Genesis 8:22

8:22 “While the earth continues to exist, ¹ 

planting time ²  and harvest,

cold and heat,

summer and winter,

and day and night will not cease.”

Acts 14:17

14:17 yet he did not leave himself without a witness by doing good, ³  by giving you rain from heaven ⁴  and fruitful seasons, satisfying you ⁵  with food and your hearts with joy.” ⁶ 

[8:22]  ¹ tn Heb “yet all the days of the earth.” The idea is “[while there are] yet all the days of the earth,” meaning, “as long as the earth exists.”

[8:22]  ² tn Heb “seed,” which stands here by metonymy for the time when seed is planted.

[14:17]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Or “from the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[14:17]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ 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).