ικανοι 2425 A-NPM δε 1161 CONJ των 3588 T-GPM τα 3588 T-APN περιεργα 4021 A-APN πραξαντων 4238 5660 V-AAP-GPM συνενεγκαντες 4851 5631 V-2AAP-NPM τας 3588 T-APF βιβλους 976 N-APF κατεκαιον 2618 5707 V-IAI-3P ενωπιον 1799 ADV παντων 3956 A-GPM και 2532 CONJ συνεψηφισαν 4860 5656 V-AAI-3P τας 3588 T-APF τιμας 5092 N-APF αυτων 846 P-GPF και 2532 CONJ ευρον 2147 5627 V-2AAI-3P αργυριου 694 N-GSN μυριαδας 3461 A-APM πεντε 4002 A-NUI
Vincent's NT Word Studies
19. Curious arts (ta perierga). The word means, literally, overwrought, elaborate, and hence recondite or curious, as magical practices. Only here and 1 Tim. v. 13, in its original sense of those who busy themselves excessively (peri): busybodies. The article indicates the practices referred to in the context.Books. Containing magical formulas. Heathen writers often allude to the Ephesian letters. These were symbols, or magical sentences written on slips of parchment, and carried about as amulets. Sometimes they were engraved on seals.
Burned (katekaion). Burned them up (kata). The imperfect is graphic, describing them as throwing book after book on the pile.
Counted (sunyhfisan). Only here in New Testament. See on Luke xiv. 28. The preposition sun, together, in the compound verb, indicates the reckoning up of the sum-total.
Fifty thousand pieces of silver. If reckoned in Jewish money, about thirty-five thousand dollars; if in Greek drachmae, as is more probable, about nine thousand three hundred dollars.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
19:19 {Not a few of them that practised curious arts} (hikanoi twn ta perierga praxantwn). Considerable number of the performers or exorcists themselves who knew that they were humbugs were led to renounce their evil practices. The word perierga (curious) is an old word (peri, erga) originally a piddler about trifles, a busybody (#1Ti 5:13), qen impertinent and magical things as here. Only two examples in the N.T. It is a technical term for magic as the papyri and inscriptions show. Deissmann (_Bible Studies_, p. 323) thinks that these books here burned were just like the Magic Papyri now recovered from Egypt. {Burned them in the sight of all} (katekaion enwpion pantwn). Imperfect active of katakaiw. It probably took a good while to do it, burned them completely (up, we say; down, the Greeks say, perfective use of kata). These Magical Papyri or slips of parchment with symbols or magical sentences written on them called efesia grammata (Ephesian Letters). These Ephesian Letters were worn as amulets or charms. {They brought them together} (sunenegkantes). Second aorist active participle of sunferw. What a glorious conflagration it would be if in every city all the salacious, blasphemous, degrading books, pamphlets, magazines, and papers could be piled together and burned. {They counted} (suneyefisan). First aorist active indicative of sunyefizw, to reckon together. In LXX (#Jer 29:49). Only here in N.T. sunkatayefizw in #1:26. {Fifty thousand pieces of silver} (arguriou muriadas pente). Five ten thousand (muriadas) pieces of silver. Ephesus was largely Greek and probably the silver pieces were Greek drachmae or the Latin denarius, probably about ten thousand dollars or two thousand English pounds.
