Acts 19:24

King James Version (KJV)

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

Adam Clarke
Bible Commentary

Silver shrines for Diana - It is generally known that the temple of Diana at Ephesus was deemed one of the seven wonders of the world, and was a most superb building. It appears that the silver shrines mentioned here were small portable representations of this temple, which were bought by strangers as matters of curiosity, and probably of devotion. If we can suppose them to have been exact models of this famous temple, representing the whole exterior of its magnificent workmanship, which is possible, they would be held in high estimation, and probably become a sort of substitute for the temple itself, to worshippers of this goddess who lived in distant parts of Greece. The temple of Diana was raised at the expense of all Asia Minor, and yet was two hundred and twenty years in building, before it was brought to its sum of perfection. It was in length 425 feet, by 220 in breadth; and was beautified by 127 columns, which were made at the expense of so many kings; and was adorned with the most beautiful statues. To procure himself an everlasting fame, Erostratus burned it to the ground the same night on which Alexander the Great was born. It is reported that Alexander offered to make it as magnificent as it was before, provided he might put his name on the front; but this was refused. It was afterwards rebuilt and adorned, but Nero plundered it of all its riches. This grand building remains almost entire to the present day, and is now turned into a Turkish mosque. See an account of it in Montfaucon, Antiq. Expliq. vol. ii., with a beautiful drawing on plate vi., No. 20. See also Stuart's Athens. There were also pieces of silver struck with a representation of the temple of Minerva on one side: many coins occur in the reigns of the first Roman emperors, where temples, with idols in the porch, appear on the reverse; and several may be seen in Muselius, in the reigns of Trajan, Adrian, Antoninus Pius, etc. A beautiful representation of the temple of Diana at Ephesus may be seen on a medal engraved by Montfaucon, in his Antiq. Expliq. Suppl. vol. ii. plate 33. It has eight Doric columns in front, which Pliny says were sixty feet in length. In the entrance, the figure of Diana is represented with a sort of tower upon her head; her arms are supported by two staves; at her feet are represented two stags with their backs towards each other. The sun is represented on the right side of her head, and the moon as a crescent on the left. On each side and at the bottom of this temple are the words, πρωτων Ασιας Εφεσιων . Some think that the medals here referred to are the same that are meant by the silver shrines made by Demetrius and his craftsmen. See the note on Acts 19:27.

Brought no small gain - There were many made, many sold, and probably at considerable prices.

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Albert Barnes
Notes on the Whole Bible

A silversmith - The word used here denotes “one who works in silver” in any way, either in making money, in stamping silver, or in forming utensils from it. It is probable that the employment of this man was confined to the business here specified, that of making shrines, as his complaint Acts. Acts 19:26-27 implied that destroying this would be sufficient to throw them out of all employment. Silver shrines ναοὺς naousTemples. The word “shrine” properly means “a case, small chest, or box”; particularly applied to a box in which sacred things are deposited. Hence, we hear of the shrines for relics (Webster). The word “shrines” here denotes “small portable temples, or edifices,” made of silver, so as to represent the temple of Diana, and probably containing a silver image of the goddess. Such shrines would be purchased by devotees and by worshippers of the goddess, and by strangers, who would be desirous of possessing a representation of one of the seven wonders of the world. See the notes on Acts 19:27. The great number of persons that came to Ephesus for her worship would constitute an ample sale for productions of this kind, and make the manufacture a profitable employment. It is well known that pagans everywhere are accustomed to carry with them small images, or representations of their gods, as an amulet or charm. The Romans had such images in all their houses, called penates, or household gods. A similar thing is mentioned as early as the time of Laban Genesis 31:19, whose images Rachel had stolen and taken with her. Compare Judges 17:5, “The man Micah had an house of gods”; 1 Samuel 19:13; Hosea 3:4. These images were usually enclosed in a box, case, or chest, made of wood, iron, or silver; and probably, as here, usually made to resemble the temple where the idol was worshipped.

Diana - This was a celebrated goddess of the pagan, and one of the twelve superior deities. In the heavens she was Luna, or Meui (the moon); on earth, Diana; and in hell, Hecate. She was sometimes represented with a crescent on her head, a bow in her hand, and dressed in a hunting habit; at other times with a triple face, and with instruments of torture. She was commonly regarded as the goddess of hunting. She was also worshipped under the various names of Lucina, Proserpine, Trivia, etc. She was also represented with a great number of breasts, to denote her as being the fountain of blessings, or as distributing her benefits to each in their proper station. She was worshipped in Egypt, Athens, Cilicia, and among pagan nations generally; but the most celebrated place of her worship was Ephesus, a city especially dedicated to her.

Unto the craftsmen - To the laborers employed under Demetrius in the manufacture of shrines.

