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.
Parallel Translations
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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.
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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.
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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.
Cross-references (4)
Passages linked to Acts 19:38 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Acts 13:7 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.
- Acts 18:14 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 would be reasonable that I should bear with you;
- 1 Corinthians 6:1 Dare any of you, having a matter against his neighbor, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?
- Deuteronomy 17:8 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 matters of controversy within your gates, then you shall arise, and go up to the place which Yahweh your God chooses.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (13 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain 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 38 Wherefore if Demetrius, and the craftsmen which are…
38 Wherefore if Demetrius, and the craftsmen which are with him, have a matter against any man, the law is open, and there are deputies: let them implead one another.
Ver. 38,39. As the town clerk here quieted the tumultuating people, so ought we to compose unruly passions. Say to them, 1. Ye ought to do nothing rashly. 2. The law is open; so is God’s ear, to whom vengeance belongeth. 3. We are in danger of this day’s uproar, &c.
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 The law is open; which is fittest to determine…
The law is open; which is fittest to determine all questions and controversies; for men would be partial to their own cause, and every one challenge to be in the right.
Deputies; who, under the Roman emperors or consuls, had power to hear and determine of all matters.
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Let them implead one another; that so both parties may be heard.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain There are proconsuls - One in every province. There…
There are proconsuls - One in every province. There was one at Ephesus.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 38. If Demetrius - have a matter against…
Verse 38. If Demetrius - have a matter against any man] If it be any breach of law, in reference to Demetrius and the artists, the law is open, αγοραιοι αγονται; these are the terms of law, public courts, times of sessions or assize; or, rather, the judges are mow sitting: so the words may be understood. And there are deputies, ανθυπατοι, proconsuls, appointed to guard the peace of the state, and to support every honest man in his right: let them implead one another; let the one party bring forward his action of assault or trespass, and the other put in his defense: the laws are equal and impartial, and justice will be done to him who is wronged.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Have a matter against any man - Have a…
Have a matter against any man - Have a complaint of injury; if injustice has been done them by anyone.
The law is open - See the margin. Ἀγόραιοι Agoraioi ἄγονται agontai, that is, ἡμέραι hēmerai. There are court-days; days which are open, or appointed for judicial trials, where such matters can be determined in a proper manner. Perhaps the courts were then held, and the matter might be immediately determined.
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And there are deputies - Roman proconsuls. See the notes on Act 13:7. The cause might be brought before them with the certainty that it would be heard and decided. The Syriac reads this in the singular number “Lo, the proconsul is in the city.”
Let them implead one another - Let them accuse each other in the court. The laws are equal, and impartial justice will be done.
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 if Demetrius have a matter--of complaint.
if Demetrius have a matter--of complaint.
against any man, the law is open--rather, "the court days are being held."
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and there are deputies--literally "proconsuls" (see on Act 13:7); that is, probably, the proconsul and his council, as a court of appeal.
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 38. Law is open—Literally, the court days are going…
38. Law is open—Literally, the court days are going on.
Deputies—In regular succession appointed, though but one at a time. By deputies are meant Roman proconsuls.
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Implead—Contest in law with.
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 38. Wherefore if … have a matter against any…
38. Wherefore if … have a matter against any man] i.e. have any charge which they wish to bring. For the concerns in which they are interested will be such as the legal tribunals can attend to.
the law is open] This gives the general sense. The words are in the plural number and mean either “court-days are appointed,” i.e. there are proper times fixed when such causes can be heard; or perhaps better, because of the verb which seems to imply that the opportunity of legal action is even now open, “court-meetings are now going on.” This the Rev. Ver. appears to have adopted by rendering “the courts are open.”
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and there are deputies] The word is the same which in Act_13:7-8; Act_13:12 should be rendered “proconsul,” and that word is rightly given here by the Rev. Ver., for Asia was a proconsular province (see on this matter Conybeare and Howson, ii. 78). The difficulty in the present verse has arisen from the use of the plural number, for there was only one proconsul over a province at the same time, and there could only be one in Ephesus when the townclerk was speaking. But if we consider that he is speaking merely of the provision made by the institutions of the empire for obtaining justice in a case of wrong, we can see that his words need not occasion much trouble. “Proconsuls are (he says) an imperial institution. In every province like ours there exists such a supreme magistrate, and so there is no fear about obtaining redress for real injuries.” Another explanation (due to Basnage, and alluded to in the notes of Conybeare and Howson, u. s.) is that after the poisoning of Silanus the proconsul, (as related Tac. An. xiii. 1) Celer and Ælius, who governed the province of Asia as procurators, might be intended by this plural title. Others have thought that there might be present in Ephesus some other proconsul from a neighbouring province, as Cilicia, Cyprus, Bithynia or elsewhere; but what was first said seems the easier explanation.
let them implead one another] Implead is somewhat antiquated now, and the Rev. Ver. substitutes accuse. Of course the accusations would be only from the one side, which the other would be called on to answer.
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 (38) The law is open.—Literally, the court, or forum,…
(38) The law is open.—Literally, the court, or forum, days are going on. The words may either indicate that the proconsul was then actually sitting to hold trials in the agora or forum, or may be taken as a colloquial idiom for “there are court days coming.”
There are deputies.—The Greek word is (as in Act_13:7; Act_18:12) the equivalent for proconsul. Strictly speaking, there was only one proconsul in each province, and we must therefore assume either that here also the expression is colloquial, or that the assessors (consiliarii) of the proconsul were popularly so described, or that some peculiar combination of circumstances had led to there being two persons at this time at Ephesus clothed with proconsular authority. There are some grounds for adopting the last alternative. Junius Silanus, who was Proconsul of Asia when St. Paul arrived in Ephesus (A.D. 54), had been poisoned by Celer and Helius, the two procurators, at the instigation of Agrippina; and it seems probable that they for a time held a joint proconsular authority.
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Let them implead one another.—The English word exactly expresses the technical force of the Greek. Demetrius and his followers were to lodge a formal statement of the charge they brought against the accused. They in their turn were to put in a rejoinder, and so joining issue, each side would produce its witnesses.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
William B. Godbey 1900 · Public Domain 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 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 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.