Demetrius assembled the craftsmen, along with the workmen in related trades. “Men,” he said, “you know that this business is our source of prosperity.
Parallel translations
- WEB whom he gathered together, with the workmen of like occupation, and said, “Sirs, you know that by this business we have our wealth.
- KJV Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth.
- NKJV He called them together with the workers of similar occupation, and said: “Men, you know that we have our prosperity by this trade.
- NASB he gathered these men together with the workmen of similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity depends upon this business.
- NLT He called them together, along with others employed in similar trades, and addressed them as follows: “Gentlemen, you know that our wealth comes from this business.
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
Demetrius gathered the tradesmen and reminded them their wealth depended on this idol-making business.
Overview
He frankly appealed to their financial self-interest, making profit the real motive behind the coming uproar. Religious zeal would be invoked, but money was the driving concern. The verse exposes how human hearts often cloak material greed in pious language.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Acts 16:19When the girl’s owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities in the marketplace.
- Hos 12:7–8A merchant loves to defraud with dishonest scales in his hands.
- 2 Pet 2:3In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep.
- Rev 18:3All the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her immorality. The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy from the extravagance of her luxury.”
- Rev 18:11–19And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because there is no one left to buy their cargo—
- Hos 4:8They feed on the sins of My people and set their hearts on iniquity.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 19:25 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.