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Acts 19:16

in Acts 19

Then the man with the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. The attack was so violent that they ran out of the house naked and wounded.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and mastered both of them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

KJV

And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

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This verse in Acts 19

Commentary

9 notes on this verse

A commentator

Didymus the Blind

CATENA ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 19.13 · Written before 398.

As one confessing God in word alone, he denies him with his deeds. This is "knowing Jesus" according to mere opinion. Therefore, it is no paradox if the evil spirit says to the Jewish exorcists, "I know Jesus" and the following, just as other demons …

This site's exposition

Jesus I know

on Acts 19:15-16

The evil spirit knew Jesus and knew about Paul, but asked the sons of Sceva who they were. The spirit named the authority Paul had from Jesus and the sons of Sceva lacked. The man overpowered them all, and they fled naked and wounded.

This site's exposition

ran out of the house naked and wounded

The oldest manuscripts read both of them where the Berean has them all. The Greek word can mean all in later usage, and it may also mean that two of the seven sons were present that day. The Berean follows the wider sense.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers2 voices

A commentator

John Chrysostom

Homily on Acts 41 · Written before 407.

proposed

"And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded." They did it in secret: then their impotence is publicly exposed. Then not the Name does anything, unless it be spoken with faith. See how they used their weapons against themselves! So far were they from thinking Jesus to be anything great: no, they must needs add Paul, as thinking him to be something great. Here one may marvel how it was that the demon did not cooperate with the imposture of the exorcists, but on the contrary exposed them, and laid open their stage-play. He seems to me to have done this in exceeding wrath: just as it might be, if a person being in uttermost peril, should be exposed by some pitiful creature, and wish to vent all his rage upon him.

A commentator

Oecumenius

Commentary on Acts · Written before 550.

proposed

"Some of the roaming Jewish exorcists." This statement shows that they did not, like exorcists believing in Jesus, adjure unclean spirits in the name of the Lord, but were testing them: wherefore also, since they were not faithful, as the evil spirit says, they shortly …

The Medieval Church1 voice

A commentator

Theophylact of Ohrid

Commentary on Acts · Written before 1107.

proposed

Although the sons of Sceva did this secretly, their powerlessness is exposed. What is worthy of wonder is the circumstance that the evil spirit did not aid in the deception of these exorcists, but rather exposed and revealed their fraud. It seems to me that …

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

And the man in whom the evil spirit was,....

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

And the man in whom the evil spirit was, etc. - Thus we find that one man was more powerful than these seven brothers; so that he stripped them of their upper garments, and beat and wounded the whole! Was not this a proof that he derived his strength from the evil spirit that dwelt in him?
1 more voice on this verse

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Leaped on them - Several such instances are recorded of the extraordinary power and rage of those who were possessed with evil spirits, Mar 5:3; Mar 9:29; Luk 9:42.

The words behind it

27 Greek words

Every Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

5 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Mark 5:3–4This man had been living in the tombs and could no longer be restrained, even with chains.3 worksLuke 8:29For Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was bound with chains and shackles, he had broken the chains and been driven by the demon into solitary places.3 worksMark 5:15When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons sitting there, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.2 worksLuke 8:35So the people went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man whom the demons had left, sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.2 worksIsaiah 20:2the LORD had already spoken through Isaiah son of Amoz, saying, “Go, remove the sackcloth from your waist and the sandals from your feet.” And Isaiah did so, walking around naked and barefoot.2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Mark 5:15

    When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons sitting there, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.

    it leads to

    • Colossians 1:13

      He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His beloved Son,

    • 2 Timothy 1:7

      For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.

    • 1 Samuel 6:20–21

      The men of Beth-shemesh asked, “Who can stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God? To whom should the ark go up from here?”

    • Isaiah 49:24–25

      Can the plunder be snatched from the mighty, or the captives of a tyrant be delivered?

    • 1 Samuel 16:4

      So Samuel did what the LORD had said and went to Bethlehem. When the elders of the town met him, they trembled and asked, “Do you come in peace?”

  • Through

    Luke 8:35

    So the people went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man whom the demons had left, sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind; and…

    it leads to

    • Luke 10:39

      She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to His message.

    • 1 John 3:8

      The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the…

    • Acts 22:3

      “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but raised in this city. I was educated at the feet of Gamaliel in strict conformity to the law of our fathers. I am just…

Where this verse is studied

About Acts

The Pentecost, El Greco, about 1600, Museo del Prado. Public domain.
The Pentecost, El Greco, about 1600, Museo del Prado. Public domain.
Acts: the study guide →Read Acts 19 →
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Didymus the Blind, CATENA ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 19.13; John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles; John Chrysostom, Homily on Acts 41; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Oecumenius, Commentary on Acts; R. J. Knowling, The Acts of the Apostles, Expositor's Greek Testament; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Acts and W. M. Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen.

Read on in Acts 19 →