Acts 19:26 — ExegesisTAB

The verse begins with coordinated second person plural verbs theōreite {θεωρεῖτε | theō-reî-te} ‘you see’ and akouete {ἀκούετε | a-koú-e-te} joined by kai {καί | kaí} ‘and’, giving emphatic weight to the addressees’ direct experience, both visual and auditory. The conjunction hoti {ὅτι | hó-ti} introduces indirect discourse, marking the content of what they perceive. The phrase ou monon Ephesou alla schedon pasēs tēs Asias {οὐ μόνον Ἐφέσου ἀλλὰ σχεδὸν πάσης τῆς Ἀσίας | ou mó-non E-phé-sou al-là sche-dón pá-sēs tēs A-sí-as} forms a correlative construction “not only … but almost …,” with genitives of place indicating the geographical scope of Paul’s influence, moving from the local (Ephesus) to the wider province (Asia). The subject is specified by houtos ho Paulos {οὗτος ὁ Παῦλος | hoû-tos ho Paû-los} ‘this Paul’, with the demonstrative adding a tone of pointed, perhaps disdainful, reference in the speech. The aorist participle peisas {πείσας | peí-sas} ‘having persuaded’ precedes the aorist finite verb metestēsen {μετέστησεν | me-té-stē-sen} ‘he turned away’, creating a participial construction that is best taken as causal or instrumental: by persuading, he caused a transfer of allegiance. The object hikanon ochlon {ἱκανὸν ὄχλον | hi-ka-nón óch-lon} ‘a considerable crowd’ underscores the quantitative impact. The present participle legōn {λέγων | lé-gōn} ‘saying’ introduces the content of Paul’s message through another hoti-clause, ouk eisin theoi hoi dia cheirōn ginomenoi {οὐκ εἰσὶν θεοὶ οἱ διὰ χειρῶν γινόμενοι | ouk ei-sín theoí hoi diá chei-rôn gi-nó-me-noi}, where the articular participle ginomenoi modifies theoi, defining these “gods” as those that are in the process of being made by hands. The preposition dia with the genitive cheirōn specifies agency (“by hands”), highlighting the man-made nature of the idols. In translation, the layered clauses are rendered with clear subordination (“that… that…”) and participial phrases maintained where natural, preserving the causal link between persuasion and turning, and the defining link between “gods” and being “made by hands.”