Acts 19:35

"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!”"

Key Reflection

In Acts 19:35, when the crowd realized that Paul was a Jew, they erupted into a prolonged and emphatic proclamation, declaring "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians." This reaction highlights the intense devotion to Artemis in Ephesus and underscores the potential for cultural tension between Jews and non-Jews. The sudden and sustained cry reflects not only the importance of their local deity but also how quickly and collectively the people responded to avoid any perceived offense or conflict, given Paul's Jewish identity.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 35. And when the town-clerk. o grammateuv. The scribe; the secretary. The word is often used in the New Testament, and is commonly translated scribe, and is applied to public notaries in the synagogues; to clerks, and to those who transcribed books, and hence to men skilled in the law or any kind of learning. Compare 2 Sa 8:17; 2 Ki 12:11; Ezr 7:6,11,12; Mt 5:20; 12:38; 13:52; 15:1; 23:34 1 Co 1:20. It is, however, nowhere else applied to a heathen magistrate. It probably denoted a recorder; or a transcriber of the laws; or a chancellor.--Kuinoel; Doddridge. This officer had a seat in their deliberative assemblies; and on him it seems to have devolved to keep the peace.

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