Acts 17:22

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Then Paul stood up before the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious.

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
Then Paul stood up before the meeting of the Areopagus council and said, "Men of Athens, everything I see here tells me you are very religious.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Paul stode in the myddes of Marse strete and sayde: ye men of Attens I perceave that in all thinges ye are to supersticious.

Hebrew Names Version
Sha'ul stood in the midst of the Areopagus, and said, "You men of Athens, I perceive that you are very religious in all things.

International Standard Version
So Paul stood up in front of the Areopagus[fn] and said, "Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious in every way.

New American Standard Bible
So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious in all respects.

New Century Version
Then Paul stood before the meeting of the Areopagus and said, "People of Athens, I can see you are very religious in all things.

Update Bible Version
And Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus, and said, You men of Athens, in all things, I perceive that you are very religious.

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

English Standard Version
So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.

World English Bible
Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus, and said, "You men of Athens, I perceive that you are very religious in all things.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Then Paul standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that ye are greatly addicted to the worship of invisible powers.

Weymouth's New Testament
So Paul, taking his stand in the centre of the Areopagus, spoke as follows: "Men of Athens, I perceive that you are in every respect remarkably religious.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Poul stood in the myddil of Ariopage, and seide, Men of Athenys, bi alle thingis Y se you as veyn worschipers.

English Revised Version
And Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus, and said, Ye men of Athens, in all things I perceive that ye are somewhat superstitious.

Contemporary English Version
So Paul stood up in front of the council and said: People of Athens, I see that you are very religious.

Amplified Bible
So Paul, standing in the center of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I observe [with every turn I make throughout the city] that you are very religious and devout in all respects.

American Standard Version
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.

Bible in Basic English
And Paul got to his feet on Mars' Hill and said, O men of Athens, I see that you are overmuch given to fear of the gods.

Complete Jewish Bible
Sha'ul stood up in the Council meeting and said, "Men of Athens: I see how very religious you are in every way!

Darby Translation
And Paul standing in the midst of Areopagus said, Athenians, in every way I see you given up to demon worship;

Etheridge Translation
AND as Paulos stood on Arios-pagos he said, Men of Athinos, I observe you that in all (things) you exceed in the worship of demons.

Murdock Translation
And as Paul stood in the Areopagus, he said: Men, Athenians, I perceive that in all things ye are excessive in the worship of demons.

King James Version (1611)
Then Paul stood in the mids of Mars-hill, and said, Yee men of Athens, I perceiue that in all things yee are too superstitious.

New Living Translation
So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: "Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way,

New Life Bible
Then Paul stood up on Mars' Hill and said, "Men of Athens, I see how very religious you are in every way.

New Revised Standard
Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, "Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then Paul stoode in the mids of Mars streete, and sayde, Yee men of Athens, I perceiue that in all things yee are too superstitious.

George Lamsa Translation
When Paul stood in the court at Ar-eop''a- gus, he said, Men of Athens, I see that above all things you are extravagant in the worship of idols.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Paul taking his stand in the midst of the Hill of Mars, said - Ye men of Athens! In every way, how unusually reverent of the demons ye are, I perceive.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are too superstitious.

Revised Standard Version
So Paul, standing in the middle of the Are-op'agus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then Paul stoode in the myddes of Marce streate, and sayde: ye men of Athens, I perceaue that in all thynges ye are to superstitious.

Good News Translation
Paul stood up in front of the city council and said, "I see that in every way you Athenians are very religious.

Christian Standard Bible®
Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that you are extremely religious in every respect.

King James Version
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.

Lexham English Bible
So Paul stood there in the middle of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I see you are very religious in every respect.

Literal Translation
And standing in the middle of the Areopagus, Paul said, Men, Athenians, I see in everything how god-fearing you are ;

Young's Literal Translation
And Paul, having stood in the midst of the Areopagus, said, `Men, Athenians, in all things I perceive you as over-religious;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Paul stode on the myddes of the comon place, and sayde: Ye me of Athens, I se that in all thinges ye are to supersticious.

Mace New Testament (1729)
Then Paul being plac'd in the middle of the Areopagus, said thus, "I observe, O Athenians, that you are in a manner too devout.

THE MESSAGE
So Paul took his stand in the open space at the Areopagus and laid it out for them. "It is plain to see that you Athenians take your religion seriously. When I arrived here the other day, I was fascinated with all the shrines I came across. And then I found one inscribed, to the god nobody knows . I'm here to introduce you to this God so you can worship intelligently, know who you're dealing with.

New English Translation
So Paul stood before the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious in all respects.

New King James Version
Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious;

Simplified Cowboy Version
Paul stood up and said, "People of Athens, I have walked through your city, and I can see you are a very religious bunch.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects.

Legacy Standard Bible
So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects.

