Acts 17:23

Acts 17:23 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.
• New International Version (NIV)For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: 'To the unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.
• New King James Version (NKJV)for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:

Context of Acts 17:23

21(Now all the Athenians and the foreigners visiting there used to spend their [leisure] time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new.) 22So 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. Now as I was going along and carefully looking at your objects of worship, I came to an altar with this inscription: ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you already worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24The God who created the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, because it is He who gives to all [people] life and breath and all things.

Acts 17:23 word by word

διερχόμενος γὰρ καὶ ἀναθεωρῶν τὰ σεβάσματα ὑμῶν εὗρον καὶ βωμὸν ἐν ᾧ ἐπεγέγραπτο· ἀγνώστῳ θεῷ. ὃ οὖν ἀγνοοῦντες εὐσεβεῖτε, τοῦτο ἐγὼ καταγγέλλω ὑμῖν.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• as I passed byδιέρχομαιdierchomai · to pass throughG1330
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• beheldἀναθεωρέωanatheōreō · to contemplateG333
• yourσύsu · youG4771
• devotionsὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• devotionsσέβασμαsebasma · object of worshipG4574
• I foundεὑρίσκωheuriskō · to find/meetG2147
• an altarβωμόςbōmos · altarG1041
• withἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• thisὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• inscriptionἐπιγράφωepigraphō · to write onG1924
• TO THE UNKNOWNἄγνωστοςagnōstos · unknownG57
• GODθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• thereforeοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
• ye ignorantlyἀγνοέωagnoeō · be ignorantG50
• worshipεὐσεβέωeusebeō · to show pietyG2151
• himοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• declareκαταγγέλλωkataggellō · to proclaimG2605
• Iἐγώegō · I/weG1473

Cross-references for Acts 17:23

• Romans 1:23and exchanged the glory and majesty and excellence of the immortal God for an image [worthless idols] in the shape of mortal man and birds and four-footed animals and reptiles.
• 1 Corinthians 8:5For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords,
• 2 Thessalonians 2:4who opposes and exalts himself [so proudly and so insolently] above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he [actually enters and] takes his seat in the temple of God, publicly proclaiming that he himself is God.
• Psalms 147:20He has not dealt this way with any [other] nation; They have not known [understood, appreciated, heeded, or cherished] His ordinances. Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)
• John 17:3Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true [supreme and sovereign] God, and [in the same manner know] Jesus [as the] Christ whom You have sent.
• Romans 1:20For ever since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through His workmanship [all His creation, the wonderful things that He has made], so that they [who fail to believe and trust in Him] are without excuse and without defense.
• 1 Corinthians 1:21For since the world through all its [earthly] wisdom failed to recognize God, God in His wisdom was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached [regarding salvation] to save those who believe [in Christ and welcome Him as Savior].
• 2 Corinthians 4:4among them the god of this world [Satan] has blinded the minds of the unbelieving to prevent them from seeing the illuminating light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
• Galatians 4:8But at that time, when you did not know [the true] God and were unacquainted with Him, you [Gentiles] were slaves to those [pagan] things which by [their very] nature were not and could not be gods at all.
• Ephesians 2:12remember that at that time you were separated from Christ [excluded from any relationship with Him], alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise [with no share in the sacred Messianic promise and without knowledge of God’s agreements], having no hope [in His promise] and [living] in the world without God.
• 1 Timothy 1:17Now to the King of the ages [eternal], immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
• 1 John 5:20And we [have seen and] know [by personal experience] that the Son of God has [actually] come [to this world], and has given us understanding and insight so that we may [progressively and personally] know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true—in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
• Acts 17:30Therefore God overlooked and disregarded the former ages of ignorance; but now He commands all people everywhere to repent [that is, to change their old way of thinking, to regret their past sins, and to seek God’s purpose for their lives],
• Psalms 50:21These things you have done and I kept silent; You thought that I was just like you. Now I will reprimand and denounce you and state the case in order before your eyes.
• Matthew 15:9But in vain do they worship Me, For they teach as doctrines the precepts of men.’ ”
• John 4:22You [Samaritans] do not know what you worship; we [Jews] do know what we worship, for salvation is from the Jews.

Commentaries on Acts 17:23

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23Beheld your devotions - , The objects of your worship; the different images of their gods which they held in religious veneration, sacrificial instruments, altars, etc., etc. To the Unknown God - . That there was an altar at Athens thus inscribed, we cannot doubt after such a testimony; though St. Jerome questions it in part; for he says St. Paul found the inscription in the plural number, but, because he would not appear to acknowledge a plurality of…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23For as I passed by - Greek: “For I, coming through, and seeing, etc.” And beheld - Diligently contemplated; attentively considered ̓͂ anatheōrōnThe worship of an idolatrous people will be an object of intense and painful interest to a Christian. Your devotions - ̀ ́ ta sebasmataOur word devotions refers to the “act of worship” - to prayers, praises, etc. The Greek word used here means properly any sacred thing; any object which is worshipped, or which…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 22-31Verses 22-31 Here we have a sermon to heathens, who worshipped false gods, and were without the true God in the world; and to them the scope of the discourse was different from what the apostle preached to the Jews. In the latter case, his business was to lead his hearers by prophecies and miracles to the knowledge of the Redeemer, and faith in him; in the former, it was to lead them, by the common works of providence, to know the Creator, and worship…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 22-31Paul’s sermon in Athens shows how well he could adapt his preaching of the good news (Romans 11:14; 1 Corinthians 9:19–23; 10:33; compare Acts 16:3; 17:2–3; 21:20–26). His Greek audience did not know the Scriptures or believe in one God like the Jews. However, they had a strong intellectual background. Paul connected with them using an Athenian inscription on an altar TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. He then explained God’s nature as the Creator (17:22–29), followed by…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2323. as I passed by and beheld your devotions--rather, "the objects of your devotion," referring, as is plain from the next words, to their works of art consecrated to religion. I found an altar ... To the--or, "an" unknown god--erected, probably, to commemorate some divine interposition, which they were unable to ascribe to any known deity. That there were such altars, Greek writers attest; and on this the apostle skilfully fastens at the outset, as the…Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 17:23

• Altar
• Athens
• Blindness
• Gentiles
• Idolatry
• Ignorance
• Paul
• Readings, Select
• Religion
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Unknown God
• Altar
• Appoint
• Areopagus
• Assurance
• Blood
• Determine
• Ignorantly

Commentaries on Acts 17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings