Acts 19:12

so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and the diseases and evil spirits left them.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Paul is in Ephesus during a period when God performs extraordinary miracles through his hands, prompting people to bring items that touched him to those suffering.

The words — ὥστε (hōste) translates as "so that," establishing the direct causal link between Paul's presence and the outcome, while ἀσθενοῦντας (asthenountas) means "ailing" or "sick," identifying the recipients of the healing.

The thread — Divine power operating through physical contact with a prophet appears in Acts 5:15 and 2 Kings 13:21, and the broader theme of miraculous signs accompanying ministry is recorded in Mark 16:17.

Why it lands — The text records that diseases and evil spirits left those who received the items, which requires the reader to distinguish between genuine apostolic authority and the empty formulaic invocation attempted by the itinerant exorcists in the surrounding context.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Greek words

King James Version

So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.

Cross-references

Acts 5:15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.
2 Kings 13:20 And Elisha died and was buried. Now the Moabite raiders used to come into the land every spring.
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;
2 Kings 4:29 So Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tie up your garment, take my staff in your hand, and go! If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer him. Then lay my staff on the boy’s face.”