Acts 19 · Verse 18

Acts 19:18

And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds.
Acts 19:18, King James Version

Acts 19:18 in other translations

BSBMany who had believed now came forward, confessing and disclosing their deeds.
WEBMany also of those who had believed came, confessing and declaring their deeds.
ASVMany also of them that had believed came, confessing, and declaring their deeds.
YLTmany also of those who did believe were coming, confessing and declaring their acts,
DARBYAnd many of those that believed came confessing and declaring their deeds.
BBEAnd a number of those who had faith came and made a public statement of their sins and all their acts.
WebsterAnd many that believed came, and confessed, and showed their deeds.

What does Acts 19:18 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Acts 19:18-20
18-20. many that believed came and confessed ... their deeds--the dupes of magicians, &c., acknowledging how shamefully they had been deluded, and how deeply they had allowed themselves to be implicated in such practices.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verse 18. Their deeds. Their actions; their evil course of life. Their deeds of iniquity in their former state. The direct reference here is to the magical arts which had been used, but the word may also be designed to denote iniquity in general. They who make a profession of religion will be willing to confess their transgressions. And no man can have evidence that he is truly renewed who is not willing to confess as well as to forsake his sins, Rom 10:10, Prov 28:13: "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall find mercy."

(b) "confessed" Mt 3:6 (*) "shewed" "declared"

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Acts 19:13-20

It was common, especially among the Jews, for persons to profess or to try to cast out evil spirits. If we resist the devil by faith in Christ, he will flee from us; but if we think to resist him by the using of Christ's name, or his works, as a spell or charm, Satan will prevail against us. Where there is true sorrow for sin, there will be free confession of sin to God in every prayer and to man whom we have…

Read the full comment on Acts 19:13-20 →

Acts 19:18 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

πολλοίpolloiManyG4183
τεtethenG5037
τῶνtōnof thoseG3588
πεπιστευκότωνpepisteukotōnhaving believedG4100
ἤρχοντοērchontowere comingG2064
ἐξομολογούμενοιexomologoumenoiconfessingG1843
καὶkaiandG2532
ἀναγγέλλοντεςanangellontesdeclaringG312
τὰςtastheG3588
πράξειςpraxeisdeedsG4234
αὐτῶν.autōnof them.G846

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Acts 19:18

  • Romans 10:10

    For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

  • Psalms 32:5

    I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

  • Matthew 3:6

    And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

  • Leviticus 16:21

    And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:

  • Leviticus 26:40

    If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me;

  • Job 33:27-28

    He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not; He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light.

  • Ezekiel 36:31

    Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.

  • Ezekiel 16:63

    That thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord God.

  • 1 John 1:9

    If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

  • Jeremiah 3:13

    Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord.

  • Proverbs 28:13

    He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
confessed.
Le 16:21; 26:40; Job 33:27,28; Ps 32:5; Pr 28:13; Jer 3:13
Eze 16:63; 36:31; Mt 3:6; Ro 10:10; 1Jo 1:9

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Acts 19:17

    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.

  • Acts 19:18

    And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds.

  • Acts 19:19

    Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.

Read all of Acts 19

Acts 19:18 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y muchos de los que habían creído, venían, confesando y dando cuenta de sus hechos.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et plusieurs de ceux qui avaient cru, venaient, confessant et déclarant ce qu’ils avaient fait.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Viele aber von denen, die gläubig geworden waren, kamen und bekannten und verkündigten ihre Taten.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Multique credentium veniebant, confitentes et annuntiantes actus suos.