Chapter

Acts 19:26

ESV And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods.
NIV And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all.
NASB You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made by hands are not gods at all.
CSB You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this man Paul has persuaded and misled a considerable number of people by saying that gods made by hand are not gods.
NLT But as you have seen and heard, this man Paul has persuaded many people that handmade gods aren’t really gods at all. And he’s done this not only here in Ephesus but throughout the entire province!
KJV Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands:
NKJV Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands.

What does Acts 19:26 mean?

The craftsmen of Ephesus are worried. They make their living by selling idols and shrines, particularly for the goddess Artemis. About three years before (Acts 20:31), Paul came to town and started teaching about Jesus: the God who heals people, frees them from demons, forgives their sins, and will live with His followers forever in paradise. Most vexingly, Jesus is fully God and fully man, but His followers don't worship His image, they just worship Him.

This isn't good for idol-makers. Led by the silversmith Demetrius, the craftsmen join for a marketing campaign. They decide to start a protest to remind the city that they are defined by Artemis worship. The protest nearly turns into a riot, but Paul leaves (Acts 19:28—20:1).

Asia is the province in western modern-day Turkey. It encompasses all the cities of Revelation 2—3. When Paul came to Ephesus from Galatia, he likely traveled through Colossae and Laodicea and may have taken a detour to Hierapolis, but the churches in those cities were planted by Epaphras (Colossians 1:7–8; 2:1; 4:12–14). The Bible doesn't mention Paul traveling around Asia during his stay in Ephesus, but he might have. The message he preaches about Jesus certainly covers all of Asia (Acts 19:10).
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