Passage

Acts 17.22

Book: Acts · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV

20. For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean. 21. (Now all the Athenians and the strangers sojourning there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or to hear some new thing.)

22. And Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus, and said, Ye men of Athens, in all things I perceive that ye are very religious.

For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. What therefore ye worship in ignorance, this I set forth unto you. 24. The God that made the world and all things therein, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; (Acts 17:20-24, ASV)

WEB

20. For you bring certain strange things to our ears. We want to know therefore what these things mean.” 21. Now all the Athenians and the strangers living there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or to hear some new thing.

22. Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus, and said, “You men of Athens, I perceive that you are very religious in all things.

For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ What therefore you worship in ignorance, this I announce to you. 24. The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands, (Acts 17:20-24, WEB)

KJV

20. For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean. 21. (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)

22. Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. ^{Mars' hill: or, court of the Areopagites}

For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. ^{devotions: or, gods that ye worship} 24. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; (Acts 17:20-24, KJV)

YLT

20. for certain strange things thou dost bring to our ears? we wish, then, to know what these things would wish to be;' 21. and all Athenians, and the strangers sojourning, for nothing else were at leisure but to say something, and to hear some newer thing.

22. And Paul, having stood in the midst of the Areopagus, said, 'Men, Athenians, in all things I perceive you as over-religious;

for passing through and contemplating your objects of worship, I found also an erection on which had been inscribed: To God, unknown; whom, therefore, not knowing, ye do worship, this One I announce to you. 24. 'God, who did make the world, and all things in it, this One, of heaven and of earth being Lord, in temples made with hands doth not dwell, (Acts 17:20-24, YLT)

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Setting

Speaker: Paul, addressing the Areopagus (17:22)
Audience: the Athenians who brought him there, including Epicurean and Stoic philosophers (17:18-21), with the council of the Areopagus
Location: the Areopagus at Athens; the name belonged both to the hill of Ares northwest of the Acropolis and to the ancient council that took its name from it, and which of the two Luke means is debated
Time period: c. AD 50, on Paul's second missionary journey, shortly before his eighteen months in Corinth (Acts 18:11)

Theological reading

"And Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus, and said, Ye men of Athens, in all things I perceive that ye are very religious." The opening line of the only extended speech to a pagan audience in Acts.

The stance. "Stood in the midst" (Strong's G2476) presents Paul as an orator addressing a formal gathering. "Ye men of Athens" is the customary form of address to an Athenian assembly. Paul speaks in the manner the place expects.

"Very religious." The word (G1174, deisidaimonesteros), found only here in the New Testament, is built from "to fear" and "divinity." It can be used in a good sense, "religious, devout," or a bad one, "superstitious." The KJV has "too superstitious"; the ASV and most modern versions have "very religious." In an opening address meant to win a hearing, a neutral or mildly complimentary sense fits best, but the ambiguity may be deliberate: what Paul observed, a city "full of idols" (17:16), was religious devotion directed at the wrong objects.

"I perceive." The verb (G2334) is the same one Luke used when Paul "beheld" the idols (17:16). The speech begins from what Paul has seen with his own eyes in their city. He builds from the hearers' own practice to the God they do not know (17:23), rather than opening with Israel's Scriptures as he does in synagogues.

Courtesy without concession. The opening shows respect for the audience while preparing for a conclusion that will call their worship ignorance and summon them to repent (17:30). Paul's apologetic here is a model of starting where people are without staying there. See Apologetic Method Comparison and Natural Theology.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap.

TBD

Quoted in

Arguments and defeaters:

Concepts:

African Traditional Deities (Demonic), via Acts 17.22-31
Apologetics, via Acts 17.16-34
Apologist, via Acts 17.16-34
Evangelism, via Acts 17.22-31
General Revelation, via Acts 17.22-31
Innate Knowledge of God, via Acts 17.22-31
Is Atheism a Religion, via Acts 17.22-31
Lesson 1.2, The Biblical Charge, via Acts 17.16-34
Lesson 5.1, The Apologist-to-Evangelist Transition, via Acts 17, Acts 17.16-34
Natural Theology, via Acts 17.22-31
Polytheism, via Acts 17.16-34
Preaching to Non-Believers, via Acts 17.16-34, Acts 17.22-23, Acts 17.22-31
Psychology of Lowered Defenses, via Acts 17.22-23
Religious Pluralism Objection, via Acts 17.22-28
Seeking God, via Acts 17.22-31
Sensus Divinitatis, via Acts 17.22-31
Zeitgeist - Pagan Parallels, via Acts 17.22-34

Lexicon:

G0627 - apologia

Guides:

01 Foundations, via Acts 17.16-34
03 Arguments for God, via Acts 17

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.