Preface: Acts 19 is one of the most interesting and action-packed chapters in the book of Acts. Paul runs into a group of John the baptizer’s disciples who had not yet received the Holy Spirit. Paul has a two-year long ministry in Ephesus, where he beings by teaching in the local synagogue, but he spends much of his time in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. God grants many miracles to be done by Paul’s hand there.

There are also a family of Jewish unbelievers who have a family business in exorcism. When they begin to exorcize in the name of Paul and Jesus, they run into some serious problems. When this becomes well-known, huge numbers of people bring their books on exorcism and burn them publically.

Paul begins to think about where to travel to next and he reshuffles some of his personnel.

The final half of this chapter is about a riot organized by a Demetrius and some of his associates. They are involved in the business of making scale-model silver shrines for the city goddess Artemis and selling these to individual homes. Paul’s teaching about the nature of God appears to be cutting into his business, so they gather, they organize, and they riot. They end up at the theater where city business takes place and the courts are in session. This group demonstrates there, but they are finally quieted and given their proper legal recourse by an unnamed court recorder.

Bible Summary: Paul laid his hands on the disciples at Ephesus to receive the Holy Spirit. Demetrius, a silversmith, started a riot in the city.

The “Key” & Main Points of Chapter 19 (a chart); from Slide Player; accessed June 30, 2022.

This should be the most extensive examination of Acts 19 available, where you will be able to examine in depth every word of the original text.

Brief Overview: (taken from Light of the Word; accessed April 22, 2022).

Outline of Chapter 19:

Preface

Introduction

         vv.     1–7           Paul Baptizes the Twelve Disciples of John the Herald

         vv.     8–12         The Two-Year Ministry of Paul in Ephesus (a Summary)

         vv.    13–20         The False Ministry of Sceva and his Sons/a Scroll Burning

         vv.    21–22         Paul’s Future Plans/Reassignment of Personnel

         vv.    23–41         The Riot in Ephesus and the Legal Resolution

         vv.        23–27        Demetrius gathers associates to complain about Paul

         vv.        28–29        The riot caused by Demetrius and his associates

         vv.        30–31        Paul is urged to stay away

         vv.        32–34        Demetrius and his associates demonstrate at the theater

         vv.        35–41        The city recorder restores order and suggests legal avenues to follow

Chapter Summary

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Preface               Preface

         Preface               Brief Overview

         Preface               The “Key” & Main Points of Chapter 19 (a chart)

         Preface               Quotations

Doctrines Alluded to

Chapters of the Bible Alluded To or Appropriately Exegeted with this Chapter

Dictionary of Terms

         Introduction         Introduction to Acts 19

         Introduction         Titles and/or Brief Descriptions of Acts 19 (by Various Commentators)

         Introduction         Brief, but insightful observations of Acts 19 (various commentators)

         Introduction         Fundamental Questions About Acts 19

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Prequel to Acts 19

         Introduction         The Principals of Acts 19

         Introduction         The Places of Acts 19

         Introduction         By the Numbers

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Acts 19

         Introduction         Outlines and Summaries of Acts 19 (Various Commentators)

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Acts 19 from the Summarized Bible

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Big Picture (Acts 15–20)

         Introduction 

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         Introduction         Changes—additions and subtractions

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         v.       3              The Holy Spirit’s Ministry at Salvation (edited down from Grace Notes)

         v.       3              The Holy Spirit and Believers Under John the Herald

         v.       4              The Message and Ministry of John the Herald (Matthew 3:1–17)

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         v.       8              Achaia and Ephesus (an edited map)

         v.       9              The Ruins of the School of Tyrannus (a photograph)

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         v.      24              Diana (Latin); Artemis (Greek) (by A. Souter of Hastings New Testament)

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         Summary            A Set of Summary Doctrines and Commentary

         Summary            Why Acts 19 is in the Word of God

         Summary            What We Learn from Acts 19

         Summary            Jesus Christ in Acts 19

         Summary 

         Summary 

         Addendum          Extensive Footnote for Acts 19:1 (The Christian Community Bible)

         Addendum          Seven Types of Baptisms (R. B. Thieme, Jr.)

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 19:1–7

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 19:8–12

         Addendum          Footnote for Acts 19:11 (The Christian Community Bible)

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 19:13–17

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 19:18–20

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 19:21–22

         Addendum          Footnote for Acts 19:21 (The Christian Community Bible)

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 19:23–27

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 19:28–34

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 19:35–41

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         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Acts 19

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         Addendum          Doctrinal Teachers Who Have Taught Acts 19

         Addendum          Word Cloud from the Kukis Paraphrase of Acts 19

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of Acts 19

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An Introduction to Acts 19

I ntroduction: In Acts 19, we continue to further explore the purpose of the book of Acts and to consider the epistles which Paul wrote. The events which we are studying take place at the time that Paul writes his first few epistles. It is around this time that Paul writes Galatians and his two epistles to the Thessalonians.

Acts 19 might be the wildest, most diverse chapter of the book of Acts. Paul runs into old disciples of John the Herald; and determines that they had not received the Holy Spirit. They are baptized in the name of Christ Jesus and they receive the Spirit of God. Paul is performing a number of miracles during this time, although Luke does not recorded specifically what any of them are (apart from some healings). Also in Ephesus, at this time, there is this family business of Sceva and his 7 sons who claim to cast out demons. When they fail to cast out a demon, there is a great book burning which takes place. Paul begins to determine where he will go next and he redistributes some of his assets (Timothy and Erastus). Next, there is a riot in Ephesus, incited by those who built silver shrines to the goddess Artemis. Although Paul wants to go and match wits with these halfwits, his associates tell Paul not to go (and he doesn’t). All of this is resolved in open court, which is described in the final verses of this chapter. Titling this chapter, Paul in Ephesus belies its rich content.

One of the most important set of local churches in the ancient world is in Ephesus, and this entire chapter is Paul teaching and disputing in the city of Ephesus. This is an extremely important city in the ancient world, as it is the capitol of the Roman province of Asia (understand this to be Asia Minor or western Turkey). You may recall in the previous chapter, Paul stopped in Ephesus, but quickly moved on, having too many plans for the future, but not recognizing the importance of this place. God understood, and sent Apollos here to hold things in place until Paul returned (compare Acts 18:24–28 19:1). There was clearly strong positive volition in Ephesus (Acts 18:19–20).

So Paul returned to Ephesus and he spent over 2 years in this city. He began on the outskirts, having run into some disciples of John the herald. Then he came back to the synagogue of Ephesus and presented the case for Christ there for 3 months. When Jewish opposition grew to be too strong, Paul withdrew from the synagogue, taking with him the many Jewish (and gentile) disciples which he made there.

At this point in Acts 19, the environs of where Paul taught are downplayed. Did he teach in the marketplace? Did he rent a building? Were there public areas that he could utilize? Did someone provide their own home as a base and possibly as an early auditorium? It appears that the bulk of Paul’s teaching took place at the lecture hall of Tyrannus (Acts 19:9).

For the most part, Luke concentrates on several vignettes, some of which receive more attention than others. These vignettes must be taken in the context of Paul having some sort of consistent ministry in Ephesus. That is, daily, Paul is teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ—primarily, it appears, in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. He is teaching both the recent history of what took place in Jerusalem and comparing that to the Jewish Scriptures (I call them Jewish Scriptures, inasmuch as Ephesus would have been primarily a gentile city). It is against this backdrop that most of Acts 19 takes place.

There were times when God allowed very visible signs to be done by the hand of Paul. In fact, even pieces of cloth coming in contact with Paul becomes efficacious with regards to physical diseases (Acts 19:11–12).

There is a father and seven sons who have sort of a demon exorcism business, and, at some point, they start including the names of Paul and Jesus in their recitations to throw out demons. The response is somewhat humorous, where an indwelling demon, speaking through its host, says, “I know Jesus and I have heard of Paul, but who exact are you?” As a result, Paul’s notoriety grows.

Interestingly enough, it appears that Ephesus may have been a hotspot for demon activity, and many people in Ephesus had books (actually scrolls) related to demon possession and exorcism. They brought a small fortune of these books and burned them publically.

Around this time, Paul began to think about moving on; so he moved personnel around a bit.

About midway through this chapter, a group of artisans were gathered together by Demetrius. These are men who built the silver shrines for the false goddess Artemis and Demetrius pointed out that Paul was very ad for their business. He was convincing large portions of the people in Ephesus that God is not confined to a shrine kept in people’s homes; He does not live in a Temple.

Demetrius got these men quite worked up until a riot broke out. For several hours, the city was in chaos where a significant group of men kept crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

Interestingly enough, it will be the city recorder, and not Paul, who will finally get a handle on this situation. He will speak reasonably to the gathered crowds and calmly present to them their real legal options. This calms the people down, and they finally disperse.

What I found to be most fascinating is, Luke devotes about half of this chapter to events taking place which are initiated by unbelievers. About a quarter of this chapter will be what takes place in the courtroom after the riot. No believer is heard, no believing testimony is given; Paul is not heard from. Much of the end of this chapter will be the words of a court recorder whose name we do not know and whose eternal destiny we do not know. I found it to be a fascinating detour.

What is God’s message to Paul? “You don’t have to be in the middle of everything in order for it to work out.”

Paul leaves soon after this riot, after first encouraging the disciples that he had made in Ephesus (Acts 20:1).

Based upon the events recorded in this chapter, are believers to gather together periodically and find stuff to burn? That is, do we take our books on Astrology, our romance novels and anything based upon Darwin and carry these to a central location to be burned? You may recall when John Lennon had made the correct observation that among young people, more people knew about him and the Beatles than they did about Jesus. Particularly in the south, young kids brought their Beatles albums and burned them.

No doubt, many of us have things which we own which, quite frankly, are blasphemous. It does not hurt for a believer, motivated by the Word (and not by social pressure) to eliminate some things from his life. However, it is not for the pastor to get his congregation worked up and require them to bring all their Beatles paraphernalia to the church parking lot for a big bonfire. The pastor-teacher needs to be teaching the Word.

When studying this chapter, remember that the book of Acts is descriptive and historic; the epistles are prescriptive with some historical references.

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Paul Baptizes the Twelve Disciples of John the Herald

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       I will use the Westcott-Hort Greek text as the basis for my English translation. I use that test primarily because e-sword has a nice module by Rob Wolfram which has the interlinear English text, Strong’s #’s, and the Greek morphology. The e-sword tab is IWH+P. I do not use their English text for my translation. Also, throughout, I take in consideration alternate readings.

As a young Christian, I was quite interested in the alternative readings. After many decades of study, I have found that, as with the Hebrew text, disputed readings rarely have any affect on the interpretation of a text (apart from perhaps a half-dozen fairly well-known alternate readings, like the end of the book of Mark).

I will compare the Greek text to English translations of the Latin and Syriac (= Aramaic) texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation and George Lamsa’s translation from the Syriac. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.).

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

The Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls are irrelevant, as they preceded the writing of the New Testament by over 200 years.

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Ancient texts:

Westcott-Hort Text (Greek)    Now it was in the (??) the Apollos was in Corinth, Paul was passing through the upper districts to go to Ephesus; and to find certain disciples. And he said face to face with them, “Whether a Spirit—a Holy (one)—you [all] received having believed?” Now the [disciples] [said] face to face with him, “On the contrary, not even whether a Spirit—a Holy (one) keeps on being have we heard.” And he said, “To what therefore have you [all] been baptized?” Now they said, “To the baptism of John.”

Complete Apostles’ Bible      And it came about, while Apollos was in Corinth, that Paul, having gone through the interior regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples

he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit, having believed?" So they said to him, "We have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit."

And he said to them, "Into what then were you baptized?" So they said, "Into John's baptism."

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) And it came to pass, while Apollo was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper coasts, came to Ephesus and found certain disciples.

And he said to them: Have you received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? But they said to him: We have not so much as heard whether there be a Holy Ghost.

And he said: In what then were you baptized? Who said: In John's baptism.

Holy Aramaic Scriptures        And it was while Apalu {Apollos} was in Qurinthus {Corinth}, Paulus {Paul} went around in the upper regions, and came unto Ephesus, and asked The Talmiyde {The Disciples/The Students} whom he had found there,

if they had received The Rukha d’Qudsha {The Spirit of Holiness} from after they had believed? They responded, and said unto him, “And even if there is a Rukha d’Qudsha {a Spirit of Holiness}, it hasn't been announced unto us.”

He said unto them, “And into what were you Immersed {Baptized}?” They were saying, “Into The Immersion {The Baptism} of Yukhanan {John}.”

James Murdock’s Syriac NT And while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul travelled over the upper countries to Ephesus. And he inquired of the disciples whom he found there,

Have ye received the Holy Spirit, since ye believed? They answered and said to him: If there be a Holy Spirit, it hath not come to our hearing.

He said to them: Into what then were ye baptized? They say: Into the baptism of John.

Original Aramaic NT              And when Apollo was in Corinthus, Paulus went about in the upper countries and came to Ephesaus, and was questioning those disciples whom he had found there:

"Have you received The Spirit of Holiness since you have believed?" They answered, and were saying to him, "We have not even heard if there is a Spirit of Holiness."

And he said to them, "Unto what were you baptized?" They were saying, "Unto the baptism of Yohannan".

Significant differences: 

English Translations:          I have included translations which I disagree with and footnotes that I do not necessarily agree with. If I believe that the author is too far from the truth, I may even address that at the footnote. However, nearly all of the correct commentary will be found following the Greek text box and the translation of each phrase.

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             And it came about that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, having gone through the higher country, came to Ephesus, where there were certain disciples: 

And he said to them, Did you get the Holy Spirit when you had faith? And they said to him, No, we have had no knowledge of the Holy Spirit. 

And he said, What sort of baptism did you have? And they said, The baptism of John.

Bible in Worldwide English     While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul went over land and came to the city of Ephesus. There he met some disciples.

Paul asked them, Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? They said, No. We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.

Paul asked them, How were you baptised? They said, We were baptised in Johns way.

Easy English                          Paul speaks in Ephesus about Jesus

While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul travelled through the region of Asia. He arrived in Ephesus and he found some believers there. Paul asked them, ‘When you believed the message about Jesus, did you receive God's Holy Spirit?’

The believers answered, ‘We did not even know that there is a Holy Spirit.’

So Paul asked them, ‘When someone baptized you, what kind of baptism was that?’

‘We received the baptism that John spoke about,’ they answered.

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  While Apollos was in the city of Corinth, Paul was visiting some places on his way to Ephesus. In Ephesus he found some other followers of the Lord.

He asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" These followers said to him, "We have never even heard of a Holy Spirit!"

Paul asked them, "So what kind of baptism did you have?" They said, "It was the baptism that John taught."

God’s Word™                         Paul in Ephesus

While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior provinces to get to the city of Ephesus. He met some disciples in Ephesus and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?”

They answered him, “No, we’ve never even heard of the Holy Spirit.”

Paul asked them, “What kind of baptism did you have?”

They answered, “John’s baptism.”

Good News Bible (TEV)         While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior of the province and arrived in Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?" "We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit," they answered.

"Well, then, what kind of baptism did you receive?" Paul asked. "The baptism of John," they answered.

