Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

Acts 19:12

ἐκπορεύεσθαι for ἐξέρχεσαι�' αὐτῶν with אABDE. Vulg. has ‘egrediebantur’ only.

12. ὥστε καὶ … ἀποφέρεσθαι�, so that from his body there were carried away unto the sick. St Luke is careful to intimate that the Apostle did not of himself adopt or recommend these methods, but the faith of the converts was such that it manifested itself in this way, and God was pleased to bestow blessings because of their faith. In the city of Ephesus where, as we find from this chapter, exorcism and ‘curious arts’ of witchcraft and incantation were familiarly exercised, God appears to have made the cures that were wrought to be specially evidences of the power of faith. Paul does not go to the sick, and even the sons of Sceva (Acts 19:13) recognise that it is not to Paul, but to Jesus whom he preacheth, that the ‘powers’ are to be ascribed. Thus was God’s minister made to differ from the pretenders to miraculous power with which the Ephesian people were familiar. A specimen of these may be seen in the life of Apollonius of Tyana, IV. 3 (Kayser, p. 66).

σουδάρια ἢ σιμικίνθια, handkerchiefs or aprons. Some take the latter word to signify the cincture, by which the loose robes of the Orientals were gathered together round the waist. This would be expressed by ‘belts’ or ‘girdles’. Others think they were the aprons used by the Apostle while working at his trade. The derivation of the word favours the latter sense. They seem to have been employed to cover the front half of the dress during work.

The words are both Latin, sudarium and semicinctium, and the latter is sometimes written σημικίνθιον.

καὶ�' αὐτῶν … ἐκπορεύεσθαι, and the diseases departed from them and the evil spirits went away. These converts acted on the popular belief, that virtue proceeded from the bodies of our Lord and His Apostles. St Luke notices this belief in his Gospel (Luke 8:44), and St Mark says of Jesus (Mark 5:30) ‘perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth.’ The words of Scripture can hardly be made to countenance, though they recognise, the popular belief. Yet, even though these men employed means which were unnecessary and superstitious to display their faith, because of the reality of this faith God did not suffer it to lose its reward.

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Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

Acts 19:12

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