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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width; initial-scale=1.0; maximum-scale=1.0; user-scalable=0;"/><title>Acts 19:7 Commentaries: There were in all about twelve men.</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/newcom.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../vmenus/acts/19-7.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmcom/acts/19-7.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="http://biblehub.com/commentaries/">Commentaries</a> > Acts 19:7</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../acts/19-6.htm" title="Acts 19:6">◄</a> Acts 19:7 <a href="../acts/19-8.htm" title="Acts 19:8">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse">And all the men were about twelve.</div><div id="jump">Jump to: <a href="/commentaries/alford/acts/19.htm" title="Henry Alford - Greek Testament Critical Exegetical Commentary">Alford</a> • <a href="/commentaries/barnes/acts/19.htm" title="Barnes' Notes">Barnes</a> • <a href="/commentaries/bengel/acts/19.htm" title="Bengel's Gnomen">Bengel</a> • <a href="/commentaries/benson/acts/19.htm" title="Benson Commentary">Benson</a> • <a href="/commentaries/illustrator/acts/19.htm" title="Biblical Illustrator">BI</a> • <a href="/commentaries/calvin/acts/19.htm" title="Calvin's Commentaries">Calvin</a> • <a href="/commentaries/cambridge/acts/19.htm" title="Cambridge Bible">Cambridge</a> • <a href="/commentaries/chrysostom/acts/19.htm" title="Chrysostom Homilies">Chrysostom</a> • <a href="/commentaries/clarke/acts/19.htm" title="Clarke's Commentary">Clarke</a> • <a href="/commentaries/darby/acts/19.htm" title="Darby's Bible Synopsis">Darby</a> • <a href="/commentaries/ellicott/acts/19.htm" title="Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers">Ellicott</a> • <a href="/commentaries/expositors/acts/19.htm" title="Expositor's Bible">Expositor's</a> • <a href="/commentaries/edt/acts/19.htm" title="Expositor's Dictionary">Exp Dct</a> • <a href="/commentaries/egt/acts/19.htm" title="Expositor's Greek">Exp Grk</a> • <a href="/commentaries/gaebelein/acts/19.htm" title="Gaebelein's Annotated Bible">Gaebelein</a> • <a href="/commentaries/gsb/acts/19.htm" title="Geneva Study Bible">GSB</a> • <a href="/commentaries/gill/acts/19.htm" title="Gill's Bible Exposition">Gill</a> • <a href="/commentaries/gray/acts/19.htm" title="Gray's Concise">Gray</a> • <a href="/commentaries/guzik/acts/19.htm" title="Guzik Bible Commentary">Guzik</a> • <a href="/commentaries/haydock/acts/19.htm" title="Haydock Catholic Bible Commentary">Haydock</a> • <a href="/commentaries/hastings/acts/17-22.htm" title="Hastings Great Texts">Hastings</a> • <a href="/commentaries/homiletics/acts/19.htm" title="Pulpit Homiletics">Homiletics</a> • <a href="/commentaries/icc/acts/19.htm" title="ICC NT Commentary">ICC</a> • <a href="/commentaries/jfb/acts/19.htm" title="Jamieson-Fausset-Brown">JFB</a> • <a href="/commentaries/kelly/acts/19.htm" title="Kelly Commentary">Kelly</a> • <a href="/commentaries/king-en/acts/19.htm" title="Kingcomments Bible Studies">King</a> • <a href="/commentaries/lange/acts/19.htm" title="Lange Commentary">Lange</a> • <a href="/commentaries/maclaren/acts/19.htm" title="MacLaren Expositions">MacLaren</a> • <a href="/commentaries/mhc/acts/19.htm" title="Matthew Henry Concise">MHC</a> • <a href="/commentaries/mhcw/acts/19.htm" title="Matthew Henry Full">MHCW</a> • <a href="/commentaries/meyer/acts/19.htm" title="Meyer Commentary">Meyer</a> • <a href="/commentaries/parker/acts/19.htm" title="The People's Bible by Joseph Parker">Parker</a> • <a href="/commentaries/pnt/acts/19.htm" title="People's New Testament">PNT</a> • <a href="/commentaries/poole/acts/19.htm" title="Matthew Poole">Poole</a> • <a href="/commentaries/pulpit/acts/19.htm" title="Pulpit Commentary">Pulpit</a> • <a href="/commentaries/sermon/acts/19.htm" title="Sermon Bible">Sermon</a> • <a href="/commentaries/sco/acts/19.htm" title="Scofield Reference Notes">SCO</a> • <a href="/commentaries/ttb/acts/19.htm" title="Through The Bible">TTB</a> • <a href="/commentaries/vws/acts/19.htm" title="Vincent's Word Studies">VWS</a> • <a href="/commentaries/wes/acts/19.htm" title="Wesley's Notes">WES</a> • <a href="#tsk" title="Treasury of Scripture Knowledge">TSK</a></div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="comtype">EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)</div><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/acts/19.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(7) <span class= "bld">And all the men were about twelve.</span>—Better, <span class= "ital">The men were in all about twelve.</span> The whole narrative seems to imply that they were not individual cases, occurring here and there from time to time, but were living together as a kind of ascetic community, attending the meetings of the Church, yet not sharing the fulness of its life.