J. B. Phillips                           Ephesus has its own Pentecost

While Apollos was in Corinth Paul journeyed through the upper parts of the country and arrived at Ephesus. There he discovered some disciples, and he asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” “No”, they replied, “we have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

“Well then, how were you baptised?” asked Paul. “We were baptised with John’s baptism,” they replied.

The Message                         Now, it happened that while Apollos was away in Corinth, Paul made his way down through the mountains, came to Ephesus, and happened on some disciples there. The first thing he said was, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? Did you take God into your mind only, or did you also embrace him with your heart? Did he get inside you?”

“We’ve never even heard of that—a Holy Spirit? God within us?”

“How were you baptized, then?” asked Paul.

“In John’s baptism.”

NIRV                                      Paul Goes to Ephesus

While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road to Ephesus. When he arrived, he found some believers there. He asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?”

“No,” they answered. “We haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

“John’s baptism,” they replied.

New Life Version                    Christians in Ephesus Are Filled with the Holy Spirit

While Apollos was in the city of Corinth, Paul went through the hill country to get to the city of Ephesus. He found a few followers there. He asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you put your trust in Christ?” They said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” He asked them, “How were you baptized?” They answered, “The way John baptized.”

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Casual English Bible              ACTS 19

PAUL’S LAST MISSION TRIP

PAUL GOES BACK TO EPHESUS

While Apollos visited the city of Corinth, Paul went to the city of Ephesus. [1] Paul traveled through the hill country [2] until he finally arrived in Ephesus and met some of the believers there. [3] He asked them, “Did the Holy Spirit come to you when you decided to put your trust in Jesus?”

“Holy Spirit?” they said. “What’s a Holy Spirit? No one told us there’s a Holy Spirit.”

Paul said, “What in the world kind of baptism did you get?”

They said, “The kind John the Baptist gave. We got wet.”

¹19:1Ephesus was one of the four largest cities in the Roman Empire, possibly the third-largest. It sat on the west coast of what is now Turkey. Its port served as Rome’s main gateway into and out of what is now the Middle East. It was a melting pot of cultures and religions and was already 1,000 years old by the time Paul got there. It was also home to one of the Seven Wonders of the World: the Temple of Artemis, four times larger than the Parthenon of Athens.

²19:1“Hill country” is a guess. The writer used a vague Greek word translated “upper country” (New American Standard Bible), “interior regions” (New Living Translation), and “some places” (New Century Version). Some Bible experts guess that Paul bypassed a more common route through southland cities like Laodicea and Colossae. Instead, he may have traveled the east-west route further north, along the Cayster River valley, which feeds into Ephesus.

³19:1Bible experts debate whether or not these “believers” were Christian. The believers hadn’t been baptized in the name of Jesus (Acts 19:5) and they hadn’t heard of the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:2). Yet many scholars say the believers were authentic Christians who simply hadn’t heard the whole story yet.

Contemporary English V.       While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled across the hill country to Ephesus, where he met some of the Lord's followers.

He asked them, "When you put your faith in Jesus, were you given the Holy Spirit?" "No!" they answered. "We have never even heard of the Holy Spirit."

"Then why were you baptized?" Paul asked. They answered, "Because of what John taught."

The Living Bible                     While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through Turkey and arrived in Ephesus, where he found several disciples. “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” he asked them.

“No,” they replied, “we don’t know what you mean. What is the Holy Spirit?”

“Then what beliefs did you acknowledge at your baptism?” he asked.

And they replied, “What John the Baptist taught.”

New Berkeley Version           .

New Living Translation           Paul’s Third Missionary Journey

While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions until he reached Ephesus, on the coast, where he found several believers. [Greek disciples; also in 19:9, 30.] “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” he asked them.

“No,” they replied, “we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

“Then what baptism did you experience?” he asked.

And they replied, “The baptism of John.”

The Passion Translation        While Apollos was ministering in Corinth, Paul traveled on through the regions of Turkey until he arrived in Ephesus, where he found a group of twelve followers of Jesus. 

The first thing he asked them was “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” “No,” they replied. “We’ve not even heard of a holy spirit.” 

Paul asked, “Then what was the meaning of your baptism?” They responded, “It meant that we would follow John’s teaching.”

Plain English Version             Paul helped some men follow Jesus

At that time, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul was visiting places in Frigia country and Galatia country. Then Paul left those places and went through Asia country, then he went on to the town called Ephesus. He met some men there that reckoned they were Christians. Paul asked them, “Did the Holy Spirit come into you when you believed God’s message?”

They said, “No, he didn’t. We don’t know anything about the Holy Spirit. We’ve never heard of him.”

So Paul asked them, “Who baptised you, and why did they do it?”

They said, “We got John the Baptiser to baptise us, to show we were sorry for doing bad things.”

Radiant New Testament        Paul Goes to Ephesus

While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the inland road over to Ephesus. When he arrived there, he found some disciples. But he had to ask them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

“No,” they answered. “We haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

“John’s baptism,” they replied.

UnfoldingWord Simplified T.  While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul left Phrygia and Galatia and went through Asia, and he came back to Ephesus. He met some people who said that they were believers.  

He asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed God's message?" They answered, "No, we did not. We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."  

