Internet Verse Search Commentaries Word Analysis ITL - draft

Acts 17:18

Context
NETBible

Also some of the Epicurean 1  and Stoic 2  philosophers were conversing 3  with him, and some were asking, 4  “What does this foolish babbler 5  want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods.” 6  (They said this because he was proclaiming the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.) 7 

NIV ©

biblegateway Act 17:18

A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.

NASB ©

biblegateway Act 17:18

And also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him. Some were saying, "What would this idle babbler wish to say?" Others, "He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,"—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.

NLT ©

biblegateway Act 17:18

He also had a debate with some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. When he told them about Jesus and his resurrection, they said, "This babbler has picked up some strange ideas." Others said, "He’s pushing some foreign religion."

MSG ©

biblegateway Act 17:18

He got to know some of the Epicurean and Stoic intellectuals pretty well through these conversations. Some of them dismissed him with sarcasm: "What an airhead!" But others, listening to him go on about Jesus and the resurrection, were intrigued: "That's a new slant on the gods. Tell us more."

BBE ©

SABDAweb Act 17:18

And some of those who were supporters of the theories of the Epicureans and the Stoics, had a meeting with him. And some said, What is this talker of foolish words saying? And others, He seems to be a preacher of strange gods: because he was preaching of Jesus and his coming back from the dead.

NRSV ©

bibleoremus Act 17:18

Also some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers debated with him. Some said, "What does this babbler want to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign divinities." (This was because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.)

NKJV ©

biblegateway Act 17:18

Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, "What does this babbler want to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods," because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.

[+] More English

KJV
Then
<1161>
certain
<5100>
philosophers
<5386>
of the Epicureans
<1946>_,
and
<2532>
of the Stoicks
<4770>_,
encountered
<4820> (5707)
him
<846>_.
And
<2532>
some
<5100>
said
<3004> (5707)_,
What
<5101>
will
<302> <2309> (5722)
this
<3778>
babbler
<4691>
say
<3004> (5721)_?

<1161>
other some, He seemeth
<1380> (5719)
to be
<1511> (5750)
a setter forth
<2604>
of strange
<3581>
gods
<1140>_:
because
<3754>
he preached
<2097> (5710)
unto them
<846>
Jesus
<2424>_,
and
<2532>
the resurrection
<386>_.
{babbler: or, base fellow}
NASB ©

biblegateway Act 17:18

And also
<2532>
some
<5100>
of the Epicurean
<1946>
and Stoic
<4770>
philosophers
<5386>
were conversing
<4820>
with him. Some
<5100>
were saying
<3004>
, "What
<5101>
would this
<3778>
idle
<4691>
babbler
<4691>
wish
<2309>
to say
<3004>
?" Others
<3588>
<1161>, "He seems
<1380>
to be a proclaimer
<2604>
of strange
<3581>
deities
<1140>
,"--because
<3754>
he was preaching
<2097>
Jesus
<2424>
and the resurrection
<386>
.
NET [draft] ITL
Also
<2532>
some
<5100>
of the Epicurean
<1946>
and
<2532>
Stoic
<4770>
philosophers
<5386>
were conversing with
<4820>
him
<846>
, and
<2532>
some
<5100>
were asking
<3004>
, “What
<5101>
does
<2309>
this foolish babbler
<4691>
want
<2309>
to say?” Others said
<3004>
, “He seems
<1380>
to be
<1510>
a proclaimer
<2604>
of foreign
<3581>
gods
<1140>
.” (They said this because
<3754>
he was proclaiming the good news
<2097>
about Jesus
<2424>
and
<2532>
the resurrection
<386>
.)
GREEK
tinev
<5100>
X-NPM
de
<1161>
CONJ
kai
<2532>
CONJ
twn
<3588>
T-GPM
epikoureiwn
<1946>
N-GPM
kai
<2532>
CONJ
stoikwn
<4770>
A-GPM
filosofwn
<5386>
N-GPM
suneballon
<4820> (5707)
V-IAI-3P
autw
<846>
P-DSM
kai
<2532>
CONJ
tinev
<5100>
X-NPM
elegon
<3004> (5707)
V-IAI-3P
ti
<5101>
I-ASN
an
<302>
PRT
yeloi
<2309> (5722)
V-PAO-3S
o
<3588>
T-NSM
spermologov
<4691>
A-NSM
outov
<3778>
D-NSM
legein
<3004> (5721)
V-PAN
oi
<3588>
T-NPM
de
<1161>
CONJ
xenwn
<3581>
A-GPN
daimoniwn
<1140>
N-GPN
dokei
<1380> (5719)
V-PAI-3S
kataggeleuv
<2604>
N-NSM
einai
<1510> (5750)
V-PXN
oti
<3754>
CONJ
ton
<3588>
T-ASM
ihsoun
<2424>
N-ASM
kai
<2532>
CONJ
thn
<3588>
T-ASF
anastasin
<386>
N-ASF
euhggelizeto
<2097> (5710)
V-IMI-3S

NETBible

Also some of the Epicurean 1  and Stoic 2  philosophers were conversing 3  with him, and some were asking, 4  “What does this foolish babbler 5  want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods.” 6  (They said this because he was proclaiming the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.) 7 

NET Notes

sn An Epicurean was a follower of the philosophy of Epicurus, who founded a school in Athens about 300 b.c. Although the Epicureans saw the aim of life as pleasure, they were not strictly hedonists, because they defined pleasure as the absence of pain. Along with this, they desired the avoidance of trouble and freedom from annoyances. They saw organized religion as evil, especially the belief that the gods punished evildoers in an afterlife. In keeping with this, they were unable to accept Paul’s teaching about the resurrection.

sn A Stoic was a follower of the philosophy founded by Zeno (342-270 b.c.), a Phoenician who came to Athens and modified the philosophical system of the Cynics he found there. The Stoics rejected the Epicurean ideal of pleasure, stressing virtue instead. The Stoics emphasized responsibility for voluntary actions and believed risks were worth taking, but thought the actual attainment of virtue was difficult. They also believed in providence.

tn BDAG 956 s.v. συμβάλλω 1 has “converse, confer” here.

tn Grk “saying.”

tn Or “ignorant show-off.” The traditional English translation of σπερμολόγος (spermologo") is given in L&N 33.381 as “foolish babbler.” However, an alternate view is presented in L&N 27.19, “(a figurative extension of meaning of a term based on the practice of birds in picking up seeds) one who acquires bits and pieces of relatively extraneous information and proceeds to pass them off with pretense and show – ‘ignorant show-off, charlatan.’” A similar view is given in BDAG 937 s.v. σπερμολόγος: “in pejorative imagery of persons whose communication lacks sophistication and seems to pick up scraps of information here and there scrapmonger, scavenger…Engl. synonyms include ‘gossip’, ‘babbler’, chatterer’; but these terms miss the imagery of unsystematic gathering.”

tn The meaning of this phrase is not clear. Literally it reads “strange deities” (see BDAG 210 s.v. δαιμόνιον 1). The note of not being customary is important. In the ancient world what was new was suspicious. The plural δαιμονίων (daimoniwn, “deities”) shows the audience grappling with Paul’s teaching that God was working through Jesus.

sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.




TIP #14: Use the Discovery Box to further explore word(s) and verse(s). [ALL]
created in 0.06 seconds
powered by
bible.org - YLSA