Acts 19:24

 Acts 19:24

For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen;

a. NLT: It began with Demetrius, a silversmith who had a large business manufacturing silver shrines of the Greek goddess Artemis.[fn] He kept many craftsmen busy. [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

b. ASV: For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no little business unto the craftsmen; [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

c. YLT: For a certain one, Demetrius by name, a worker in silver, making silver sanctuaries of Artemis, was bringing to the artificers gain not a little, [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.] 

d. Classic Amplified: For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of [the goddess] Artemis [Diana], brought no small income to his craftsmen.

[Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

e. Peshitta Eastern Text: There was here a silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines for Artemis, thus greatly enriching the craftsmen of his trade. [HOLY BIBLE FROM THE ANCIENT EASTERN TEXT.Copyright  Ⓒ 1933 by A.J. Holmon Co.; copyright  Ⓒ renewed 1961 by A.J. Holmon Co.; Copyright  Ⓒ 1939 by A.J. Holmon Co.; copyright  Ⓒ renewed 1967  by A.J. Holmon Co.;  Copyright  Ⓒ 1940 by A.J. Holmon Co.; copyright  Ⓒ renewed 1968 by A.J. Holmon Co.; Copyright  Ⓒ 1957 by A.J. Holmon Co. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. HarperCollins Publishers, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.]

f. NIV: A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. [THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.]

1. “For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith…”

a. For [Strong: 1063. gar gar a primary particle; properly, assigning a reason (used in argument, explanation or intensification; often with other particles):--and, as, because (that), but, even, for, indeed, no doubt, seeing, then, therefore, verily, what, why, yet.]

b. [a] certain [man] [Strong: 5100. tis tis an enclitic indefinite pronoun; some or any person or object:--a (kind of), any (man, thing, thing at all), certain (thing), divers, he (every) man, one (X thing), ought, + partly, some (man, -body, - thing, -what), (+ that no-)thing, what(-soever), X wherewith, whom(-soever), whose(-soever).]

c. named [Strong: 3686. onoma on'-om-ah from a presumed derivative of the base of 1097 (compare 3685); a "name" (literally or figuratively) (authority, character):--called, (+ sur-)name(-d).]

d. Demetrius [Strong: 1216. Demetrios day-may'-tree-os from Demeter (Ceres); Demetrius, the name of an Ephesian and of a Christian:--Demetrius.]

e. [a] silversmith [Strong: 695. argurokopos ar-goo-rok-op'-os from 696 and 2875; a beater (i.e. worker) of silver:--silversmith.]

2. “...which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen;”

a. [which] made [Strong: 4160. poieo poy-eh'-o apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; to make or do (in a very wide application, more or less direct):--abide, + agree, appoint, X avenge, + band together, be, bear, + bewray, bring (forth), cast out, cause, commit, + content, continue, deal, + without any delay, (would) do(-ing), execute, exercise, fulfil, gain, give, have, hold, X journeying, keep, + lay wait, + lighten the ship, make, X mean, + none of these things move me, observe, ordain, perform, provide, + have purged, purpose, put, + raising up, X secure, shew, X shoot out, spend, take, tarry, + transgress the law, work, yield.]

b. silver [Strong: 693. argureos ar-goo'-reh-os from 696; made of silver:--(of) silver.

c. shrines [Strong: 3485. naos nah-os' from a primary naio (to dwell); a fane, shrine, temple :--shrine, temple.] 

d. [for] Diana [Strong: 735. Artemis ar'-tem-is probably from the same as 736; prompt; Artemis, the name of a Grecian goddess borrowed by the Asiatics for one of their deities:--Diana.]

e. brought [Strong: 3930. parecho par-ekh'-o from 3844 and 2192; to hold near, i.e. present, afford, exhibit, furnish occasion:--bring, do, give, keep, minister, offer, shew, + trouble.]

f. no [Strong: 3756. ou oo, also (before a vowel) ouk ook, and (before an aspirate) ouch ookh a primary word; the absolute negative (compare 3361) adverb; no or not:--+ long, nay, neither, never, no (X man), none, (can-)not, + nothing, + special, un(-worthy), when, + without, + yet but.

g.  small [Strong: 3641. oligos ol-ee'-gos of uncertain affinity; puny (in extent, degree, number, duration or value); especially neuter (adverbially) somewhat:--+ almost, brief(-ly), few, (a) little, + long, a season, short, small, a while.]

h. gain [Strong: 2039. ergasia er-gas-ee'-ah from 2040; occupation; by implication, profit, pains:--craft, diligence, gain, work.]

i. [unto] the [Strong: 3588. [tois] ὁ ho ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.] [Thayer: [tois] ὁ, ἡ, τό, originally τος, τῇ, τό (as is evident from the forms τοι, ται for οἱ, αἱ in Homer and the Ionic writings), corresponds to our definite article the (German der, die, das), which is properly a demonstrative pronoun, which we see in its full force in Homer, and of which we find certain indubitable traces also in all kinds of Greek prose, and hence also in the N. T.] [Additional variants: tē, hoi, oi, tēn, ta, tēs, tois, tais, tō, tōn, tou, hé  hē, hai.]

j. craftsmen [Strong: 5079. technites tekh-nee'-tace from 5078; an artisan; figuratively, a founder (Creator):--builder, craftsman.]

1). Perry Stone New Testament Hebraic Study Bible: Conversions to Christ were bad for those in the idol making business. Demetrius was a silversmith who made small shrines, which were silver boxes with a small silver idol of the goddess Diana inside (v. 24). Ephesus had a massive temple to Diana, drawing countless worshippers to the city.The temple was 425 feet long and 220 feet wide with 127 marble pillars, each sixty feet high. Each pillar held 150 tons of marble. The temple was one of the wonders of the Roman world. The small shrines were purchased by locals and strangers to carry with them back to their homes. This brought great profits to the silversmiths, but their employment was now threatened because Diana’s worshippers were turning to Christ (v.25-26). They started a riot at the amphitheater, and Paul’s influential friends forbade him to enter the fray (v. 30, 31).

2). Whenever there is true revival, the industries that produce bondages to people, keeping them away from Christ suffer immediately. Bars, stripjoints etc.