So Paul asked, "So when you were baptized, what did you know?" They replied, "We believed what John the Baptizer taught."

Williams’ New Testament      It was while Apollos was in Corinth that Paul, by passing through the inland districts, came to Ephesus. He found a few disciples there

and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered him, "So far from that, we never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."

He then asked, "With what sort of baptism then were you baptized?" They answered, "With John's baptism."

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          From there, Paul traveled inland while Apollos stayed in Corinth. And when he got to Ephesus, he found some disciples and he asked them:

‘Did you receive Holy Breath when you became believers?’

And they answered:

‘We’ve never even heard that there is Holy Breath.’

So he asked:

‘Then, into what were you immersed?’

And they replied:

‘Into John’s [form of] immersion.’

Beck’s American Translation .

Breakthrough Version            It happened during the time for Apollos to be in Corinth; for Paul, after going through the upper parts, to go down into Ephesus and to find some students.

And he said to them, "Tell me if you received the Sacred Spirit after you trusted." The students said to him, "No, we did not even hear if the Sacred Spirit exists."

And he said, "So what were you submerged into?" The students said, "Into John's submersion."

Common English Bible           Paul in Ephesus

While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul took a route through the interior and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. He asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you came to believe?”

They replied, “We’ve not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

Then he said, “What baptism did you receive, then?”

They answered, “John’s baptism.”

Len Gane Paraphrase           Then while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul had passed through the upper regions and came to Ephesus finding some disciples.

He said to them, "Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?" They said, "We haven't even heard that there was such a thing as a Holy Spirit."

Then he [Paul] said to them, "Into what were you baptized?" They said to him, "John's baptism."

New Advent (Knox) Bible       It was while Apollo was away at Corinth that Paul finished his journey through the inland country, and came to Ephesus. He met some disciples there and asked them, Was the Holy Spirit given to you, when you learned to believe? Why, they said, nobody even mentioned to us the existence of a Holy Spirit. What baptism, then, did you receive? Paul asked; and they said, John’s baptism.

20^th Century New Testament While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland districts of Roman Asia, and went to Ephesus. There he found some disciples, of whom he asked:

"Did you, when you became believers in Christ, receive the Holy Spirit?" "No," they answered, "we did not even hear that there was a Holy Spirit."

"What then was your baptism?" Paul asked.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Conservapedia Translation    It happened that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper coasts, came to Ephesus. Finding certain students of Christ there, he told them, "Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?" And they told him, "But we never even heard whether any Holy Spirit exists!" He asked them, "Then what were you baptized into?" And they said, "The baptism of John."

Ferrar-Fenton Bible                Paul at Ephesus.

It occurred while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul passed through the highland district on the way to Ephesus.

And finding some disciples, he asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit on becoming believers?" But they answered him, "On the contrary; we have never heard that there is a Holy Spirit."

"Into what, then, were you baptized?" he asked them. "Into the baptism of John," was their reply.

Free Bible Version                 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul took the inland route and arrived in Ephesus where he found some believers.

“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” he asked them.
“No, we haven’t heard anything about a Holy Spirit,” they told him.

“So what baptism did you receive?” he asked.
“John’s baptism,” they replied. [Not many translations placed each quotation on the next line. The FBV and ISV did.]

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           It fortuned, while Apollo was at Corintham, that Paul passed through the upper coasts and came to Ephesus, and found certain disciples, and said unto them: have you received the holy ghost since you believed? And they said unto him: no we have not heard whether there be any holy ghost or no. And he said unto them: wherewith were you then baptised? And they said: with Johns baptism.

Montgomery NT                     Now it happened that while Apollos was in Corinth, Paul, after passing through the hinterland, came to Ephesus, where he found a few disciples.

"Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" he asked them. "No" said they, "we did not even hear that there is a Holy Spirit."

"Into what, then, were you baptized?" he asked. And they said, "Into the baptism of John."

Worsley’s New Testament    Now it came to pass while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul having passed through the upper parts of Asia came to Ephesus: and finding some disciples there, he said unto them, Have ye received the holy Spirit since ye embraced the faith? And they said unto him, Nay, we had not even heard whether the holy Spirit be yet given.

And he said unto them, Into what then were ye baptized? And they said, Into the baptism of John.

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)     Paul in Ephesus

• While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior of the country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples whom he asked, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” They answered, “We have not even heard that anyone may receive the Holy Spirit.” Paul then asked, “What kind of baptism have you received?” And they answered, “The baptism of John.”

8:17; 10:44

Jn 7:39

The footnote for Acts 19:1 is in the addendum.

The Heritage Bible                          And it was, while Apollos was in Corinth, Paul going through the upper parts came down into Ephesus, and finding some disciples

He said to them, Did you, having believed, take the Holy Spirit? And they said to him, We had absolutely not even heard if there is a Holy Spirit.

Also he said to them, Into what therefore were you baptized? And they said, Into John’s baptism.

New American Bible (2011)   Paul in Ephesus.

* While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior of the country and came (down) to Ephesus where he found some disciples.

He said to them, “Did you receive the holy Spirit when you became believers?” They answered him, “We have never even heard that there is a holy Spirit.”

He said, “How were you baptized?” They replied, “With the baptism of John.”

