Acts 19:20

So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed. Acts 19:20

The construction of the Greek is unusual and is widely translated, but a literal translation would be, “Thus, according to might, the word of the Lord: growing and availing” (CG).

Also, depending on the Greek text, the two main thoughts are reversed –

“Thus, according to might, the word of the Lord: growing and availing.”

“Thus, according to the might of the Lord, the word: growing and availing”

The first will be used for the evaluation.

In the previous verse, the believers who had been meddling in the world of superstition and the occult had brought their books and burned them up, despite the high value that they could have been sold for. With that, it now says, “Thus, according to might.”

The construction of the Greek almost demands that a preposition and a noun be taken together adverbially, as in “And so mightily grew.” Others use the preposition “with” and translate it as “And with might.” However, the word kata doesn’t mean “with.” Rather, it literally means “down from,” as if coming from a higher to a lower plane. As such, the meaning is more like “according to.” To retain the structure, it will be rendered this way, “Thus according to might.”

Therefore, it means that there is power in what is being referred to, which is “the word of the Lord.” Despite the Greek which clearly says, “Lord,” some translations like the KJV say “the word of God.” This error goes back to at least the Tyndale Bible of 1526. It was then corrected by the Coverdale Bible of 1535, but the error was reintroduced in later versions.

Hence, it is not Scripture, the word of God, but the doctrine about Christ, the word of the Lord, that is being referred – His name, His deeds, etc. Further, it is according to might that it is then said to be “growing and availing.”

Again, the words are widely translated. The first, auxanó, is completely ignored by the KJV. It means to cause to increase, to increase, become greater, or grow. The second word is ischuó. It means to have strength, be strong, be in full health and vigor, and even to prevail. For this reason, many translations say, “prevailing.”

It is defined by HELPS Word Studies, noting that for the believer it “refers to the Lord strengthening them with combative, confrontive force to achieve all He gives faith for. That is, facing necessary resistance that brings what the Lord defines is success (His victory...).” As such, the word availing seems appropriate.

The might of the word of the Lord is what is useful in causing the desired outcome to occur. This is just what had been happening with the believers that had heard about the power of the Lord and dedicated themselves more fully to Him. Taking the first clause of the previous verse and connecting it to the words of this verse, the progression is more perfectly seen –

“And many of those who had practiced the meddlings, having collected the books, were burning them before all. ... Thus, according to might, the word of the Lord: growing and availing.”

The might, the word of the Lord, was the impetus for the growing and availing of the faith of those who heard it. It proceeded to win out over the false doctrines and names of the enchanters. The believers, in turn, acted upon their increased faith through a demonstration of the change that occurred in them.

Life application: Do you feel ineffective in your walk with the Lord? The words of this verse provide the solution. You are not going to become an effective Christian by watching TV all day. You will not become an effective Christian by listening to life application sermons that build you up for a particular aspect of your life unless they are wholly rooted in the word of God. And even then, you will need to hear and also remember a life application on every possible contingency that life throws at you to be able to apply what you are told in any given situation.

What you really need is to read the word, the Holy Bible, and to contemplate what it says. You must be aware of the power of Jesus, the Lord incarnate, as it is revealed there. From there you can understand what He means in relation to our sinful state. You can consider the covenant faithfulness of God, understanding that when you fail Him, He will never fail you. When you are faithless, He will remain faithful because He cannot deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13).

In other words, if you have believed the gospel, you have been saved. You are now “in Christ.” Because of this, He cannot deny the relationship that exists. You are a part of Him and He cannot deny this. Understanding such things will allow you to grow and to avail in Him because you understand the might of the word of the Lord. In summary: Read your Bible.

Lord God, help us to devote our time wisely by spending time in Your word. Give us the strong and burning desire to know You and to be more like You from day to day. It is Your word that will instruct us in this, and so give us this wisdom and ability that we ask for. Amen.