Bible Strands
Acts 19:38
So if Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open and proconsuls are available. Let them bring charges against one another there.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The city official addresses the Ephesian crowd to halt a potential riot. He directs Demetrius and the craftsmen to use the open courts and available proconsuls for any legal complaints.
The words — εἰ (ei) establishes the conditional premise, while οὖν (oun) draws the logical conclusion. These particles structure the official's argument that lawful procedure must replace mob action.
The thread — The appeal to civil courts and proconsular authority aligns with Acts 13:7 and Acts 18:14, while the warning against extrajudicial disputes parallels 1 Corinthians 6:1.
Why it lands — The text commands that grievances be resolved through established legal channels rather than violent assembly. It requires readers to submit personal conflicts to proper authority instead of pursuing self-directed vengeance.
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
Wherefore if Demetrius, and the craftsmen which are with him, have a matter against any man, the law is open, and there are deputies: let them implead one another.
Cross-references
- Acts 13:7 an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, a man of intelligence, summoned Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God.
- Acts 18:14 But just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio told the Jews, “If this matter involved a wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to hear your complaint.
- 1 Corinthians 6:1 If any of you has a grievance against another, how dare he go to law before the unrighteous instead of before the saints!
- Deuteronomy 17:8 If a case is too difficult for you to judge, whether the controversy within your gates is regarding bloodshed, lawsuits, or assaults, you must go up to the place the LORD your God will choose.