the Week of Proper 23 / Ordinary 28
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King James Version
Acts 17:22
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
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- EveryParallel Translations
Paul stood up and said, "People of Athens, I have walked through your city, and I can see you are a very religious bunch.
So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects.
So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects.
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.
And Paul standing in the midst of Areopagus said, Athenians, in every way I see you given up to demon worship;
Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious;
Then Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that you are extremely religious in every respect.
Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus, and said, "You men of Athens, I perceive that you are very religious in all things.
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.
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.
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.
And standing in the middle of the Areopagus, Paul said, Men, Athenians, I see in everything how god-fearing you are ;
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Paul stode in the myddes of Marse strete and sayde: ye men of Attens I perceave that in all thinges ye are to supersticious.
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.
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.
And Paul, having stood in the midst of the Areopagus, said, `Men, Athenians, in all things I perceive you as over-religious;
Then Paul stood before the meeting of the Areopagus and said, "People of Athens, I can see you are very religious in all things.
So Paul stood before the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious in all respects.
Then Paul stood up before the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious.
So Paul stood up in front of the council and said: People of Athens, I see that you are very religious.
Sha'ul stood up in the Council meeting and said, "Men of Athens: I see how very religious you are in every way!
So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: "Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way,
Then Paul stood up on Mars' Hill and said, "Men of Athens, I see how very religious you are in every way.
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.
Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, "Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way.
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.
But Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are too superstitious.
So Paul stood there in the middle of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I see you are very religious in every respect.
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.
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.
So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious in all respects.
Paul stood up in front of the city council and said, "I see that in every way you Athenians are very religious.
And Poul stood in the myddil of Ariopage, and seide, Men of Athenys, bi alle thingis Y se you as veyn worschipers.
Contextual Overview
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
And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.
And the Lord went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
And the Lord said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.
The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire,
Then the angel of the Lord put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight.
For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces 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- :
