Bible Strands
Acts 19:34
But when they realized that he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Ephesian crowd shouts to itself after realizing Alexander, pushed forward by Jewish believers, is a Jew. The outburst occurs during a chaotic assembly immediately following Alexander's attempt to defend himself.
The words — ἐπιγνόντες (epignontes) means "having recognized," marking the exact moment the crowd shifts its focus. φωνὴ (phōnē) denotes the unified cry that erupts and sustains itself for hours.
The thread — The identical chant appears in Acts 19:28 when the mob first reacts to Paul’s ministry. Matthew 6:7 contrasts this prolonged, repetitive shouting with the warning against pagans who think many words will be heard.
Why it lands — The text records a sustained, collective rejection of Jewish identity in favor of a local deity. It asks the reader to observe how quickly religious fervor can be redirected by perceived threat.
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
But when they knew that he was a Jew, all with one voice about the space of two hours cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.
Cross-references
- Acts 19:28 When the men heard this, they were enraged and began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
- Matthew 6:7 And when you pray, do not babble on like pagans, for they think that by their many words they will be heard.
- Acts 16:20 They brought them to the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews and are throwing our city into turmoil
- Revelation 13:4 They worshiped the dragon who had given authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can wage war against it?”
- 1 Kings 18:26 And they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound, and no one answered as they leaped around the altar they had made.
- Acts 19:26 And you can see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in nearly the whole province of Asia, this Paul has persuaded a great number of people to turn away. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all.
- Romans 2:22 You who forbid adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?