Evidently Paul had used the name of Jesus in performing these miracles of healing and of ridding people of evil spirits. Luke now tells of certain Jews who seem to have looked upon the name of Jesus as another magic formula by which they could chase out evil spirits for profit (very similar to the understanding of Simon in 8.19). In the ancient world the Jews were notorious for their magical practices, and a papyrus fragment has been found on which is the statement “I command you in the name of Jesus, the God of the Jews.” Since the context makes it clear that the command given by the Jews is to the evil spirits, the Good News Translation has added this phrase for clarity.

Drove out evil spirits may be rendered as “caused evil spirits to come out of people” or “caused evil spirits to leave people.”

To use the name of the Lord Jesus to do this may be equivalent in many languages to “they tried to do this by pronouncing the name of the Lord Jesus.” This would emphasize the usage of the name of the Lord Jesus merely as a magical device.

I command you in the name of Jesus may not be adequate in itself to express what is implied in the statement of those who are driving out evil spirits. In some receptor languages one must, therefore, specify what is involved in such a command—for example, “I command you in the name of the Lord Jesus whom Paul preaches that you come out of this person”; or, if the expression must be placed in the form of direct discourse, “I command you, pronouncing the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches, Come out of this person.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .