Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 19:7
And all the men were about twelve.
7. And all the men were about twelve ] The Revised Version “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.
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. Jos 7:5.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And all the men – The whole number.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Or exactly twelve; answering to the apostles, and that blessed number so often mentioned in Scripture.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5-7. When they heard thisnotthe mere words reported in Ac 19:4,but the subject expounded according to the tenor of thosewords.
they were baptizednothowever by Paul himself (1Co 1:14).
in the name of the LordJesusinto the whole fulness of the new economy, as now openedup to their believing minds.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
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.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
1) “And all the men were,” (esan de hoi pantes andres) “Then all the men, disciples who had received the gifts, were,” in number; These were the “certain disciples,” or special class of disciples, apparently saved, scripturally baptized believers in Jesus Christ, who had been baptized by John the Baptist, as well perhaps as Apollos, Act 18:24-26.
2) “About twelve.” (hosei dodeda) “About twelve,” or about a dozen, Act 19:1, all mature male disciples or baptized learners who knew about Jesus and the church, but nothing about the special Holy Spirit empowering that came to the church – “ye” on the day of Pentecost, with accompanying special Holy Spirit conferred gifts, Act 1:8; Act 2:1-11; Act 5:32; Act 10:39-41.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(7) And all the men were about twelve.Better, The men were in all about twelve. 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.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
‘’And they were in all about twelve men.’
The men to whom this happened numbered ‘about twelve’ (when citing numbers Luke always says ‘about’). The clear purpose of mentioning ‘twelve’ here is to link these new believers with the new Israel founded on the twelve Apostles (Eph 2:20; Rev 21:14). They are now Christ’s men and members of the Israel of God. They have been established on the foundation of the Apostles. But there may be a further significance in the figure. They may have been the leaders in Ephesus, similar to the twelve Apostles, of a larger contingent of disciples of John (it is difficult to conceive of the possibility that there could only be twelve men baptised by John in a prominent place like Ephesus so near to Jerusalem. John’s impact had been huge). If so the word of God would now go back to these earnest already half-converted Jews so that they would come to be baptised and would become a part of what follows.
There seems little doubt that one main reason that Luke had for describing this incident was precisely because it was a kind of re-enactment of Pentecost. There too those who had been baptised by John received the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues and prophesied. It was a seal on Paul’s ministry preparatory for what was to come.
Note on The Followers of John.
The death, resurrection and enthronement of Jesus necessarily brought about a difficult situation for us as we look at the New Testament. To us believers are simply those who believe in the crucified and risen Christ and are thereby saved. But of course at that point in time there were large numbers of true ‘believers’ who knew nothing about His death and resurrection. Many were humble Jewish believers around the world who loved God and sought to walk with Him, fulfilling all the requirements of their faith, similar to those described in Luke 1, 2. Especially there were many who had listened to John the Baptiser and had responded to his message and were seeking to live by it, looking forward to the One Whom he had promised as coming. Some would even have heard him after he began specifically to point to Jesus. All these people did not immediately become ‘disenfranchised’ from the grace of God by the resurrection. Their genuineness would only be tested when they were brought face to face with the Good News at the mouth of a Spirit inspired man. Until that time they were seen by God as true believers, for he knew their hearts. And he knew that when they did hear the Good News they would respond wholeheartedly. Thus these were truly ‘disciples’ here and they were true believers. It is just that Paul was privileged to bring them from the light that they enjoyed to the greater light of the Light of the world.
End of note.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
7 And all the men were about twelve.
Ver. 7. And all the men were about twelve ] These twelve, being the firstfruits of this Church, were endued with extraordinary gifts to be for elders and rulers there: for these gifts were not common to all believers, as Beza well noteth.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
7. ] ., in all : so Herod. vii. 4, . : Thuc. v. 120, . See Khner, 489 e.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Act 19:7 . , as Weiss admits, excludes any special significance attaching to the number twelve on account of which the narrative would be constructed. See also Knabenbauer, in loco . We know so little about these men that it seems hazardous to attempt to define them more clearly (see Plumptre, in loco ).
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
men. Greek. aner. App-123.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
7.] ., in all: so Herod. vii. 4, . : Thuc. v. 120, . See Khner, 489 e.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Act 19:7. , about) There was no need that the precise number should be indicated. Comp. 1Co 1:16, I baptized also the household of Stephanas; besides I know not whether I baptized any other.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Reciprocal: Act 13:12 – when
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Act 19:7. And all the men were about twelve. Thus, out of the history of this foundation of the early Church, these men who came forward so abruptly disappeared as suddenly. The little episode is introduced to show how groups of men who were attached to an evidently widespread but imperfect form of Christianity were won over by the preaching of Paul and his school, and incorporated in the ranks of the true Church of the Lord Jesus. What happened at Ephesus in the case of Apollos and this little solitary group of followers of the Baptist, was simply an instance of what was taking place constantly in other centres of the new faith.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
See notes on verse 1
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
Luke may have intended this group of "about 12" to remind the reader of another core group, the 12 apostles, though these were not on the same level of authority. The Ephesian church became the center of Christian witness in western Asia Minor and the Aegean region as Antioch and Jerusalem had become earlier.