Acts 19:32

Some therefore cried one thing and some another (alloi men oun allo ti ekrazon). This classical use of allo allo (Robertson, Grammar, p. 747) appears also in Acts 2:12 ; Acts 21:34 . Literally, "others cried another thing." The imperfect shows the repetition (kept on crying) and confusion which is also distinctly stated. For the assembly was in confusion (hn gar h ekklhsia sunkecumenh). The reason for the previous statement. Periphrastic past perfect passive of sugcew, sugcunw (-unnw), to pour together, to commingle as in verse Acts 29 (sugcusew). It was not an "assembly" (ekklhsia, ek, kalew, to call out), but a wholly irregular, disorganized mob in a state (perfect tense) of confusion. There was "a lawful assembly" (verse Acts 39 ), but this mob was not one. Luke shows his contempt for this mob (Furneaux). Had come together (sunelhluqeisan). Past perfect active of sunercomai. It was an assembly only in one sense. For some reason Demetrius who was responsible for the mob preferred now to keep in the background, though he was known to be the ring-leader of the gathering (verse Acts 38 ). It was just a mob that shouted because others did.