* [19:1–6] Upon his arrival in Ephesus, Paul discovers other people at the same religious stage as Apollos, though they seem to have considered themselves followers of Christ, not of the Baptist. On the relation between baptism and the reception of the Spirit, see note on Acts 8:16.

New Catholic Bible                 Paul in Ephesus.^[a] While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” They replied, “No. We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” He asked, “Then how were you baptized?” They answered, “With the baptism of John.”

[a] The foundation of the Church of Ephesus takes place in the house of a Greek professor. In all likelihood, during this same period Paul’s group established the nearby Churches, such as those of Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis.

Revised English Bible–1989   While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul travelled through the inland regions till he came to Ephesus, where he found a number of disciples.

When he asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” they replied, “No, we were not even told that there is a Holy Spirit.”

He asked, “Then what baptism were you given?” “John's baptism,” they answered.

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           While Apollos was in Corinth, Sha’ul completed his travels through the inland country and arrived at Ephesus, where he found a few talmidim. He asked them, “Did you receive the Ruach HaKodesh when you came to trust?” “No,” they said to him, “we have never even heard that there is such a thing as the Ruach HaKodesh.” “In that case,” he said, “into what were you immersed?” “The immersion of Yochanan,” they answered.

Holy New Covenant Trans.    While Apollos was in the city of Corinth, Paul was visiting some places along the northern route to the city of Ephesus. In Ephesus Paul found some students of John.

Paul asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" These students answered him, "We have never even heard of a Holy Spirit!"

Paul asked, "What immersion did you receive?" "John’s immersion," they replied.

The Scriptures 2009              And it came to be, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Sha’ul, having passed through the upper parts, came to Ephesos. And having found some taught ones, 

he said to them, “Did you receive the Set-apart Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Set-apart Spirit.” 

And he said to them, “Into what then were you immersed?” And they said, “Into Yoanan’s immersion.”

Tree of Life Version                While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul traveled through the upper region and came to Ephesus. He found some disciples

and said to them, “Did you receive the Ruach ha-Kodesh when you believed?” They replied to him, “No, we’ve never even heard that there is a Ruach ha-Kodesh.

He said, “Into what were you immersed?” They said, “Into John’s immersion.”

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Accurate New Testament       ...becomes but in the+ the apollos to be in corinth paul passing the upper portions to descend to ephesus and to find (some) ones students [He] says also to them if spirit pure [You*] receive Believing The [Men] but {say} to him but not if Spirit Pure is [We] hear [He] says also to what? so [You*] are washed The [Men] but say to the [of] john washing...

Awful Scroll Bible                   And it comes about that Apollos is to be from-within Corinth, Paul going-through the upper portions to come into Ephesus, and coming upon certain disciples,

he says, with regards to them, "Whether received yous the Awful Breath confiding?" But they said, with respects to him, "All the same, we yet-not hear whether there is an Awful Breath."

So he said, with regards to them, "Into what then are yous baptized?" And they said, "Into John's baptism."

exeGeses companion Bible   PAULOS AT EPHESUS

And so be it, while Apollos is at Corinth,

Paulos passes through the upper parts

and comes to Ephesus:

and finding some disciples,

he says to them,

Having trusted, have you taken the Holy Spirit?

And they say to him,

We have not even heard

if there be any Holy Spirit.

And he says to them,

To what then were you baptized?

And they say, To the baptism of Yahn.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And it came about while Rav Apollos was in Corinth that Rav Sha'ul traveled through the upper regions and arrived at Ephesus, finding some of [Moshiach's] talmidim there.

And Rav Sha'ul said to them, "Did you receive the Ruach Hakodesh when you came to emunah?" But they said to Rav Sha'ul, "But we never heard that there is a Ruach Hakodesh!"

And Rav Sha'ul said, "Into what then were you given tevilah?" And they said, "Into the tevilah of Yochanan."

Rotherham’s Emphasized B.                   § 33. Paul labours in Ephesus. Demetrius and the Artisans.

Chapter 19.

And it came to passˎ ||while Apollos was in Corinth|| |Paul| passing through the upper partsˎ came to Ephesus, and found certain disciples; and he said unto them—

||Holy Spirit|| received yeˎ when ye believed?^a

And |they| [said] unto him—

Nay! |not even whether there is Holy Spirit| did we hear.

And he said—

|Into what| thenˎ were ye immersed?

And |they| said—

Into John’s immersion.

^a Jn. vii. 39.

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                Paul at Ephesus

It happened that while Apollos was in Corinth, Paul went through the upper [inland] districts and came down to Ephesus, and found some disciples. He asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed [in Jesus as the Christ]?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” And he asked, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.”

An Understandable Version   Then, while Apollos was [still] at Corinth, Paul traveled through the [western] districts and came to Ephesus where he found some disciples.

He asked them, “Did [any of] you receive the [indwelling] Holy Spirit when you became believers [in Jesus]?” They answered him, “No, we have never [even] heard that there was a Holy Spirit.”

Paul [again] asked, “Into what were you immersed then?” They answered him, “Into John’s immersion.”

The Expanded Bible              Paul in Ephesus

While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions [^C the mountainous northern route through the interior of Phrygia; 18:23] to Ephesus [^C a major city in western Asia Minor; 18:23]. There he found some ·followers [disciples] and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit ·when [or after] you believed?”

