ris3n's Apologetics Codex
Acts 17.22-28
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Passage

Acts 17.22-28

Book: Acts · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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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. 23. 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; 25. neither is he served by men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 26. and he made of one every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed seasons, and the bounds of their habitation; 27. that they should seek God, if haply they might feel after him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us: 28. for in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain even of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

  1. Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and device of man. 30. The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he commandeth men that they should all everywhere repent: (Acts 17:20-30, 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. 23. 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, 25. neither is he served by men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself gives to all life and breath, and all things. 26. He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27. that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28. ‘For in him we live, and move, and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’

  1. Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold, or silver, or stone, engraved by art and design of man. 30. The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked. But now he commands that all people everywhere should repent, (Acts 17:20-30, 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 23. 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; 25. Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 26. And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; 27. That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: 28. For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

  1. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. 30. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: (Acts 17:20-30, 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; 23. 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, 25. neither by the hands of men is He served, needing anything, He giving to all life, and breath, and all things; 26. He made also of one blood every nation of men, to dwell upon all the face of the earth, having ordained times before appointed, and the bounds of their dwellings 27. to seek the Lord, if perhaps they did feel after Him and find,, though, indeed, He is not far from each one of us, 28. for in Him we live, and move, and are; as also certain of your poets have said: For of Him also we are offspring.

  1. 'Being, therefore, offspring of God, we ought not to think the Godhead to be like to gold, or silver, or stone, graving of art and device of man; 30. the times, indeed, therefore, of the ignorance God having overlooked, doth now command all men everywhere to reform, (Acts 17:20-30, 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

The passage covers the first and longest part of Paul's Areopagus speech, from the opening address to the quotation from a Greek poet. It is an argument about who God is, built on common ground before the turn to repentance and judgment (17:29-31).

The steps. Paul begins with the Athenians' own devotion and their altar "TO AN UNKNOWN GOD" (17:22-23). He then makes a series of claims about that God. He made the world and everything in it, and is Lord of heaven and earth (17:24). He does not live in temples or need anything from human hands; he gives "to all life, and breath, and all things" (17:25). He "made of one every nation of men," and set their times and boundaries (17:26). His purpose was "that they should seek God, if haply they might feel after him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us" (17:27). "For in him we live, and move, and have our being" (17:28).

Common ground and correction together. Each claim meets something in Greek thought and corrects it. The Stoics believed the divine was near; Paul agrees, but makes God the Maker and Lord of the world, not the world itself. The Epicureans believed the gods needed nothing from humans; Paul agrees, but grounds it in God's giving life to all. The poets spoke of humanity as God's offspring; Paul quotes them, then draws a conclusion they did not (17:29). The method resembles Paul's brief speech at Lystra, where he pointed to God who "left not himself without witness, in that he did good and gave you from heaven rains and fruitful seasons" (14:17).

The quoted poet. The second quotation in verse 28, "For we are also his offspring," comes from Aratus of Soli, a third-century BC poet (Phaenomena 5). Paul introduces it as what "certain even of your own poets have said," and the plural suggests he has more than one source in mind for the thought.

Scripture underneath. Though he does not cite it, every claim has Old Testament roots: God as Maker (Genesis 1:1; Exodus 20:11), no house able to contain him (1 Kings 8:27; Isaiah 66:1), the giver of breath (Genesis 2:7; Isaiah 42:5), the one origin of humanity, and the God who sets the bounds of the peoples (Deuteronomy 32:8). See Natural Theology, General Revelation and Seeking God.

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.

Quoted in

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Notes

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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.