Acts 14:16; 17:4, 16-17, 22-27
Acts 14:16
14:16 In 1 past 2 generations he allowed all the nations 3 to go their own ways,Acts 17:4
17:4 Some of them were persuaded 4 and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large group 5 of God-fearing Greeks 6 and quite a few 7 prominent women.Acts 17:16-17
17:16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, 8 his spirit was greatly upset 9 because he saw 10 the city was full of idols. 17:17 So he was addressing 11 the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles 12 in the synagogue, 13 and in the marketplace every day 14 those who happened to be there.
Acts 17:22-27
17:22 So Paul stood 15 before the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious 16 in all respects. 17 17:23 For as I went around and observed closely your objects of worship, 18 I even found an altar with this inscription: 19 ‘To an unknown god.’ Therefore what you worship without knowing it, 20 this I proclaim to you. 17:24 The God who made the world and everything in it, 21 who is 22 Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by human hands, 23 17:25 nor is he served by human hands, as if he needed anything, 24 because he himself gives life and breath and everything to everyone. 25 17:26 From one man 26 he made every nation of the human race 27 to inhabit the entire earth, 28 determining their set times 29 and the fixed limits of the places where they would live, 30 17:27 so that they would search for God and perhaps grope around 31 for him and find him, 32 though he is 33 not far from each one of us.
1 tn Grk “them, who in.” The relative pronoun (“who”) was replaced by the pronoun “he” (“In past generations he”) and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek and the awkwardness of two relative clauses (“who made the heaven” and “who in past generations”) following one another.
2 tn On this term see BDAG 780 s.v. παροίχομαι. The word is a NT hapax legomenon.
3 tn Or “all the Gentiles” (in Greek the word for “nation” and “Gentile” is the same). The plural here alludes to the variety of false religions in the pagan world.
4 tn Or “convinced.”
5 tn Or “a large crowd.”
6 tn Or “of devout Greeks,” but this is practically a technical term for the category called God-fearers, Gentiles who worshiped the God of Israel and in many cases kept the Mosaic law, but did not take the final step of circumcision necessary to become a proselyte to Judaism. See further K. G. Kuhn, TDNT 6:732-34, 743-44. Luke frequently mentions such people (Acts 13:43, 50; 16:14; 17:17; 18:7).
7 tn Grk “not a few”; this use of negation could be misleading to the modern English reader, however, and so has been translated as “quite a few” (which is the actual meaning of the expression).
8 map For location see JP1-C2; JP2-C2; JP3-C2; JP4-C2.
9 tn Grk “greatly upset within him,” but the words “within him” were not included in the translation because they are redundant in English. See L&N 88.189. The term could also be rendered “infuriated.”
sn His spirit was greatly upset. See Rom 1:18-32 for Paul’s feelings about idolatry. Yet he addressed both Jews and Gentiles with tact and reserve.
10 tn Or “when he saw.” The participle θεωροῦντος (qewrounto") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle; it could also be translated as temporal.
11 tn Although the word διελέξατο (dielexato; from διαλέγομαι, dialegomai) is frequently translated “reasoned,” “disputed,” or “argued,” this sense comes from its classical meaning where it was used of philosophical disputation, including the Socratic method of questions and answers. However, there does not seem to be contextual evidence for this kind of debate in Acts 17:17. As G. Schrenk (TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21.
12 tn Or “and the devout,” but this is practically a technical term for the category called God-fearers, Gentiles who worshiped the God of Israel and in many cases kept the Mosaic law, but did not take the final step of circumcision necessary to become a proselyte to Judaism. See further K. G. Kuhn, TDNT 6:732-34, 743-44, and the note on the phrase “God-fearing Greeks” in 17:4.
13 sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.
14 tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.
15 tn Grk “standing…said.” The participle ζηλώσαντες (zhlwsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
16 tn The term δεισιδαιμονεστέρους (deisidaimonesterou") is difficult. On the one hand it can have the positive sense of “devout,” but on the other hand it can have the negative sense of “superstitious” (BDAG 216 s.v. δεισιδαίμων). As part of a laudatory introduction (the technical rhetorical term for this introduction was capatatio), the term is probably positive here. It may well be a “backhanded” compliment, playing on the ambiguity.
17 tn BDAG 513 s.v. κατά B.6 translates the phrase κατὰ πάντα (kata panta) as “in all respects.”
18 tn Or “your sanctuaries.” L&N 53.54 gives “sanctuary” (place of worship) as an alternate meaning for the word σεβάσματα (sebasmata).
19 tn Grk “on which was written,” but since it would have been carved in stone, it is more common to speak of an “inscription” in English. To simplify the English the relative construction with a passive verb (“on which was inscribed”) was translated as a prepositional phrase with a substantive (“inscription”).
20 tn BDAG 13 s.v. ἀγνοέω 1.b has “Abs. ὅ ἀγνοοῦντες εὐσεβεῖτε what you worship without knowing it (on the subject matter Maximus Tyr. 11, 5e: all sorts of philosophers ἴσασιν οὐκ ἑκόντες καὶ λέγουσιν ἄκοντες sc. τὸ θεῖον = they know and name God without intending to do so) Ac 17:23.” Paul, in typical Jewish Christian style, informs them of the true God, of whom their idols are an ignorant reflection.
21 tn Grk “all the things that are in it.” The speech starts with God as Creator, like 14:15.
22 tn Or “because he is.” The participle ὑπάρχων (Juparcwn) could be either adjectival, modifying οὗτος (Joutos, “who is Lord…”) or adverbial of cause (“because he is Lord…”). Since the participle διδούς (didou") in v. 25 appears to be clearly causal in force, it is preferable to understand ὑπάρχων as adjectival in this context.
23 sn On the statement does not live in temples made by human hands compare Acts 7:48. This has implications for idols as well. God cannot be represented by them or, as the following clause also suggests, served by human hands.
24 tn L&N 57.45 has “nor does he need anything more that people can supply by working for him.”
25 tn Grk “he himself gives to all [people] life and breath and all things.”
26 sn The one man refers to Adam (the word “man” is understood).
27 tn Or “mankind.” BDAG 276 s.v. ἔθνος 1 has “every nation of humankind Ac 17:26.”
28 tn Grk “to live over all the face of the earth.”
29 tn BDAG 884-85 s.v. προστάσσω has “(οἱ) προστεταγμένοι καιροί (the) fixed times Ac 17:26” here, but since the following phrase is also translated “fixed limits,” this would seem redundant in English, so the word “set” has been used instead.
30 tn Grk “the boundaries of their habitation.” L&N 80.5 has “fixed limits of the places where they would live” for this phrase.
31 tn See BDAG 1097-98 s.v. ψηλαφάω, which lists “touch, handle” and “to feel around for, grope for” as possible meanings.
32 sn Perhaps grope around for him and find him. The pagans’ struggle to know God is the point here. Conscience alone is not good enough.
33 tn The participle ὑπάρχοντα (Juparconta) has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.