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Matthew Henry
Concise Bible Commentary

Persons who came from afar to pay their devotions at the temple of Ephesus, bought little silver shrines, or models of the temple, to carry home with them. See how craftsmen make advantage to themselves of people's superstition, and serve their worldly ends by it. Men are jealous for that by which they get their wealth; and many set themselves against the gospel of Christ, because it calls men from all unlawful crafts, however much wealth is to be gotten by them. There are persons who will stickle for what is most grossly absurd, unreasonable, and false; as this, that those are gods which are made with hands, if it has but worldly interest on its side. The whole city was full of confusion, the common and natural effect of zeal for false religion. Zeal for the honour of Christ, and love to the brethren, encourage zealous believers to venture into danger. Friends will often be raised up among those who are strangers to true religion, but have observed the honest and consistent behaviour of Christians.

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SDA Bible Commentary (limited)
Volume 1-7

24. Demetrius. This man is not otherwise known. The name was common among the Greeks.

Shrines. Gr. naoi (singular, naos; see on Matt. 4:5). This word, commonly translated “temple” always refers to the inner sanctuary, where the divine presence was supposed to dwell, and here must, accordingly, mean the inner sanctuary containing the statue of the goddess. The small silver (or terra-cotta) representations of the temple probably contained a tiny statue of the goddess. These models could either be placed in a house or worn as a charm.

Diana. Gr. Artemis. There seems to have been no good reason for the KJV translators to use here the name of the Roman goddess Diana, who was identified only approximately with the Ephesian deity, instead of the name that appears in the Greek text. From early times the worship of Artemis, originally an Asiatic cult, had centered at Ephesus. When the Greeks sent colonies to Asia Minor they found this form of religion already established there, and, from some resemblance that they discovered in the worship, they gave to the Asian divinity the name of the Greek goddess Artemis.

The fourth temple to Artemis owed much of its magnificence to Croesus. It is said to have been burned down on the night of the birth of Alexander the Great in 356 b.c., by Herostratus, who was impelled by an insane desire to secure an immortality of renown, or rather notoriety, by this act. In the time of Alexander the Great the temple was rebuilt, more stately than ever, and came to be considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Its porticoes were adorned with paintings and sculptures by the great masters of Greek art. It had its coterie of priests, priestesses, and boy attendants. Children employed in the temple services were given an education, and priests and priestesses were pensioned after the age of 60 (cf. 1 Tim. 5:9). One class of priests, known as the theologoi, were assigned to interpret the mysteries of the cult.

Large contributions were made toward the support of the temple, whose benefactors were accorded the highest honors the city could bestow. Pilgrims from all parts of the world came to worship, and purchased memorials made of silver, bronze, marble, or clay. These represented the sanctuary, and the image of Diana that was within.

The upper part of the image of Diana was that of a female figure with many breasts. From the waist down it was simply a square column ornamented with mysterious symbols, including bees, ears of corn, and flowers strangely intermingled. It had been carved in wood, and was now black with age. There is a reproduction of this figure in the Vatican Museum, which seems more like that of some strange Oriental idol. Perhaps its very ugliness was the secret of its presumed power.

The first real blow that idolatry had received in Ephesus for centuries was that dealt by Paul during his residence in the city. Strangely enough, the next came from the hand of the insane Nero, who robbed the temple of Artemis as he had robbed others in Greece and Asia (Tacitus Annals xv. 45), in order to adorn his Golden House at Rome with their treasures of art. Trajan later sent its richly sculptured gates as a gift to a temple at Byzantium, the site of the later city of Constantinople.

As Christianity advanced the worship of Artemis naturally declined, and ere long her shrines were largely deserted. When the Goths devastated Asia Minor about a.d. 262 they plundered the temple of Diana, and its destruction was completed centuries later by the Turks. When the empire became Christian, the temple of Ephesus, in common with that of Delphi, supplied materials for the church of St. Sophia, erected by Justinian in Constantinople in honor of the Holy Wisdom. Since the Turkish invasion the church has served as a mosque. It is now a museum. The city of Ephesus fell into such a state of decay that the site of the temple was uncertain until within the last century. Excavations have since revealed the temple site and have brought to light many inscriptions connected with it.

Gain. Gr. ergasia, “work,” “business”; also “gain produced from works,” that is, profit. The word is used twice in ch. 16:16, 19, of the “gain” made by the Philippian masters from the ravings of the girl who was possessed. The craftsmen at Ephesus created the uproar because their profits were disappearing. Perhaps Demetrius himself, the fiercest of all the rioters, did none of the actual work, but through employing many workmen received a large share of the gains. All the imagery and symbolism of Artemis would furnish an abundant opportunity for the craft of the silversmiths.

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Ellen G. White
The Acts of the Apostles, 291-7

This chapter is based on Acts 19:21-41; 20:1.

For over three years Ephesus was the center of Paul's work. A flourishing church was raised up here, and from this city the gospel spread throughout the province of Asia, among both Jews and Gentiles. AA 291.1

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Cross References

Diana

brought