John Gill Commentary Acts 19:13

"But certain also of the strolling Jews, exorcists, took upon them to name over them that had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth." — Acts 19:13 (ASV)

Then certain of the vagabond Jews
Who strolled about from place to place, pretending to tell fortunes, cure diseases by charms, and dispossess devils by conjuration, and therefore are called as follows,

exorcists ;
such there were among the Jews, as Justin Martyr observes {h}, who adjured by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: these

took upon them to call over them who had evil spirits, the name of
the Lord Jesus ;
they imitated the Apostle Paul, and attempted to do as he did, using the same name; hoping to get money or applause, or both, in this way;

and it may be observed, that there were some who really did cast out devils in the name of Christ, who did not belong to him, (Matthew 7:22) (Mark 8:38)

Saying, we adjure you by Jesus, whom Paul preaches ;
that is, to come out of the bodies of those men that they had possessed: and the Jews made use of the name of Jesus for healing diseases; for it is said of one ^F9 , that ``he swallowed something which almost choked him, and one came, and muttered to him in the name of Jesus ben Pandira, and he was well''

The Alexandrian copy, Beza's ancient one, and others, the Vulgate Latin and Syriac versions, read, "I adjure you"

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FOOTNOTES:

• F9: T. Hieros. Sabbat, fol. 14. 4. & Avoda Zara, fol. 40. 4.