Acts 14:14-18

14:14 But when the apostles ¹  Barnabas and Paul heard about ²  it, they tore ³  their clothes and rushed out ⁴  into the crowd, shouting, ⁵  14:15 “Men, why are you doing these things? We too are men, with human natures ⁶  just like you! We are proclaiming the good news to you, so that you should turn ⁷  from these worthless ⁸  things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, ⁹  the sea, and everything that is in them. 14:16 In ¹⁰  past ¹¹  generations he allowed all the nations ¹²  to go their own ways, 14:17 yet he did not leave himself without a witness by doing good, ¹³  by giving you rain from heaven ¹⁴  and fruitful seasons, satisfying you ¹⁵  with food and your hearts with joy.” ¹⁶  14:18 Even by saying ¹⁷  these things, they scarcely persuaded ¹⁸  the crowds not to offer sacrifice to them.

Acts 17:22-31

17:22 So Paul stood ¹⁹  before the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious ²⁰  in all respects. ²¹  17:23 For as I went around and observed closely your objects of worship, ²²  I even found an altar with this inscription: ²³  ‘To an unknown god.’ Therefore what you worship without knowing it, ²⁴  this I proclaim to you. 17:24 The God who made the world and everything in it, ²⁵  who is ²⁶  Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by human hands, ²⁷  17:25 nor is he served by human hands, as if he needed anything, ²⁸  because he himself gives life and breath and everything to everyone. ²⁹  17:26 From one man ³⁰  he made every nation of the human race ³¹  to inhabit the entire earth, ³²  determining their set times ³³  and the fixed limits of the places where they would live, ³⁴  17:27 so that they would search for God and perhaps grope around ³⁵  for him and find him, ³⁶  though he is ³⁷  not far from each one of us. 17:28 For in him we live and move about ³⁸  and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’ ³⁹  17:29 So since we are God’s offspring, we should not think the deity ⁴⁰  is like gold or silver or stone, an image ⁴¹  made by human ⁴²  skill ⁴³  and imagination. ⁴⁴  17:30 Therefore, although God has overlooked ⁴⁵  such times of ignorance, ⁴⁶  he now commands all people ⁴⁷  everywhere to repent, ⁴⁸  17:31 because he has set ⁴⁹  a day on which he is going to judge the world ⁵⁰  in righteousness, by a man whom he designated, ⁵¹  having provided proof to everyone by raising ⁵²  him from the dead.”

Acts 21:39

21:39 Paul answered, ⁵³  “I am a Jew ⁵⁴  from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city. ⁵⁵  Please ⁵⁶  allow me to speak to the people.”

[14:14]  ¹ sn The apostles Barnabas and Paul. This is one of only two places where Luke calls Paul an apostle, and the description here is shared with Barnabas. This is a nontechnical use here, referring to a commissioned messenger.

[14:14]  ² tn The participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") is taken temporally.

[14:14]  ³ tn Grk “tearing their clothes they rushed out.” The participle διαρρήξαντες (diarrhxante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. This action is a Jewish response to blasphemy (m. Sanhedrin 7.5; Jdt 14:16-17).

[14:14]  ⁴ tn So BDAG 307 s.v. ἐκπηδάω 1, “rush (lit. ‘leap’) out…εἰς τὸν ὄχλον into the crowd Ac 14:14.”

[14:14]  ⁵ tn Grk “shouting and saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes, in v. 15) has not been translated because it is redundant.

[14:15]  ⁶ tn Grk “with the same kinds of feelings,” L&N 25.32. BDAG 706 s.v. ὁμοιοπαθής translates the phrase “with the same nature τινί as someone.” In the immediate context, the contrast is between human and divine nature, and the point is that Paul and Barnabas are mere mortals, not gods.

[14:15]  ⁷ tn Grk “in order that you should turn,” with ἐπιστρέφειν (epistrefein) as an infinitive of purpose, but this is somewhat awkward contemporary English. To translate the infinitive construction “proclaim the good news, that you should turn,” which is much smoother English, could give the impression that the infinitive clause is actually the content of the good news, which it is not. The somewhat less formal “to get you to turn” would work, but might convey to some readers manipulativeness on the part of the apostles. Thus “proclaim the good news, so that you should turn,” is used, to convey that the purpose of the proclamation of good news is the response by the hearers. The emphasis here is like 1 Thess 1:9-10.

[14:15]  ⁸ tn Or “useless,” “futile.” The reference is to idols and idolatry, worshiping the creation over the Creator (Rom 1:18-32). See also 1 Kgs 16:2, 13, 26; 2 Kgs 17:15; Jer 2:5; 8:19; 3 Macc 6:11.

[14:15]  ⁹ tn Grk “and the earth, and the sea,” but καί (kai) has not been translated before “the earth” and “the sea” since contemporary English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[14:16]  ¹⁰ 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.

[14:16]  ¹¹ tn On this term see BDAG 780 s.v. παροίχομαι. The word is a NT hapax legomenon.

[14:16]  ¹² 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.

[14:17]  ¹³ tn The participle ἀγαθουργῶν (agaqourgwn) is regarded as indicating means here, parallel to the following participles διδούς (didou") and ἐμπιπλῶν (empiplwn). This is the easiest way to understand the Greek structure. Semantically, the first participle is a general statement, followed by two participles giving specific examples of doing good.

