The Meaning of Acts 19:17 Explained

Acts 19:17

KJV: And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.

YLT: and this became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who are dwelling at Ephesus, and fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified,

Darby: And this became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who inhabited Ephesus, and fear fell upon all of them, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.

ASV: And this became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, that dwelt at Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  this  was  known  to all  the Jews  and  Greeks  also  dwelling  at Ephesus;  and  fear  fell  on  them  all,  and  the name  of the Lord  Jesus  was magnified. 

What does Acts 19:17 Mean?

Verse Meaning

News reports of this event greatly elevated the reputation of Jesus among all the Ephesians , both Jews and Gentiles.

Context Summary

Acts 19:13-29 - The Power Of Jesus' Name
Where God's spirit is mightily at work, Satan is not far away. Here the enemy's emissaries were mean enough to use the name of Jesus to get themselves a few more shekels. But the name is useless apart from the living power of the Spirit. It is terrible when the very demons flout those who profess religion. Who are ye? meant, "You do not count." The demons knew Christ as the Holy One of God and Paul as His representative, but these exorcist Jews were hollow as sounding brass. Cast into the balances, they were altogether lighter than vanity, Psalms 62:9.
The outcome of all this was a mighty revival. The name of the Lord Jesus was magnified, and a searching work of grace led to the confession of sin and the cleansing of heart and life in many who had followed vain superstitions.
So deep was the work of God in that great city of Ephesus that the trade in charms and amulets, sold in the neighborhood of the temple, began to fall off. The crowd of worshippers in Diana's temple was also perceptibly less. People who came in from the seaboard would find their way to the Apostle, who preached the gospel with a power that could not be withstood. Regenerated souls therefore, in turn, carried the gospel throughout the whole region. [source]

Chapter Summary: Acts 19

1  The Holy Spirit is given by Paul's hands
8  The Jews blaspheme his doctrine, which is confirmed by miracles
13  The Jewish exorcists,
16  are beaten by a man who had an evil spirit
19  Conjuring books are burnt
21  Demetrius, for love of gain, raises an uproar against Paul;
35  which is appeased by the town clerk

Greek Commentary for Acts 19:17

Was magnified [εμεγαλυνετο]
Imperfect passive. To make great. It was a notable victory over the powers of evil in Ephesus. [source]
Was known [ἐγένετο γνωστὸν]
More correctly, became known. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Acts 19:17

Philippians 1:20 Shall be magnified [megalunthēsetai)]
Future passive indicative of megalunō old verb, to make great, from μεγαλυντησεται — megas (great). See note on Acts 19:17. In my body (μεγαλυνω — en tōi sōmati mou). See note on Romans 12:1. It is harder often to make Christ great in the body than in the spirit. [source]

What do the individual words in Acts 19:17 mean?

This now became known to all Jews both and Greeks those inhabiting - Ephesus fell fear upon all them was being magnified the name of the Lord Jesus
Τοῦτο δὲ ἐγένετο γνωστὸν πᾶσιν Ἰουδαίοις τε καὶ Ἕλλησιν τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν τὴν Ἔφεσον ἐπέπεσεν φόβος ἐπὶ πάντας αὐτούς ἐμεγαλύνετο τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ

Τοῦτο  This 
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: οὗτος  
Sense: this.
δὲ  now 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: δέ  
Sense: but, moreover, and, etc.
ἐγένετο  became 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Middle, 3rd Person Singular
Root: γίνομαι  
Sense: to become, i.
γνωστὸν  known 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: γνώριμος 
Sense: known, notable.
πᾶσιν  to  all 
Parse: Adjective, Dative Masculine Plural
Root: πᾶς  
Sense: individually.
Ἰουδαίοις  Jews 
Parse: Adjective, Dative Masculine Plural
Root: Ἰουδαῖος  
Sense: Jewish, belonging to the Jewish race.
τε  both 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: τέ  
Sense: not only … but also.
Ἕλλησιν  Greeks 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Plural
Root: Ἕλλην  
Sense: a Greek either by nationality, whether a native of the main land or of the Greek islands or colonies.
τοῖς  those 
Parse: Article, Dative Masculine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
κατοικοῦσιν  inhabiting 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Dative Masculine Plural
Root: κατοικέω 
Sense: to dwell, settle.
τὴν  - 
Parse: Article, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Ἔφεσον  Ephesus 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: Ἔφεσος  
Sense: a maritime city of Asia Minor, capital of Ionia and under the Romans, of proconsular Asia, situated on the Icarian Sea between Smyrna and Miletus.
ἐπέπεσεν  fell 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἐπιπίπτω  
Sense: to fall upon, to rush or press upon.
φόβος  fear 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: φόβος  
Sense: fear, dread, terror.
ἐπὶ  upon 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐπί  
Sense: upon, on, at, by, before.
ἐμεγαλύνετο  was  being  magnified 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Middle or Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: μεγαλύνω  
Sense: to make great, magnify.
ὄνομα  name 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: ὄνομα  
Sense: name: univ.
τοῦ  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Κυρίου  Lord 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: κύριος  
Sense: he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord.
Ἰησοῦ  Jesus 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Ἰησοῦς  
Sense: Joshua was the famous captain of the Israelites, Moses’ successor.