the Week of Proper 23 / Ordinary 28
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King James Version
Acts 17:16
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Paul waited on his pards to get to Athens. He strolled the city and was torn-up inside with all the idols of other gods he saw there.
Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols.
Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols.
Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was troubled, for he saw all the town full of images of the gods.
But in Athens, while Paul was waiting for them, his spirit was painfully excited in him seeing the city given up to idolatry.
Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.
While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was troubled within him when he saw that the city was full of idols.
Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw the city full of idols.
Now, while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him, seeing the city wholly given to idolatry.
While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was stirred within him when he noticed that the city was full of idols.
Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when hee saw the city wholy giuen to idolatrie.
But awaiting them in Athens, Paul's spirit was pained within him, seeing the city full of images.
But whyle Paul wayted for them at Athens, his sprete was moued in him, whan he sawe the cite geue so to the worshippinge of ymages.
While Paul was expecting them at Athens, he was grieved to the soul to see the whole city o'er-spread with idols.
The longer Paul waited in Athens for Silas and Timothy, the angrier he got—all those idols! The city was a junkyard of idols.
Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was greatly angered when he saw that the city was full of idols.
Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he beheld the city full of idols.
Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.
Whyll Paul wayted for them at Attens his sprete was moved in him to se the cite geven to worshippinge of ymages.
Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked inside him as he looked at the city full of idols.
Now, while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.
and Paul waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, beholding the city wholly given to idolatry,
While Paul was waiting for Silas and Timothy in Athens, he was troubled because he saw that the city was full of idols.
While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was greatly upset because he saw the city was full of idols.
While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply disturbed in his spirit to see that the city was full of idols.
While Paul was waiting in Athens, he was upset to see all the idols in the city.
While Sha'ul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit within him was disturbed at the sight of the city full of idols.
Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.
Nowe while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirite was stirred in him, when hee sawe the citie subiect to idolatrie.
Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, he saw the whole city full of idols, and he murmured thereat in his spirit.
Now while Sha'ul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw the city full of idols.
While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was stirred to its depths to see the city full of idols.2 Peter 2:8;">[xr]
But he, Paulos, while he waited in Athinos, was embittered in his spirit, (for he) saw how the whole city was filled with idols.
And while Paul was waiting [fn] at Athens, he was pained in his spirit; because he saw that the whole city was full of idols.
While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city.
While Paul was waiting for Silas and Timothy in Athens, his spirit was troubled as he saw the whole city worshiping false gods.
Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him, as he beheld the city full of idols.
While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply distressed to see that the city was full of idols.
But, while, in Athens, Paul was expecting them, his spirit within him was being urged on, seeing how the city was given to idols.
Now whilst Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred within him, seeing the city wholly given to idolatry.
Now while Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he observed the city was full of idols.
Whyle Paul wayted for them at Athens, his spirite was moued in hym, when he sawe the citie geue to worshippyng of idoles.
While Paul was waiting for Silas and Timothy in Athens, he was upset because he saw that the city was full of idols.
Now while Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he observed that the city was full of idols.
While Paul was waiting in Athens for Silas and Timothy, he was greatly upset when he noticed how full of idols the city was.
And while Poul abood hem at Atenys, his spirit was moued in him, for he saiy the citee youun to ydolatrie.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Cir, am 4058, ad 54
his spirit: Exodus 32:19, Exodus 32:20, Numbers 25:6-11, 1 Kings 19:10, 1 Kings 19:14, Job 32:2, Job 32:3, Job 32:18-20, Psalms 69:9, Psalms 119:136, Psalms 119:158, Jeremiah 20:9, Micah 3:8, Mark 3:5, John 2:13, 2 Peter 2:7
wholly given to idolatry: or, full of idols, Acts 17:23, *marg.
Reciprocal: 2 Chronicles 28:24 - he made Isaiah 2:8 - is full Jeremiah 6:11 - Therefore Jeremiah 50:38 - mad Luke 4:31 - taught John 13:21 - he was Acts 4:20 - we cannot Acts 14:15 - and preach Acts 17:22 - I perceive Acts 18:5 - was 2 Corinthians 7:11 - zeal
Cross-References
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.
In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son.
And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.
And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;
And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord : for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.