[14:17]  ¹⁴ tn Or “from the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[14:17]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “satisfying [filling] your hearts with food and joy.” This is an idiomatic expression; it strikes the English reader as strange to speak of “filling one’s heart with food.” Thus the additional direct object “you” has been supplied, separating the two expressions somewhat: “satisfying you with food and your hearts with joy.”

[14:17]  ¹⁶ sn God’s general sovereignty and gracious care in the creation are the way Paul introduces the theme of the goodness of God. He was trying to establish monotheism here. It is an OT theme (Gen 8:22; Ps 4:7; 145:15-16; 147:8-9; Isa 25:6; Jer 5:24) which also appears in the NT (Luke 12:22-34).

[14:18]  ¹⁷ tn The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is regarded as indicating means.

[14:18]  ¹⁸ tn BDAG 524 s.v. καταπαύω 2.b gives both “restrain” and “dissuade someone fr. someth.,” but “they scarcely dissuaded the crowds from offering sacrifice,” while accurate, is less common in contemporary English than saying “they scarcely persuaded the crowds not to offer sacrifice.” Paganism is portrayed as a powerful reality that is hard to reverse.

[17:22]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “standing…said.” The participle ζηλώσαντες (zhlwsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[17:22]  ²⁰ 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.

[17:22]  ²¹ tn BDAG 513 s.v. κατά B.6 translates the phrase κατὰ πάντα (kata panta) as “in all respects.”

[17:23]  ²² tn Or “your sanctuaries.” L&N 53.54 gives “sanctuary” (place of worship) as an alternate meaning for the word σεβάσματα (sebasmata).

[17:23]  ²³ 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”).

[17:23]  ²⁴ 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.

[17:24]  ²⁵ tn Grk “all the things that are in it.” The speech starts with God as Creator, like 14:15.

[17:24]  ²⁶ 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.

[17:24]  ²⁷ 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.

[17:25]  ²⁸ tn L&N 57.45 has “nor does he need anything more that people can supply by working for him.”

[17:25]  ²⁹ tn Grk “he himself gives to all [people] life and breath and all things.”

[17:26]  ³⁰ sn The one man refers to Adam (the word “man” is understood).

[17:26]  ³¹ tn Or “mankind.” BDAG 276 s.v. ἔθνος 1 has “every nation of humankind Ac 17:26.”

[17:26]  ³² tn Grk “to live over all the face of the earth.”

[17:26]  ³³ 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.

[17:26]  ³⁴ tn Grk “the boundaries of their habitation.” L&N 80.5 has “fixed limits of the places where they would live” for this phrase.

[17:27]  ³⁵ tn See BDAG 1097-98 s.v. ψηλαφάω, which lists “touch, handle” and “to feel around for, grope for” as possible meanings.

[17:27]  ³⁶ 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.

[17:27]  ³⁷ tn The participle ὑπάρχοντα (Juparconta) has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[17:28]  ³⁸ tn According to L&N 15.1, “A strictly literal translation of κινέω in Ac 17:28 might imply merely moving from one place to another. The meaning, however, is generalized movement and activity; therefore, it may be possible to translate κινούμεθα as ‘we come and go’ or ‘we move about’’ or even ‘we do what we do.’”

[17:28]  ³⁹ sn This quotation is from Aratus (ca. 310-245 b.c.), Phaenomena 5. Paul asserted a general relationship and accountability to God for all humanity.

[17:29]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “the divine being.” BDAG 446 s.v. θεῖος 1.b has “divine being, divinity” here.

[17:29]  ⁴¹ tn Or “a likeness.” Again idolatry is directly attacked as an affront to God and a devaluation of him.

[17:29]  ⁴² tn Grk “by the skill and imagination of man,” but ἀνθρώπου (anqrwpou) has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[17:29]  ⁴³ tn Or “craftsmanship” (cf. BDAG 1001 s.v. τέχνη).

[17:29]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “thought.” BDAG 336 s.v. ἐνθύμησις has “thought, reflection, idea” as the category of meaning here, but in terms of creativity (as in the context) the imaginative faculty is in view.

[17:30]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “has deliberately paid no attention to.”

[17:30]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “times when people did not know.”

[17:30]  ⁴⁷ tn Here ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).

[17:30]  ⁴⁸ sn He now commands all people everywhere to repent. God was now asking all mankind to turn to him. No nation or race was excluded.

[17:31]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “fixed.”

[17:31]  ⁵⁰ sn The world refers to the whole inhabited earth.

[17:31]  ⁵¹ tn Or “appointed.” BDAG 723 s.v. ὁρίζω 2.b has “of persons appoint, designate, declare: God judges the world ἐν ἀνδρὶ ᾧ ὥρισεν through a man whom he has appointed Ac 17:31.”

[17:31]  ⁵² tn The participle ἀναστήσας (anasthsa") indicates means here.

[21:39]  ⁵³ tn Grk “said.”

[21:39]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “a Jewish man.”

[21:39]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “of a not insignificant city.” The double negative, common in Greek, is awkward in English and has been replaced by a corresponding positive expression (BDAG 142 s.v. ἄσημος 1).

[21:39]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “I beg you.”