Christian Standard Bible
Acts 17:25
25Neither is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives everyone life and breath and all things.
Acts 17:25 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
- New International Version (NIV)And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.
- English Standard Version (ESV)nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.
Context of Acts 17:25
23For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed, ‘To an Unknown God.’ Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. 24The God who made the world and everything in it — he is Lord of heaven and earth — does not live in shrines made by hands. Neither is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives everyone life and breath and all things. 26From one man he has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live. 27He did this so that they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
Read all of Acts 17Acts 17:25 word by word
οὐδὲ ὑπὸ χειρῶν ἀνθρωπίνων θεραπεύεται προσδεόμενός τινος, αὐτὸς διδοὺς πᾶσιν ζωὴν καὶ πνοὴν καὶ τὰ πάντα·Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Neitherοὐδέoude · norG3761
- is worshippedθεραπεύωtherapeuō · to serve/healG2323
- withὑπόhupo · by/under: byG5259
- men’sἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
- handsχείρcheir · handG5495
- as though he neededπροσδέωprosdeomai · to needG4326
- any thingτιςtis · oneG5100
- seeing heαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- givethδίδωμιdidōmi · to giveG1325
- to allπᾶςpas · allG3956
- lifeζωήzōē · lifeG2222
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- breathπνοήpnoē · wind/breathG4157
- all thingsὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
Cross-references for Acts 17:25
- Job 22:2Can a man be of any use to God? Can even a wise man be of use to him?
- Job 35:6If you sin, how does it affect God? If you multiply your transgressions, what does it do to him?
- Psalms 16:2I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have nothing good besides you.”
- Psalms 50:8I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices or for your burnt offerings, which are continually before me.
- Jeremiah 7:20Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: “Look, my anger — my burning wrath — is about to be poured out on this place, on people and animals, on the tree of the field, and on the produce of the land. My wrath will burn and not be quenched.”
- Amos 5:21I hate, I despise, your feasts! I can’t stand the stench of your solemn assemblies.
- Matthew 9:13Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
- Acts 17:28For in him we live and move and have our being, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’
- Acts 14:17although he did not leave himself without a witness, since he did what is good by giving you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons and filling you with food and your hearts with joy.”
- Genesis 2:7Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.
- Numbers 16:22But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and said, “God, God who gives breath to all, when one man sins, will you vent your wrath on the whole community?”
- Numbers 27:16“May the Lord, the God who gives breath to all, appoint a man over the community
- Job 12:10The life of every living thing is in his hand, as well as the breath of all humanity.
- Job 27:3as long as my breath is still in me and the breath from God remains in my nostrils,
- Job 33:4The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
- Job 34:14If he put his mind to it and withdrew the spirit and breath he gave,
Commentaries on Acts 17:25
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 25Neither is worshiped with men's hands - This is an indirect stroke against making of images, and offering of sacrifices: he is not worshipped with human hands, as if he needed any thing, or required to be represented under a particular form or attitude; nor has he required victims for his support; for it is impossible that he should need any thing who himself gives being, form, and life, to all creatures. Giveth - life, and breath, and all things - These…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 25Neither is worshipped with men‘s hands - The word here rendered “worshipped” ( ́ therapeuetai) denotes to “serve”; to wait upon; and then to render religious service or homage. There is reference here, undoubtedly, to a notion prevalent among the pagan, that the gods were fed or nourished by the offerings made to them. The idea is prevalent among the Hindus that the sacrifices which are made, and which are offered in the temples, are consumed by the gods…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. 24-2524-25. God that made the world and all ... therein--The most profound philosophers of Greece were unable to conceive any real distinction between God and the universe. Thick darkness, therefore, behooved to rest on all their religious conceptions. To dissipate this, the apostle sets out with a sharp statement of the fact of creation as the central principle of all true religion--not less needed now, against the transcendental idealism of our day. seeing…Read the comment
Topics related to Acts 17:25
In the dictionaries
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
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