Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Acts 19:28

"And when they heard this they were filled with wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesus." — Acts 19:28 (ASV)

The silversmiths began shouting out the ceremonial chant: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” hoping thereby to stir up the city on a pretext of religious devotion. A magnificent boulevard ran through the heart of Ephesus, lined with fine buildings and columned porticoes. Into this boulevard Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen most likely poured, sweeping along with them in noisy procession all the residents and visitors within earshot. Their destination was the large open-air theater on the eastern side of the city, large enough to seat twentyfour thousand people. On their way, the crowd laid hold of Gaius and Aristarchus, two traveling companions of Paul from Derbe and Thessalonica respectively (cf. 20:4; 27:2), and dragged them along into the theater. There, much to the delight of Demetrius and his fellow silversmiths, the procession became a fanatical mob.