For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Now while Paul waited for them at Athens..... That is, for Silas and Timotheus:
his spirit was stirred in him; not only his soul was troubled and his heart was grieved, but he was exasperated and provoked to the last degree: he was in a paroxysm; his heart was hot within him; he had a burning fire in his bones, and was weary with forbearing, and could not stay; his zeal wanted vent, and he gave it:
when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry; or "full of idols", as the Syriac and Arabic versions render it. So Cicero says x that Athens was full of temples; and Xenophon y observes that they had double the feasts of other people; and Pausanias z affirms, that the Athenians far exceeded others in the worship of the gods, and care about religion; and he relates, that they had an altar for Mercy, another for Shame, another for Fame, and another for Desire, and expressed more religion to the gods than others did: they had an altar dedicated to twelve gods a; and because they would be sure of all, they erected one to an unknown god; in short, they had so many of them, that one b jestingly said to them, our country is so full of deities, that one may more easily find a god than a man: so that with all their learning and wisdom they knew not God, 1 Corinthians 1:21.
x De responsis Aruspicum. y De Athen. Polit. z Attica, p. 29, 42. a Thucydides Bell. Peloponness. l. 6. b Petronius.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Now while Paul waited - How long he was there is not intimated; but doubtless some time would elapse before they could arrive. In the meantime Paul had ample opportunity to observe the state of the city.
His spirit was stirred in him - His mind was greatly excited. The word used here (παρωξύνετο parōxuneto) denotes “any excitement, agitation, or paroxysm of mind,” 1 Corinthians 13:5. It here means that the mind of Paul was greatly concerned, or agitated, doubtless with pity and distress at their folly and danger.
The city wholly given to idolatry - Greek: κατέιδωλον kateidōlon. It is well translated in the margin, “or full of idols.” The word is not used elsewhere in the New Testament. That this was the condition of the city is abundantly testified by profane writers. Thus, Pausanias (in Attic. 1 Corinthians 1:24) says, “the Athenians greatly surpassed others in their zeal for religion.” Lucian (t. i. Prometh. p. 180) says of the city of Athens, “On every side there are altars, victims, temples, and festivals.” Livy (45, 27) says that Athens “was full of the images of gods and men, adorned with every variety of material, and with all the skill of art.” And Petronius (Sat. xvii.) says humorously of the city, that “it was easier to find a god than a man there.” See Kuinoel. In this verse we may see how a splendid idolatrous city will strike a pious mind. Athens then had more that was splendid in architecture, more that was brilliant in science, and more that was beautiful in the arts, than any other city of the world; perhaps more than all the rest of the world united.
Yet there is no account that the mind of Paul was filled with admiration; there is no record that he spent his time in examining the works of art; there is no evidence that he forgot his high purpose in an idle and useless contemplation of temples and statuary. His was a Christian mind; and he contemplated all this with a Christian heart. That heart was deeply affected in view of the amazing guilt of a people who were ignorant of the true God, who had filled their city with idols reared to the honor of imaginary divinities, and who, in the midst of all this splendor and luxury, were going down to destruction. So should every pious man feel who treads the streets of a splendid and guilty city. The Christian will not despise the productions of art, but he will feel, deeply feel, for the unhappy condition of those who, amidst wealth, and splendor, and outward adoring, are withholding their affections from the living God, and who are going unredeemed to eternal woe. Happy would it be if every Christian traveler who visits cities of wealth and splendor would, like Paul, be affected in view of their crimes and dangers; stud happy if, like him, people could cease their unbounded admiration of magnificence and splendor in temples, and palaces, and statuary, to regard the condition of mind, not perishable like marble of the soul, more magnificent even in its ruins than all the works of Phidias or Praxiteles.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Acts 17:16. He saw the city wholly given to idolatry. — κατειδωλον, Full of idols, as the margin has it, and very properly. Whoever examines the remains of this city, as represented by Mr. Stuart in his Antiquities, already referred to, will be satisfied of the truth of St. Luke's remark: it was full of idols. Bishop Pearce produces a most apposite quotation from Pausanias, which confirms the observation: Ουκ ην αλλαχου τοσαυτα ιδειν ειδωλα. There was no place where so many idols were to be seen. PAUS. in Attic. cap. xvii. 24.
PETRONIUS, who was contemporary with St. Paul, in his Satyr. cap. xvii., makes Quartilla say of Athens: Utique nostra regio tam PRAESENTIBUS PLENA EST NUMINIBUS, ut facilius possis DEUM quam HOMINEM invenire. Our region is so full of deities that you may more frequently meet with a god than a man.
