Acts 17:16

Acts 17:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.
• New International Version (NIV)While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.

Context of Acts 17:16

14Immediately, the believers in Berea sent Paul away to go to the coast. But Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea. 15When Paul left Berea, some men went with him. They went with him as far as the city of Athens. Before these men returned to Berea, Paul gave them a message for Silas and Timothy. He said, ‘Please come quickly and meet me here in Athens.’ While Paul was waiting in Athens for Silas and Timothy, he walked around. He saw that the people in the city had many idols. When Paul saw this, he became very upset. 17So he went to the Jewish meeting place and he talked with the Jews. He also talked there with those Gentiles who now worshipped God. Every day he also went to the market place in the city and he talked with the people there. 18There were some teachers there who liked to talk about the things that people should believe. Some of them were called Epicureans and some were called Stoics. After they talked to Paul, some of them said to each other, ‘Who is this silly man? He knows nothing and he talks too much!’ But some of these teachers said, ‘We think that he is talking about strange gods.’ They said this because Paul was telling people the good news about Jesus. He was also talking about the time when God will cause dead people to live again.

Acts 17:16 word by word

Ἐν δὲ ταῖς Ἀθήναις ἐκδεχομένου αὐτοὺς τοῦ Παύλου παρωξύνετο τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ θεωροῦντος κατείδωλον οὖσαν τὴν πόλιν.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Nowδέde · thenG1161
• while Paulὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• while PaulΠαῦλοςPaulos · PaulG3972
• waitedἐκδέχομαιekdechomai · to wait forG1551
• for themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• atἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• AthensἈθῆναιAthēnai · AthensG116
• spiritπνεῦμαpneuma · spirit/breath: spiritG4151
• was stirredπαροξύνωparoxunō · to provokeG3947
• whenεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• he sawθεωρέωtheōreō · to see/experienceG2334
• the cityπόλιςpolis · cityG4172
• wholly given to idolatryκατείδωλοςkateidōlos · idolatrousG2712

Cross-references for Acts 17:16

• Exodus 32:19Then Moses arrived at the camp. He saw the gold calf. He saw that the people were dancing. He became very angry. He threw the two flat stones that he was carrying onto the ground. He broke them into pieces there at the bottom of the mountain.
• Numbers 25:6Moses and all the people were at the door of the Tent of Meeting. They were weeping. While they were there, an Israelite man brought a Midianite woman into his tent. Moses and all the people could see them.
• 1 Kings 19:10Elijah replied, ‘The Israelites have turned away from the covenant that you made with them. They have destroyed your altars. They have killed your prophets with swords. But I have always served the Lord God Almighty faithfully. Now I am the only prophet that is still alive and they are trying to kill me too.’
• Job 32:2Another man was also there. His name was Elihu, Barakel's son. Barakel was a descendant of Buz. He belonged to Ram's clan. Elihu became very angry with Job. He was angry because Job continued to say that he was not guilty. Job said that God was wrong to punish him.
• Psalms 69:9My love for your house burns inside me like a fire. Anybody who insults you, is also insulting me!
• Psalms 119:136I weep with streams of tears, because people do not obey your Law.
• Jeremiah 20:9Sometimes I think, ‘I will say nothing about the Lord or his message.’ But then his message burns like a fire inside me. It gives me pain in my mind and my body. I cannot keep his message to myself. I have to speak it.
• Micah 3:8But the Spirit of the Lord fills me, to make me powerful. He helps me to know what is right and fair. He makes me brave so that I can speak to you, Jacob's people. I can tell you what you have done wrong. You are Israel's people, but you have not obeyed God.
• Mark 3:5Jesus looked round at everybody. He felt angry with them. He also felt sad because they did not want to learn. Then he said to the man, ‘Lift up your hand.’ The man lifted his hand and it became well. He could use it again.
• John 2:13It was almost time for the Jewish Passover festival. So Jesus went to Jerusalem.
• 2 Peter 2:7But God saved Lot from danger. Lot was a good man. He was very sad because the people in Sodom did not obey God's laws. They lived in a very bad way.
• Acts 17:23I have walked in the streets of your city. I see that you have built many special places where you worship your gods. I saw one altar with a notice on it. The notice said, “To the god that we do not know.” This shows that you want to worship a god that you do not know. Now I will tell you clearly about who this God is.

Commentaries on Acts 17:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16He saw the city wholly given to idolatry - , Full of idols, as the margin has it, and very properly. Whoever examines the remains of this city, as represented by Mr. Stuart in his Antiquities, already referred to, will be satisfied of the truth of St. Luke's remark: it was full of idols. Bishop Pearce produces a most apposite quotation from Pausanias, which confirms the observation: . There was no place where so many idols were to be seen. Paus. in Attic…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16Now while Paul waited - How long he was there is not intimated; but doubtless some time would elapse before they could arrive. In the meantime Paul had ample opportunity to observe the state of the city. His spirit was stirred in him - His mind was greatly excited. The word used here ( ́ parōxuneto) denotes “any excitement, agitation, or paroxysm of mind,” 1 Corinthians 13:5. It here means that the mind of Paul was greatly concerned, or agitated…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-21Verses 16-21 Athens was then famed for polite learning, philosophy, and the fine arts; but none are more childish and superstitious, more impious, or more credulous, than some persons, deemed eminent for learning and ability. It was wholly given to idolatry. The zealous advocate for the cause of Christ will be ready to plead for it in all companies, as occasion offers. Most of these learned men took no notice of Paul; but some, whose principles were the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16-17Athens, like Alexandria and Tarsus, was proud of its learning and love of ideas. People there spent time studying and discussing different philosophies (ways of thinking about life and the world) that were popular at that time.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 16-3416-17. wholly given to idolatry--"covered with idols"; meaning the city, not the inhabitants. Petronius, a contemporary writer at Nero's court, says satirically that it was easier to find a god at Athens than a man. This "stirred the spirit" of the apostle. "The first impression which the masterpieces of man's taste for art left on the mind of St. Paul was a revolting one, since all this majesty and beauty had placed itself between man and his Creator…Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 17:16

• Athens
• Gentiles
• Idolatry
• Paul
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Paul
• Paul, Saul
• Appoint
• Assurance
• Blood
• Determine
• Ignorantly
• James
• Manner
• Mind

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