16While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he observed the city utterly idolatrous. [17:17] So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be present. [17:18] Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also engaged him. Some said, "What is this seed-picker trying to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a herald of foreign divinities" — because he was proclaiming Jesus and the resurrection. [17:19] They took hold of him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? [17:20] For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. We want to know, then, what these things mean." [17:21] Now all the Athenians and the foreigners residing there were spending their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something newer.
ACT 17:16-21
Paul in Athens
In the world it was spoken into
In 1st-century Athens, Paul encounters a city steeped in Greco-Roman religious and philosophical culture. The term underscores Athens' reputation as a city saturated with idols, a place where gods and divine beings were woven into daily life. The agora, or marketplace, was not just a commercial hub but a center of intellectual exchange, where philosophers like the Epicureans and Stoics debated ideas. These schools represented competing worldviews: Epicureans sought pleasure and tranquility by avoiding pain, while Stoics emphasized virtue and living in harmony with nature. When Paul is called a ('babbler'), it reflects Athenian disdain for someone perceived as picking up and regurgitating ideas without depth. The Athenians' curiosity about 'foreign gods' aligns with their cultural openness to new deities and philosophies, yet their leisure suggests a tendency to treat such discussions as intellectual pastimes rather than serious inquiries. Paul's proclamation of Jesus and the resurrection challenges both Athenian idolatry and philosophical detachment.
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How other translations render this
ACT 17:16
- KJV
- Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.
- BSB
- While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply disturbed in his spirit to see that the city was full of idols.
- Koinōnos
- While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he observed the city utterly idolatrous.
ACT 17:17
- KJV
- Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.
- BSB
- So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace with those he met each day.
- Koinōnos
- So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be present.
ACT 17:18
- KJV
- Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.
- BSB
- Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others said, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was proclaiming the good news of Jesus and the resurrection.
- Koinōnos
- Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also engaged him. Some said, "What is this seed-picker trying to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a herald of foreign divinities" — because he was proclaiming Jesus and the resurrection.
ACT 17:19
- KJV
- And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?
- BSB
- So they took Paul and brought him to the Areopagus, where they asked him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?
- Koinōnos
- They took hold of him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?
ACT 17:20
- KJV
- For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.
- BSB
- For you are bringing some strange notions to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.”
- Koinōnos
- For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. We want to know, then, what these things mean.
ACT 17:21
- KJV
- (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)
- BSB
- Now all the Athenians and foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing more than hearing and articulating new ideas.
- Koinōnos
- Now all the Athenians and the foreigners residing there were spending their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something newer.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Translator's notes
ACT 17:16
- utterly idolatrous:The word translated 'utterly idolatrous' describes a city completely filled with idols and devoted to their worship, indicating an overwhelming presence of pagan religious practices.
ACT 17:18
- <the>:The term translated '<the>' (referring to 'babbler') literally meant a bird that picks up seeds, and by extension, a person who picks up scraps of information and repeats them without understanding, often implying a superficial or gossipy individual.
- Of foreign:The word translated 'foreign' (referring to 'divinities') in this context refers to divine beings or spirits, which could be good or bad, but here carries the sense of unfamiliar or alien deities to the Athenian pantheon.
ACT 17:21
- were spending their time:The phrase 'were spending their time' implies that the Athenians were not just passing time, but were actively devoting their leisure and opportunity to discussing and hearing new ideas, highlighting their intellectual curiosity and engagement.