil causes and matters of judgment, and the Deputies sit.
By the Deputies are meant also the Deputies’ Substitutes, that is, such as did sit for them.
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Have ought to accuse any man of.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv36–39 36 Seeing then that these things cannot be spoken…
36 Seeing then that these things cannot be spoken against, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rashly.
Ver. 36. Ye ought to be quiet] Or, sedate, composed, kept within compass, "to do nothing rashly or headlongly:" Temeritas enim comitem την μετανοιαν εχει.
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 On vv36–39 He did there cunningly than honestly endeavour to evade…
He did there cunningly than honestly endeavour to evade their clamour, and still their rage, by telling them (how fallaciously soever), that neither Paul, nor any other Christian or Jew, had any quarrel with their goddess or worship. For they indeed were against all images that were made with hands; but theirs was not such a one, it being fallen down from heaven. We must consider he was but a pagan; and his design was only to still the people; and populus vult decipi.
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 On vv36–37 For we are in danger of being called in…
For we are in danger of being called in question,.... Or are liable to be called to an account, reproved, and punished by the Roman proconsul, appointed over this city, or by the Roman emperor, or the Roman senate: for this day's uproar; it being capable of being interpreted as a riot, tumult, and sedition:
there being no cause whereby we may give an account of this concourse: or no reason can be assigned, why such a number of people should gather together; none can be given that will justify it, or that can be alleged in favour of it.
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 On vv37–39 Nor blasphemers of your goddess - They simply declared…
Nor blasphemers of your goddess - They simply declared the one God, and the vanity of idols in general.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv37–39 Verse 37. These men - are neither robbers of…
Verse 37. These men - are neither robbers of churches] ιρεσυλους; Spoilers of sacred places. As his design evidently was to appease and conciliate the people, he fixed first on a most incontrovertible fact: These men have not spoiled your temples; nor is there any evidence that they have even blasphemed your goddess. The apostles acted as prudent men should: they endeavoured to enlighten the minds of the multitude, that the absurdity of their gross errors might be the more apparent; for, when they should know the truth, it was likely that they would at once abandon such gross falsehood.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv36–39 Seeing then ... - Since no one can call…
Seeing then ... - Since no one can call in question the zeal of the Ephesians on this subject, or doubt the sincerity of their belief, and since there can be no danger that this well-established worship is to be destroyed by the efforts of a few evil-disposed Jews, there is no occasion for this tumult.
Be quiet - Be appeased. The same Greek word which is used in Acts . Act 19:35, “had appeased the people.”
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To do nothing rashly - To do nothing in a heated, inconsiderate manner. There is no occasion for tumult and riot. The whole difficulty can be settled in perfect consistency with the maintenance of order.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On v37 Nor of blasphemy against your goddess. St. John Chrysostom…
Nor of blasphemy against your goddess. St. John Chrysostom takes notice, that to calm the people, he says more than was true. (Witham)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv36–39 Seeing that these things cannot be spoken against, &c.--Like…
Seeing that these things cannot be spoken against, &c.--Like a true legal man, he urges that such was notoriously the constitution and fixed character of the city, with which its very existence was all but bound up. Did they suppose that all this was going to be overturned by a set of itinerant orators? Ridiculous! What did they mean, then, by raising such a stir?
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv37–39 37. Robbers of churches—The Greek pagan phrase signifies temple-pillagers…
37. Robbers of churches—The Greek pagan phrase signifies temple-pillagers or blasphemers. Some have supposed the townclerk here, in giving the Christians so quiet a character, to have slipped into a smooth untruth. But it must be remembered that Paul was not present; and the two who were apprehended may have been, for-all that appeared, as innocent as the townclerk made them.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv36–39 36. Seeing … cannot be spoken against] Better, gainsaid…
36. Seeing … cannot be spoken against] Better, gainsaid with Rev. Ver. Paul had spoken, and others would speak, against the worship, nobody could gainsay the facts, they were incontrovertible.
ye ought to be quiet] The verb is the same as is used in Act_19:35, of his own quieting the people, which is another reason why the rendering there should be changed.
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and to do nothing rashly] The last word is better taken as an adjective, “rash.” The word describes the headstrong, outrageous uproar for which there was no reason, and from which no good could come, and also their conduct in seizing two persons who were not the offenders and against whom, as it appears, they could take no proceedings.
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 On vv36–39 (36) Seeing then that these things cannot be spoken…
(36) Seeing then that these things cannot be spoken against . . .—The language of the town-clerk has the ring of an official acceptance of the established cultus rather than of any strong personal devotion. Such language has often been heard from the defenders of institutions which were almost on the verge of ruin.
Ye ought to be quiet.—The verb is the same as that of the transitive “appeased” in Act_19:35. In the exhortation “to do nothing rashly” we hear the voico of a worldly prudence, reminding us partly, as has been said, of Gamaliel, partly of the well-known maxim of Talleyrand, Surtout, point de zele.
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 On vv36, 37, 39 Gainsaid for spoken against, A.V.; rash for rashly, A.V.…
Gainsaid for spoken against, A.V.; rash for rashly, A.V. (propetwv is the adverb), quiet (katestalmenouv: see above, ver. 35, note).
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain On v37 37. These men. Gaius and Aristarchus (see verse 29),…
37. These men. Gaius and Aristarchus (see verse 29), men against whom there was no charge. They were neither robbers of temples (see the Revision) nor blasphemers of Diana.
If Demetrius. If they have anything to charge there are courts of justice. Deputies. Proconsuls.
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We are in danger. The Roman law made it a capital offence to incite a riot, nor did the Roman officials wink at any disturbance in the provinces. Ephesus was what was called “a free city;” that is, it governed itself in local matters. It might have its liberties taken away for just such occurrences as those of this day.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
William B. Godbey 1900 · Public Domain On v38 38. “If indeed Demetrius and the artificers along with…
38. “If indeed Demetrius and the artificers along with him have an allegation against anyone, there are court-days and lawyers; let them implead one another.” Having thus warned and reasoned the case with them, and succeeded in tranquilizing the multitude.
William B. Godbey, Commentary on the New Testament (1896–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. W. McGarvey 1914 · Public Domain On vv36–39 See notes on verse 35
See notes on verse 35
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.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v38 Connecting Statement:
Connecting Statement:
The town clerk finishes speaking to the crowd.
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Therefore
"Because what I have just said is true." The town clerk had said in Acts 19:37 that Gaius and Aristarchus were not robbers or blasphemers.
have an accusation against anyone
The word "accusation" can be stated as the verb "accuse." AT: "want to accuse someone" (See: Abstract Nouns)
proconsuls
the Roman governor's representatives who made legal decisions in court (See: Translate Unknowns)
Let them accuse one another
This does not mean Demetrius and those with him will accuse each other. It means this is a place where people in general can speak their accusation. AT: "There people can accuse one another"
But if you seek anything about other matters
"But if you have other matters to discuss"
it shall be settled in the regular assembly
This can be stated in active form. AT: "let us settle it in the regular assembly" (See: Active or Passive)
the regular assembly
This refers to a public gathering of citizens over which the county clerk presided.
in danger of being accused concerning this day's riot
This can be stated in active form. AT: "in danger of the Roman authorities accusing us of starting this riot today" (See: Active or Passive)
translationWords
accuse
assembly
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.