Contextual Overview

²²Then Paul stood up before the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious.²³For as I walked around and examined your objects of worship, I even found an altar with the inscription: To an unknown God. Therefore what you worship as something unknown, I now proclaim to you. ²⁴The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands. ²⁵Nor is He served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. ²⁶From one man He made every nation of men, to inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands. ²⁷God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps 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, 'We are His offspring.' ²⁹Therefore, being offspring of God, we should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by man's skill and imagination. ³⁰Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all men everywhere to repent. ³¹For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising Him from the dead."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Mars' hill: or, the court of the Areopagites, Acts 17:19

I perceive: Acts 17:16, Acts 19:35, Acts 25:19, Jeremiah 10:2, Jeremiah 10:3, Jeremiah 50:38

Reciprocal: Acts 19:30 - Paul

Cross-References

Genesis 17:3
Then Abram fell facedown, and God said to him,

Genesis 17:6
I will make you exceedingly fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you.

Genesis 17:8
And to you and your descendants I will give the land of your sojourn-all the land of Canaan-as an eternal possession; and I will be their God."

Genesis 17:9
God also said to Abraham, "As for you, you must keep My covenant, you and your descendants for the generations to come.

Genesis 17:15
Then God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, do not call her Sarai, for her name is to be Sarah.

Genesis 18:33
When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, He departed, and Abraham returned home.

Exodus 20:22
Then the LORD said to Moses, "This is what you are to tell the Israelites: 'You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven.

Deuteronomy 5:4
The LORD spoke to you face to face out of the fire on the mountain.

Judges 6:21
Then the Angel of the LORD extended the tip of the staff that was in His hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. And fire flared from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the Angel of the LORD vanished from his sight.

Judges 13:20
When the flame went up from the altar to the sky, the Angel of the LORD ascended in the flame. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell facedown to the ground.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill,.... Or of Areopagus, as it is better rendered in Acts 17:19 for it is the same place, and it is the same word that is here used: Paul stood in the midst of that court of judicature, amidst the Areopagites, the judges of that court, and the wise and learned philosophers of the different sects that were assembled together:

and said, ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious; or "more religious", than any other persons, in other places, which has been observed before on Acts 17:16 they had more gods, and more altars, and more festivals, and were more diligent and studious in the worship of the gods, than others. And this manner of addressing them, both as citizens of Athens, and as very religious persons, and who, as such, greatly exceeded all others, must greatly tend to engage their attention to him.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Then Paul - This commences Paul’s explanation of the doctrines which he had stated. It is evident that Luke has recorded but a mere summary or outline of the discourse; but it is such as to enable us to see clearly his course of thought, and the manner in which he met the two principal sects of their philosophers.

In the midst of Mars’ hill - Greek: Areopagus. This should have been retained in the translation.

Ye men of Athens - This language was perfectly respectful, notwithstanding his heart had been deeply affected by their idolatry. Everything about this discourse is calm, grave, cool, argumentative. Paul understood the character of his auditors, and did not commence his discourse by denouncing them, nor did he suppose that they would be convinced by mere dogmatical assertion. No happier instance can be found of cool, collected argumentation than is furnished in this discourse.

I perceive - He perceived this by his observations of their forms of worship in passing through their city, Acts 17:23.

In all things - In respect to all events.

Ye are too superstitious - δεισιδαιμονεστέρους deisidaimonesterous. This is a most unhappy translation. We use the word “superstitious” always in a bad sense, to denote being “over-scrupulous and rigid in religious observances, particularly in smaller matters, or a zealous devotion to rites and observances which are not commanded.” But the word here is designed to convey no such idea. It properly means “reverence for the gods.” It is used in the Classic writers in a good sense, to denote “piety toward the gods, or suitable fear and reverence for them”; and also in a bad sense, to denote “improper fear or excessive dread of their anger”; and in this sense it accords with our word “superstitious.” But it is altogether improbable that Paul would have used it in a bad sense. For:

(1) It was not his custom needlessly to blame or offend his auditors.

(2) It is not probable that he would commence his discourse in a manner that would only excite prejudice and opposition.

(3) In the thing which he specifies Acts 17:23 as proof on the subject, he does not introduce it as a matter of blame, but rather as a proof of their devotedness to the cause of religion and of their regard for God.

(4) The whole speech is calm, dignified, and argumentative - such as became such a place, such a speaker, and such an audience. The meaning of the expression is, therefore, “I perceive that you are greatly devoted to reverence for religion; that it is a characteristic of the people to honor the gods, to rear altars to them, and to recognize the divine agency in times of trial.” The proof of this was the altar reared to the unknown God; its bearing on his purpose was, that such a state of public sentiment must be favorable to an inquiry into the truth of what he was about to state.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Acts 17:22. Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill — That is, in the midst of the judges, who sat in the Areopagus.

Ye are too superstitious. — Κατα παντα ὡς δεισιδαιμονεϚερους ὑμας θεωρω; I perceive that in all respects ye are greatly addicted to religious practices; and, as a religious people, you will candidly hear what I have got to say in behalf of that worship which I practise and recommend. See farther observations at the end of the chapter. Acts 17:22- :