They said, “We have never even heard ·of [or that there is] a Holy Spirit.”

So he asked, “·What kind of baptism did you have [^L Into what were you baptized]?”

They said, “·It was the baptism that John taught [^L Into John’s baptism].” [^C These followers of John the Baptist either (1) knew only of John’s ministry but had not heard that Jesus was the Messiah, or less likely, (2) believed in Jesus as Messiah, but had not been baptized in his name to receive the Holy Spirit.]

Jonathan Mitchell NT             [D and p38 read: Now upon Paul's desiring – according to {his} personal wish and intent – to continue traveling into Jerusalem, the Breath-effect (or: Spirit) told him to be progressively turned back into Asia]. So it happened during the [occasion] for Apollos to be within Corinth, [that] Paul, passing through the upper parts (= mountainous or highland regions; or: = by an inland route), came down into Ephesus. Then, upon finding certain disciples, he said to them,

"Since trusting, believing and being loyal, did you folks receive [the] Set-apart Breath-effect (or: Holy Spirit; or: a holy spirit and attitude)?" Yet these [said] to him, "To the contrary, we have not even heard if there is (or: exists) a Set-apart Breath-effect (or: Holy Spirit; or: consecrated spirit and attitude; [D* and p38 read: we have not so much as heard of any one's receiving a holy spirit])."

So he said, "Into what, therefore (or: then), were you folks immersed (or: baptized)?" And they said, "Into the immersion that originated with (or: which had the character of and pertained to; which was carried out by) John."

Syndein/Thieme                     {Paul's arrival back at Ephesus}

And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper coasts, came to Ephesus.

And finding certain disciples {Old Testament Saints}, he {Paul} said face to face with them, "Having believed, did you receive the Holy Spirit {at that point}?"

And they said unto him, "We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Spirit."

{Note: Remember that Old Testament Believers did not automatically receive the Holy Spirit - if they were saved before the dispensation changed to the Church Age. In the Church Age, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is immediate to all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. See also I Corinthians 1:12.}

And he {Paul} said unto them, "On what basis then did you receive baptism?"

And they said, "On the basis of John's {John the Baptist} baptism."

Translation for Translators              Paul helped some men to become real believers in Jesus.

Acts 19:1-7

While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul left the places in Phrygia and Galatia provinces where he had been visiting, and traveled through Asia province back to Ephesus. He met some people who said that they were believers. He asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed God’s message?” They answered, “No, we (exc) did not. We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” So Paul asked, “So when you were baptized, what were you showing?” They replied, “We were showing that we (exc) believed what John the Baptizer taught.”

The Voice                               While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul’s overland journey brought him back to Ephesus. He encountered a group of about a dozen disciples there.^[a]

Paul: Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?

John’s Disciples: We’ve never heard about the Holy Spirit.

Paul: Well then, what kind of ceremonial washing through baptism^[b] did you receive?

John’s Disciples: We received the ritual cleansing of baptism^[c] that John taught.

The Voice integrated vv. 1 & 7.

[a] 19:1, 7 Verses 1 and 7 have been combined to help the reader understand the continuity of the passage.

[b] 19:3 Literally, immersion, a rite of initiation and purification

[c] 19:3 Literally, immersion, an act to show repentance

Bible Translations with a Lot of Footnotes:

Lexham Bible                         Paul Finds Disciples of John the Baptist in Ephesus

And it happened that while Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the inland regions and [*Here “and ” is supplied because the previous participle (“traveled through”) has been translated as a finite verb] came [Some manuscripts have “and came down”] to Ephesus and found some disciples.

And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you [*Here “when ” is supplied as a component of the participle (“believed”) which is understood as temporal] believed?” And they said to him, “But we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit!”

And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into the baptism of John.”

NET Bible®                             Disciples of John the Baptist at Ephesus

While¹ Apollos was in Corinth,² Paul went through the inland³ regions⁴ and came to Ephesus.⁵ He⁶ found some disciples there⁷ and said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”⁸ They replied,⁹ “No, we have not even¹⁰ heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” So Paul¹¹ said, “Into what then were you baptized?” “Into John’s baptism,” they replied.¹²

^1tn Grk “It happened that while.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

^2map For location see JP1-C2; JP2-C2; JP3-C2; JP4-Category #2.

^3tn Or “interior.”

^4tn BDAG 92 s.v. ἀνωτερικός has “upper τὰ ἀ. μέρη the upper (i.e. inland) country, the interior Ac 19:1.”

^5map For location see JP1-D2; JP2-D2; JP3-D2; JP4-D2.

^6tn Grk “and found.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the sequencing with the following verse the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

^7tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

^8tn The participle πιστεύσαντες (pisteusantes) is taken temporally.

^9tn Grk “they [said] to him” (the word “said” is implied in the Greek text).

^10tn This use of ἀλλά (alla) is ascensive and involves an ellipsis (BDAG 45 s.v. ἀλλά 3): “No, [not only did we not receive the Spirit,] but also we have not heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” However, this is lengthy and somewhat awkward in English, and the ascensive meaning can be much more easily represented by including the word “even” after the negation. Apparently these disciples were unaware of the provision of the Spirit that is represented in baptism. The language sounds like they did not know about a Holy Spirit, but this seems to be only linguistic shorthand for not knowing about the Spirit’s presence (Luke 3:15-18). The situation is parallel to that of Apollos. Apollos and these disciples represent those who “complete” their transition to messianic faith as Jews.

^11tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

^12tn Grk “they said.”

The Spoken English NT         Paul Preaches and Teaches in Ephesus
While Apollos^a was in Corinth, Paul traveled through places far inland from the sea, and came to Ephesus^b.. He found some followers there

and said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?”^c And they told him, “No-we haven’t even heard there is a Holy Spirit.”

And he said, “So what baptism did you receive?”^d And they told him, “John’s baptism.”

^a.Prn. a-poll-us.

^b.Prn. eternity future-fa-siss.

^c.Or simply, “when you believed.”

^d.Lit. “So what have you been baptized into?”

Wilbur Pickering’s New T.     Back to Ephesus
Now it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper country, came to Ephesus.
Disciples of John
And finding certain disciples

he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “But we have not so much as heard that there is a Holy Spirit!”

So he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism”.¹

(1) Perhaps they were the result of some of Apollos’ early ministry.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Analytical-Literal Translation  Now it happened, while Apollos was in Corinth, Paul having passed through the interior regions, came to Ephesus, and having found certain disciples,

he said to them, "Did you_p receive [the] Holy Spirit, having believed?" But they said to him, "But we did not even hear whether there is a Holy Spirit."

And he said to them, "Into what then were you_p baptized?" So they said, "Into John's baptism."

Benjamin Brodie’s trans.       Now, it came to pass, while Apollos was in Corinth, that Paul, after passing through the upper regions, came down into Ephesus and when he found certain students [waiting for his “train the trainer” program],

Then he asked them face-to-face: “Did you receive the Holy Spirit as a result of your initial belief?” And they replied face-to-face to him: “As a matter of fact, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit [they were still living in the transitional intercalation period and had not heard the gospel of the grace of God].”

Then he asked: “On the basis of what, then, were you baptized?” And they replied: “On the basis of John’s baptism [they were part of new Israel, believing Jesus was the Messiah and having been water baptized].”

Bond Slave Version               And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,

He said to them, Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed? And they said to him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

And he said to them, To what then were you baptized? And they said, To John's baptism.

Context Group Version          While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper country came down to Ephesus, and found certain apprentices:

and he said to them, Did you (pl) receive the Special Spirit when you (pl) trusted? And they [said] to him, No, we did not so much as hear whether the Special Spirit was [given].

And he said, Into what then were you (pl) immersed? And they said, Into John's immersion.

Modern English Version         Ephesians Receive the Holy Spirit

While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper regions and came to Ephesus. He found some disciples and said to them, “Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?”

They said to him, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

He said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?”

They said, “Into John’s baptism.”

Modern Literal Version 2020  {May, 55 - May 58 AD. Ephesus. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians is written.}
{Examples of those who are saved in the New Testament: Acts 2:14-42; 8:5-13; 8:30-39; 10:34-48; 16:13-15; 16:25-34; 18:8a; 18:8b; 19:1-7; Saul/Apostle Paul: 9:17-18, 22:6-16, 26:12-18.}

Now it happened, while* Apollos was in Corinth, Paul, having gone through the upward parts of the region, came to Ephesus and found some disciples.

He said to them, Did you° receive the Holy Spirit when you° believed?
But they said to him, But, we did not hear if there is a Holy Spirit.

And he said to them, Therefore into what were you° immersed*?
But they said, Into the immersion* of John.

New European Version          Rebaptizing some of John the Baptist’s converts

And it came to pass, that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper country, came to Ephesus and found some disciples. And he said to them: Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? And they said to him: No. We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit. And he said: Into what then were you baptized? And they said: Into John's baptism.

Worrell New Testament         And it came to pass, while Apollos was in Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper districts, came to Ephesus, and found certain disciples;

and he said to them, "Did ye receive the Holy Spirit, after having believed?" And they said to him, "Nay, we did not even hear whether there is a Holy Spirit."

And he said, "Into what, then, were ye immersed?" And they said, "Into John's immersion."

The gist of this passage:     When on the road, Paul has come across some believers from the era and witness of John the baptizer.

1-3

Now bear in mind that Paul has just begun his 3^rd missionary journey. At this point, we do not even know who he is traveling with. You will recall that his journey really began with Acts 18:23. At the end of this passage, we will place v. 23 at the beginning, so we can see how well these verse s flow together.

Translation: It was at that [time that] Apollos was in Corinth...

Recall that Paul begged off staying in Ephesus. The people wanted him to stay, but he did not. I suggested that God wanted Paul to stay, and based that upon several reasons: (1) the people of Ephesus flat out asked him to stay. (2) There was no real pressing reason for Paul to go to Jerusalem. In fact, his trip there was so uneventful that, not a single incident is recorded by Luke of that trip; and the word Jerusalem is not even mentioned (maybe the word dropped out and maybe it was never there). (3) God appears to have sent Apollos to Ephesus to take up the slack for Paul.