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Acts 19:6

in Acts 19

And when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

KJV

And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

This verse in Acts 19

Commentary

12 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

They spake with tongues, and prophesied - They received the miraculous gift of different languages; and in those languages they taught to the people the great doctrines of the Christian religion; for this appears to be the meaning of the word προεφητευον, prophesied, as it is used above.

This site's exposition

the name of the Lord Jesus

on Acts 19:5-7

When Paul laid his hands on the men baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit came upon them. It was the third such outpouring, after Jerusalem and Caesarea, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.

This site's exposition

when Paul laid his hands on them

Peter and John laid their hands on the believers at Samaria in 8:17, and the Holy Spirit came then as well. Luke sets Paul's acts beside Peter's throughout the book. Calvin reads the Spirit here as the gifts of tongues and prophecy.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers4 voices

A commentator

Oecumenius

Commentary on Acts · Written before 550.

proposed

Then, having been baptized into the name of the Lord, he says that by the laying on of Paul's hands they immediately receive the Spirit. But this he did not see; for it is invisible. Yet grace gave some perceptible proof of that operation. And …

A commentator

Pseudo-Clement

Second Epistle To The Corinthians (Pseudo-Clement) · Written before 400.

proposed

Wherefore, then, my brethren, let us struggle with all earnestness, knowing that the contest is [in our case] close at hand, and that many undertake long voyages to strive for a corruptible reward; yet all are not crowned, but those only that have laboured hard …

A commentator

John Chrysostom

Homily on Acts 40 · Written before 407.

proposed

"When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied." The gift is twofold: tongues and prophesyings. Hence is shown an important doctrine, that the baptism of John is incomplete. And he does not say, "Baptism" of forgiveness, but, "of repentance." So that it was likely they had the Spirit, but it did not appear until Paul had laid his hands upon them: then they spake with tongues, etc.

A commentator

Cyprian

Treatise XII Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews · Written before 258.

proposed

That we must not grieve the Holy Spirit, whom we have received. Paul the apostle to the Ephesians: "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, in which ye were sealed in the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and indignation, and clamour, and blasphemy, be taken away from you."

The Medieval Church1 voice

A commentator

Theophylact of Ohrid

Commentary on Acts · Written before 1107.

proposed

They did not see the Spirit, because He is invisible; but a certain sensible proof of His presence was offered by the gift of tongues: one spoke in Persian, another in Roman, a third in some other language; and by these outward signs it was …
4 more voices on this verse

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

This was intended to introduce the gospel at Ephesus, and to awaken in the minds of men an expectation of some great things from it; and some think that it was further designed to qualify these twelve men for the work of the ministry, and that these twelve were the elders of Ephesus, to whom Paul committed the care and government of that church.
And when Paul had laid his hands upon them,....

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

And when Paul laid his hands ... - See the notes on Act 8:17. And they spake with tongues - See the notes on Act 2:4; Act 10:46. And prophesied - See the notes on Act 2:17; Act 11:27.

Modern Voices1 voice

This passage reinforces the idea that speaking in tongues is a persistent sign of the Holy Spirit's baptism, occurring consistently across different times and cultural contexts. It underscores the continuity of this experience within the early church.

The words behind it

19 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.

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 16:17

    And these signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;

    it leads to

    • 1 Corinthians 12:10

      to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in various tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

    • Acts 5:16

      Crowds also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and all of them were healed.

    • 1 Corinthians 12:28

      And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, and those with gifts of healing, helping, administration, and various tongues.

    • Acts 8:7

      With loud shrieks, unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, and many of the paralyzed and lame were healed.

    • Luke 10:17

      The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in Your name.”

  • Through

    Acts 2:4

    And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

    it leads to

    • Mark 16:17

      And these signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;

    • Acts 13:52

      And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

    • Acts 4:31

      After they had prayed, their meeting place was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

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.
This page draws on 13 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); Charlie Shamp, Speaking in Tongues: The Definitive Evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit; Cyprian, Treatise XII Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews; John Calvin, Commentary upon the Acts of the Apostles; John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles; John Chrysostom, Homily on Acts 40; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Oecumenius, Commentary on Acts; Pseudo-Clement, Second Epistle To The Corinthians (Pseudo-Clement); R. J. Knowling, The Acts of the Apostles, Expositor's Greek Testament and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Acts.