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.
used.
Acts 8:9-11 But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: …
Acts 13:6,8 And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus: …
Exodus 7:11,22 Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments…
curious.
and burned.
Genesis 35:4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.
Exodus 32:20 And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.
Deuteronomy 7:25,26 The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God…
fifty.
brought their books
The books mentioned here were likely scrolls or codices containing spells, incantations, and instructions for performing magical rituals. These texts were valuable both monetarily and culturally, as they represented the practitioners' livelihood and belief system. The act of bringing these books indicates a public renunciation of their past practices and a commitment to their new faith.
and burned them in front of everyone
Burning the books publicly was a powerful demonstration of repentance and a break from their past. In the ancient world, fire was often used to purify and destroy, symbolizing a complete and irreversible rejection of the old life. This act also served as a public testimony to the transformative power of the Gospel, encouraging others to consider the truth of the Christian message.
When the value of the books was calculated
The calculation of the books' value underscores the significant financial sacrifice made by these new believers. It highlights the sincerity of their conversion, as they were willing to give up substantial wealth for the sake of their newfound faith. This act of sacrifice is reminiscent of Jesus' teaching in Matthew 13:44-46, where the kingdom of heaven is likened to a treasure worth giving up everything to obtain.
the total came to fifty thousand drachmas
A drachma was a silver coin equivalent to a day's wage for a laborer. Therefore, fifty thousand drachmas represented an enormous sum, indicating the extensive nature of the magical practices in Ephesus and the considerable impact of the Gospel in the region. This event demonstrates the power of the Holy Spirit to bring about radical change in individuals and communities, fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 2:2-3, where nations turn to the Lord and abandon their former ways.
Acts 19:19 opens by noting, “And a number of those who had practiced magic arts…”.
• Luke highlights genuine conversion. These Ephesians once relied on occult power; now they turn to Christ, echoing 1 Thessalonians 1:9 where believers “turned to God from idols.”
• Scripture consistently condemns sorcery (Deuteronomy 18:10-12; Galatians 5:19-21). Their renunciation shows the gospel’s power to free from darkness (Colossians 1:13).
• The phrase “a number” reminds us that repentance is personal. Like the magicians in Exodus 8:18-19 who reached a crisis, these individuals realized Jesus is Lord (Acts 19:17).
They “brought their books”—their own tools of deception.
• Ownership underscores responsibility; they must act, not wait for others (James 1:22).
• By gathering the material publicly, they acknowledge its danger (2 Corinthians 6:17).
• Earlier believers likewise surrendered idols (Joshua 24:23; 2 Kings 23:24). True faith produces tangible obedience.
Burning is decisive and irreversible.
• Their act mirrors Israel’s destruction of pagan objects in Deuteronomy 7:25-26.
• Public confession encourages accountability (Matthew 5:16) and protects the church from hidden sin (Acts 5:1-11).
• Fire symbolizes judgment on evil (Hebrews 12:29) and purification (Malachi 3:2-3). Nothing was sold or recycled; evil was eliminated, not monetized (cf. 3 John 7).
Luke adds, “When the value of the books was calculated…”
• Counting cost highlights the sacrificial nature of repentance (Luke 14:28-33).
• It also rebukes materialism—salvation is worth any worldly loss (Philippians 3:7-8).
• The church gains testimony; outsiders see that faith is no cheap sentiment (1 Peter 2:12).
A drachma equaled about a day’s wage, so fifty thousand represents immense wealth.
• Such a sum emphasizes the spiritual stronghold magic held over the city (Ephesians 2:2).
• It magnifies the supremacy of Christ; He is worth more than life’s treasures (Mark 8:36-37).
• The record encourages believers facing costly choices today (Hebrews 10:34).
Acts 19:19 portrays radical repentance: former sorcerers voluntarily surrender their livelihood, publicly destroy occult artifacts, and joyfully absorb great financial loss. Their example testifies that when Jesus reigns in a heart, no price is too high to abandon sin and proclaim allegiance to the true Savior.
(19) Many of them also which used curious arts . . .--The Greek word expresses the idea of superstitious arts, overbusy with the supposed secrets of the invisible world. These arts were almost, so to speak, the specialite of Ephesus. Magicians and astrologers swarmed in her streets (comp. the reference to them as analogous to the magicians at the court of Pharaoh in 2Timothy 3:8), and there was a brisk trade in the charms, incantations, books of divination, rules for interpreting dreams, and the like, such as have at all times made up the structure of superstition. The so-called "Ephesian spells" (grammata Ephesia) were small slips of parchment in silk bags, on which were written strange cabalistical words, of little or of lost meaning. The words themselves are given by Clement of Alexandria (Strom. v., c. 46), and he interprets them, though they are so obscure as to baffle the conjectures of philology, as meaning Darkness and Light, the Earth and the Year, the Sun and Truth. They were probably a survival of the old Phrygian cultus of the powers of Nature which had existed prior to the introduction of the Greek name of Artemis.And burned them before all men.--This, then, was the result of the two sets of facts recorded in Acts 19:12; Acts 19:16. The deep-ingrained superstition of the people was treated, as it were, hom?opathically. Charms and names were allowed to be channels of renovation, but were shown to be so by no virtue of their own, but only as being media between the Divine power on the one hand and the faith of the receiver on the other; and so the disease was cured. The student of the history of Florence cannot help recalling the analogous scene in that city, when men and women, artists and musicians, brought the things in which they most delighted--pictures, ornaments, costly dresses--and burnt them in the Piazza of St. Mark at the bidding of Savonarola. The tense of the verb implies that the "burning" was continuous, but leaves it uncertain whether it was an oft-repeated act or one that lasted for some hours. In this complete renunciation of the old evil past we may probably see the secret of the capacity for a higher knowledge which St. Paul recognises as belonging to Ephesus more than to most other churches. (See Note on Acts 20:27.)
Fifty thousand pieces of silver.--The coin referred to was the Attic drachma, usually estimated at about 8«d. of English money, and the total amount answers, accordingly, to 1, 770 17s. 6d., as the equivalent in coin. In its purchasing power, as determined by the prevalent rate of wages (a denarius or drachma for a day's work), it was probably equivalent to a much larger sum. Such books fetched what might be called "fancy" prices, according to their supposed rareness, or the secrets to which they professed to introduce. Often, it may be, a book was sold as absolutely unique.
Verse 19. - And not a few for many... also, A.V.; that practiced for which used A.V.; in the sight of all for before all men, A.V. That practiced curious arts (τῶν τὰ περίεργα πραξάντων). The adjective περίεργος applied to persons means "a busybody" (1 Timothy 5:13), one who does what it is not his business to do, and pries into matters with which he has no concern (comp. 2 Thessalonians 3:11); applied to things, it means that which it is not anybody's business to attend to, that which is vain and superfluous; and then, by a further extension of meaning, that which is forbidden, and specially magic arts and occult sciences. Fifty thousand pieces of silver. There is a difference of opinion as to what coin or weight is meant. If Greek coinage, which is perhaps natural in a Greek city, fifty thousand drachmae of silver would be meant, equal to 1875,ドル If Jewish shekels are meant, the sum would amount to 7000ドル ('Speaker's Commentary'). It is in favor of drachmae being meant that, with the exception of Joshua 7:21 and Judges 17:2, the LXX. always express the word "shekel" or "didrachm" after the numeral and before the word "silver." If St. Luke, therefore, had meant shekels, he would have written δίδραχμα ἀργυρίου But it was the Greek usage to omit the word δραχμή before ἀργυρίου when the reckoning was by drachmae (Meyer).