Eventually, one of the evil spirits answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?”
Parallel translations
- WEB The evil spirit answered, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?”
- KJV And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?
- NKJV And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”
- NASB But the evil spirit responded and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know of Paul, but who are you?”
- NLT But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The evil spirit replied that it knew Jesus and Paul, but did not recognize these men.
Overview
The demon acknowledged the real authority of Jesus and the genuine commission of Paul, but saw the exorcists as imposters with no standing. The scene shows that Christ's name has power only for those who truly belong to Him. It is a sober reminder that spiritual authority cannot be borrowed or faked.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Acts 16:17–18This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!”
- Mark 1:34And He healed many who were ill with various diseases and drove out many demons. But He would not allow the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.
- Luke 4:33–35In the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon. He cried out in a loud voice,
- Mark 5:9–13“What is your name?” Jesus asked. “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.”
- Mark 1:24“What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”
- Luke 8:28–32When the man saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before Him, shouting in a loud voice, “What do You want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You not to torture me!”
- Matt 8:29–31“What do You want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have You come here to torture us before the appointed time?”
- Gen 3:1–5Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’”
- 1 Kgs 22:21–23Then a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will entice him.’ ‘By what means?’ asked the LORD.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.
How Acts 19:15 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.