Acts 19:12

12 1so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and 2the evil spirits came out of them.

Acts 19:12 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 19:12

So that from his body were brought unto the sick
The Ethiopic version renders it, "from the extremity", or "border of his garment"; and the Syriac version, "from the garments which were upon his body"; were brought and put upon the sick; that is, of the clothes which the apostle wore, some of them were taken and carried to sick persons, and used by them: particularly "handkerchiefs" or "aprons"; the former were such as he might use to wipe his face with, and remove sweat, or any filth from the body; and the latter, what he might wear as a mechanic, when working at his trade:

and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out
of them;
who were afflicted and possessed with them; these were some of the special and uncommon miracles wrought by the hands of the apostle, and which were wrought in an uncommon way; and which most clearly showed that they were wrought by a divine power.

Acts 19:12 In-Context

10 This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
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.

Cross References 2

  • 1. [See ver. 11 above]
  • 2. See Mark 16:17
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.