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Friday, August 15th, 2025
the Week of Proper 14 / Ordinary 19
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Read the Bible

Douay-Rheims Bible

Acts 19:14

And there were certain men, seven sons of Sceva, a Jew, a chief priest, that did this.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Demons;   Ephesus;   Miracles;   Paul;   Presumption;   Sceva;   Sorcery;   Superstition;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Presumption;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Exorcists;   Sceva;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Asia;   Ephesus;   Magic;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit;   Prayer;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Ordination;   Relics;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Sceva;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Exorcism;   Magi;   Sceva;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Acts;   Church;   Exorcism;   Sceva;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Bible;   Corinthians, Second Epistle to;   Ephesus;   Exorcism;   Sceva;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Chief Priests ;   Demon;   Exorcism;   Numbers;   Sacraments;   Simon Magus;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ephesians, Epistle to the;   Exorcists;   Sceva ;   42 Evil Wicked;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Ephesians;   Ephesus;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Sce'va,;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Sceva;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Saul of Tarsus;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Charm;   Essenes, the;   Number;   Sceva;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Exorcism;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this.
King James Version (1611)
And there were seuen sonnes of one Sceua a Iewe, and chiefe of the Priests, which did so.
King James Version
And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.
English Standard Version
Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.
New American Standard Bible
Now there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, doing this.
New Century Version
Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this.
Amplified Bible
Seven sons of one [named] Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.
Legacy Standard Bible
Now seven sons of one named Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.
Berean Standard Bible
Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.
Contemporary English Version
Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this,
Complete Jewish Bible
One time, seven sons of a Jewish cohen gadol named Skeva were doing this;
Darby Translation
And there were certain [men], seven sons of Sceva, Jewish high priest, who were doing this.
Geneva Bible (1587)
(And there were certaine sonnes of Sceua a Iewe, the Priest, about seuen which did this)
George Lamsa Translation
And there were seven sons of one Sce''va, a Jew, and chief of the priests, who did this.
Good News Translation
Seven brothers, who were the sons of a Jewish High Priest named Sceva, were doing this.
Lexham English Bible
(Now seven sons of a certain Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.)
Literal Translation
And there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, doing this.
American Standard Version
And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, a chief priest, who did this.
Bible in Basic English
And there were seven sons of a man named Sceva, a Jew and a chief priest, who did this.
Hebrew Names Version
There were seven sons of one Skeva, a Yehudi chief Kohen, who did this.
International Standard Version
Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.
Etheridge Translation
There were seven sons of a man, a certain Jihudoya, chief of the priests, whose name was Skeva, who did this.
Murdock Translation
And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, who did this.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And there were seuen sonnes of one Sceua a Iewe, and chiefe of ye priestes, which dyd so.
English Revised Version
And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, a chief priest, which did this.
World English Bible
There were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did this.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And there were seven sons of one Sceva a Jewish chief priest, who did this.
Weymouth's New Testament
There were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew of high-priestly family, who were doing this.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And ther weren seuene sones of a Jewe, Steuen, a prince of preestis, that diden this thing.
Update Bible Version
And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, a chief priest, who did this.
Webster's Bible Translation
And there were seven sons of [one] Sceva a Jew, [and] chief of the priests, who did so.
New English Translation
(Now seven sons of a man named Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this.)
New King James Version
Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so.
New Living Translation
Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this.
New Life Bible
A Jewish leader of the people by the name of Sceva had seven sons. These sons were trying to do this.
New Revised Standard
Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, a High-priest, who, this thing, were doing.
Revised Standard Version
Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And ther were seven sonnes of one Sceva a Iewe and chefe of the prestes which dyd so.
Young's Literal Translation
and there were certain -- seven sons of Sceva, a Jew, a chief priest -- who are doing this thing;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
They were seuen sonnes of one Sceua a Iewe the hye prest, which dyd so.
Mace New Testament (1729)
these practitioners were seven in number, the sons of Sceva a Jew, one of the chief priests.
Simplified Cowboy Version
These gypsies were the seven sons of a Jewish preacher named Sceva.

Contextual Overview

13 Now some also of the Jewish exorcists, who went about, attempted to invoke over them that had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying: I conjure you by Jesus, whom Paul preacheth. 14 And there were certain men, seven sons of Sceva, a Jew, a chief priest, that did this. 15 But the wicked spirit, answering, said to them: Jesus I know: and Paul I know. But who are you? 16 And the man in whom the wicked spirit was, leaping upon them and mastering them both, prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this became known to all the Jews and the Gentiles that dwelt a Ephesus. And fear fell on them all: and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. 18 And many of them that believed came, confessing and declaring their deeds 19 And many of them who had followed curious arts brought together their books and burnt them before all. And, counting the price of them, they found the money to be fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So mightily grew the word of God and was confirmed.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Cross-References

