Acts 19:13

13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish ¹exorcists ²undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, ³"I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims."

Acts 19:13 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 19:13

Then certain of the vagabond Jews
Who strolled about from place to place, pretending to tell fortunes, cure diseases by charms, and dispossess devils by conjuration, and therefore are called as follows,

exorcists;
such there were among the Jews, as Justin Martyr observes {h}, who adjured by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: these

took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits, the name of
the Lord Jesus;
they imitated the Apostle Paul, and attempted to do as he did, using the same: name; hoping to get money or applause, or both, in this way; and it may be observed, that there were some who really did cast out devils in the name of Christ, who did not belong to him, ( Matthew 7:22 ) ( Mark 8:38 )

Saying, we adjure you by Jesus, whom Paul preacheth;
that is, to come out the bodies of those men which they had possessed: and the Jews made use of the name of Jesus for healing diseases; for it is said of one ^F9, that

``he swallowed something which almost choked him, and one came, and muttered to him in the name of Jesus ben Pandira, and he was well''

The Alexandrian copy, Beza's ancient one, and others, the Vulgate Latin and Syriac versions, read, "I adjure you"

---

FOOTNOTES:

F8 Dialog. cum Tryphon. p. 311.
F9 T. Hieros. Sabbat, fol. 14. 4. & Avoda Zara, fol. 40. 4.

Acts 19:13 In-Context

11 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul,

12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.

13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims."

14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.

15 But the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?"

Cross References

• 1. [Matthew 12:27; Luke 11:19]
• 2. See Mark 9:38
• 3. Matthew 26:63; Mark 5:7