Acts 19:14

14 erant autem quidam Scevae Iudaei principis sacerdotum septem filii qui hoc faciebant

Acts 19:14 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 19:14

And there were seven sons of one Sceva a Jew
Who strolled about the country, and used exorcisms: and

chief of the priests;
that were at Ephesus; not the high priest of the Jews, for he would have been at Jerusalem, and not at Ephesus; though indeed it does not necessarily follow from the words, that Sceva himself was there, only his seven sons: however, no such name appears in the catalogue of the Jewish high priests, nor is it reasonable to think, that seven sons of an high priest should follow such a vagabond course of life: Beza's ancient copy only calls him "a priest"; and the Alexandrian copy reads his name, Sceuta, and the Ethiopic version omits it; it is the same with (hawko) , and signifies a spectator, or observer; see the Targum on ( 2 Samuel 13:34 ) ( Isaiah 21:6 ) .

which did so;
adjured the devils in the name of Jesus, to come out; at least they did so in one case, as follows.

Acts 19:14 In-Context

12 ita ut etiam super languidos deferrentur a corpore eius sudaria vel semicintia et recedebant ab eis languores et spiritus nequam egrediebantur

13 temptaverunt autem quidam et de circumeuntibus iudaeis exorcistis invocare super eos qui habebant spiritus malos nomen Domini Iesu dicentes adiuro vos per Iesum quem Paulus praedicat

14 erant autem quidam Scevae Iudaei principis sacerdotum septem filii qui hoc faciebant

15 respondens autem spiritus nequam dixit eis Iesum novi et Paulum scio vos autem qui estis

16 et insiliens homo in eos in quo erat daemonium pessimum et dominatus amborum invaluit contra eos ita ut nudi et vulnerati effugerent de domo illa