Genesis 19:4
But before they went to bed, the men of the city beset the house, both young and old, all the people together.
Genesis 19:8
I have two daughters who, as yet, have not known man; I will bring them out to you, and abuse you them as it shall please you, so that you do no evil to these men, because they are come in under the shadow of my roof.
Genesis 19:12
And they said to Lot: Hast thou here any of thine? son in law, or sons, or daughters, all that are thine bring them out of this city:
Genesis 19:14
So Lot went out, and spoke to his sons in law that were to have his daughters, and said: Arise: get you out of this place, because the Lord will destroy this city. And he seemed to them to speak as it were in jest.
Genesis 19:17
And they brought him forth, and set him without the city: and there they spoke to him, saying: Save thy life: look not back, neither stay thou in all the country about: but save thy self in the mountain, lest thou be also consumed.
Genesis 19:22
Make haste, and be saved there: because I cannot do any thing till thou go in thither. Therefore the name of that city was called Segor.
Genesis 19:28
He looked towards Sodom and Gomorrha, and the whole land of that country: and he saw the ashes rise up from the earth as the smoke of a furnace.
Genesis 19:30
And Lot went up out of Segor, and abode in the mountain, and his two daughters with him (for he was afraid to stay in Segor) and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters with him.
Exodus 9:21
But he that regarded not the word of the Lord, left his servants, and his cattle in the fields.
Exodus 12:31
And Pharao calling Moses and Aaron, in the night, said: Arise and go forth from among my people, you and the children of Israel: go, sacrifice to the Lord as you say.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And there were seven sons of one Sceva a Jew,.... Who strolled about the country, and used exorcisms: and

chief of the priests; that were at Ephesus; not the high priest of the Jews, for he would have been at Jerusalem, and not at Ephesus; though indeed it does not necessarily follow from the words, that Sceva himself was there, only his seven sons: however, no such name appears in the catalogue of the Jewish high priests, nor is it reasonable to think, that seven sons of an high priest should follow such a vagabond course of life: Beza's ancient copy only calls him "a priest"; and the Alexandrian copy reads his name, Sceuta, and the Ethiopic version omits it; it is the same with סכואה, and signifies a spectator, or observer; see the Targum on 2 Samuel 13:34.

which did so; adjured the devils in the name of Jesus, to come out; at least they did so in one case, as follows.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

One Sceva - Sceva is a Greek name, but nothing more is known of him.

Chief of the priests - This cannot mean that he was high priest among the Jews, as it is wholly improbable that his sons would be wandering exorcists. But it denotes that he was of the sacerdotal order. He was a Jewish chief priest; a priest of distinction, and had held the office of a ruler. The word “chief priest,” in the New Testament, usually refers to men of the sacerdotal order who were also rulers in the Sanhedrin.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Acts 19:14. Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests — The original Ιουδαιου αρχιερεως, dignifies a Jewish high priest; but it is not probable that any sons, much less seven sons of a Jewish high priest, should be strolling exorcists: it is therefore likely that υιοισκευατινοςιερεως, the sons of Skeva, a certain priest, as it stands in the Codex Bezae, is the true reading. The whole verse in that MS. reads thus: Among them there also the sons of Skeva, a priest, who wished to do the same: for they were accustomed to exorcise such persons. And entering in to the demoniac, they began to invoke that Name, saying, We command thee by Jesus, whom Paul preacheth, to go out. And the evil spirit angered, and said unto them, Jesus I know, c. It has been often remarked that in our Lord's time there were many of the Jews that professed to cast out demons and perhaps to this our Lord alludes, Matthew 12:27. See Clark's note there; "Matthew 12:27".

Josephus, in speaking of the wisdom of Solomon, says that he had that skill by which demons are expelled; and that he left behind him the manner of using exorcisms, by which they are cast out; and that those arts were known among his countrymen down to his own time; and then gives us the following relation: "I have seen a certain man of my own country whose name was Eleazar, releasing people that were demoniacs, in the presence of Vespasian, his sons, his captains, and the whole multitude of his soldiers. The manner of the cure was this: He put a ring, that had a root of one of those sorts mentioned by Solomon, to the nostrils of the demoniac, after which he drew out the demon through his nostrils; and, when the man fell down, immediately he adjured him to return into him no more, making still mention of Solomon, and reciting the incantations that he had composed. And when Eleazar would persuade the spectators that he had such power, he set at a little distance a cup of water, and commanded the demon, as he went out of the man, to overturn it; and, when this was done, the skill and wisdom of Solomon were showed very manifestly." Joseph. ANTIQ. book viii. cap. 2, sect. 5. Whiston's edition.

That there were such incantations among the Jews we know well, and that there are still such found, and that they are attributed to Solomon; but that they are his remains to be proved; and could this even be done, a point remains which can never be proved, viz. that those curious arts were a part of that wisdom which he received from God, as Josephus intimates. Indeed, the whole of the above account gives the strongest suspicion of its being a trick by the Jewish juggler, which neither Josephus nor the emperor could detect; but the ring, the root, the cup of water, the spell, c. all indicate imposture. Magicians among the Jews were termed בעלי שם baaley shem, Masters of the Name, that is, the name of Jehovah יהוה by a certain pronunciation of which they believed the most wonderful miracles could be wrought. There were several among them who pretended to this knowledge; and, when they could not deny the miracles of our Lord, they attributed them to his knowledge of the true pronunciation of this most sacred name.


 
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