<p><a name="mhc" id="mhc"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/mhc/acts/19.htm">Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary</a></div>19:1-7 Paul, at Ephesus, found some religious persons, who looked to Jesus as the Messiah. They had not been led to expect the miraculous powers of the Holy Ghost, nor were they informed that the gospel was especially the ministration of the Spirit. But they spake as ready to welcome the notice of it. Paul shows them that John never design that those he baptized should rest there, but told them that they should believe on Him who should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. They thankfully accepted the discovery, and were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. The Holy Ghost came upon them in a surprising, overpowering manner; they spake with tongues, and prophesied, as the apostles and the first Gentile coverts did. Though we do not now expect miraculous powers, yet all who profess to be disciples of Christ, should be called on to examine whether they have received the seal of the Holy Ghost, in his sanctifying influences, to the sincerity of their faith. Many seem not to have heard that there is a Holy Ghost, and many deem all that is spoken concerning his graces and comforts, to be delusion. Of such it may properly be inquired, Unto what, then, were ye baptized? for they evidently know not the meaning of that outward sign on which they place great dependence.<a name="bar" id="bar"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/barnes/acts/19.htm">Barnes' Notes on the Bible</a></div>And all the men - The whole number. <a name="jfb" id="jfb"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/jfb/acts/19.htm">Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary</a></div>6. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them … they spake with tongues, &c.—See on [2054]Ac 10:44,45.<div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/poole/acts/19.htm">Matthew Poole's Commentary</a></div> Or exactly twelve; answering to the apostles, and that blessed number so often mentioned in Scripture. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="gil" id="gil"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/gill/acts/19.htm">Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible</a></div>And all the men were about twelve. The Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions, have not the word "about"; but affirm, that the men were twelve; and indeed the number being so small, the historian might be at a certainty about it: these seem to be the first materials of a Gospel church at Ephesus, which afterwards was very large and flourishing, and very likely were some of the elders of it. <a name="gsb" id="gsb"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/gsb/acts/19.htm">Geneva Study Bible</a></div><span class="cverse2">And all the men were about twelve.</span></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><div class="comtype">EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)</div><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/egt/acts/19.htm">Expositor's Greek Testament</a></div><a href="/acts/19-7.htm" title="And all the men were about twelve.">Acts 19:7</a>. <span class="greekheb">ὡσεὶ</span>, as Weiss admits, excludes any special significance attaching to the number twelve on account of which the narrative would be constructed. See also Knabenbauer, <span class="ital">in loco</span>. We know so little about these men that it seems hazardous to attempt to define them more clearly (see Plumptre, <span class="ital">in loco</span>).<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/cambridge/acts/19.htm">Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges</a></div><span class="bld">7</span>. <span class="ital">And all the men were about twelve</span>] <span class="ital">The Revised Version</span> “And they were in all about twelve men,” is a more strict rendering of the Greek, but it does not give a different sense, and “men” in that position receives an undue accent.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span>The verse has been the cause of much remark. Why the inspired historian should speak with an “about,” has been asked by some. With that we are not concerned, only to observe that the Spirit has not prompted him to speak otherwise. Some have seen in the number and the circumstances a resemblance to the Apostles and their supernatural endowment; others have looked back as far as the Patriarchs and have made of these men the beginning of another Israel. May it not be that the “about” was written to admonish us of the unprofitableness of such speculations? Cp. <a href="/joshua/7-5.htm" title="And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even to Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: why the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.">Joshua 7:5</a>.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/bengel/acts/19.htm">Bengel's Gnomen</a></div><a href="/acts/19-7.htm" title="And all the men were about twelve.">Acts 19:7</a>. <span class="greekheb">Ὡσεὶ</span>, <span class="ital">about</span>) There was no need that the precise number should be indicated. Comp. <a href="/1_corinthians/1-16.htm" title="And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.">1 Corinthians 1:16</a>, “I baptized also the household of Stephanas; besides I know not whether I baptized any other.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="pul" id="pul"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/acts/19.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 7.</span> <span class="accented">- They were in all about twelve men</span> for <span class="accented">all the men were about twelve</span>, A.V. 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