Acts 17:27

Acts 17:27 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
• New International Version (NIV)God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.
• English Standard Version (ESV)that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,
• New King James Version (NKJV)so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;

Context of Acts 17:27

25People make things to give to God. But God does not need anything like that. It is God himself who causes everyone to live. He gives them everything that they need. 26God first made one man. From that one man he made all the different groups of people. He caused them to live in different places all over the world. He decided where each group of people should live. He also decided how long they should live in each place. God did all this so that people would want to know him. They would look carefully for him and perhaps they would find him. Really, God is near to each of us. 28Someone said this: “Because God gives us life, we are alive. Because of him, we can move about. Because of him we can be who we are.” One of your writers has also said, “We too are God's children.” 29So, because we are God's children, we should not think that he is a thing like an idol. Clever people use gold or silver or stone to make images of gods. But God is not like these things that people choose to make for themselves.

Acts 17:27 word by word

ζητεῖν τὸν θεόν, εἰ ἄρα γε ψηλαφήσειαν αὐτὸν καὶ εὕροιεν, καί γε οὐ μακρὰν ἀπὸ ἑνὸς ἑκάστου ἡμῶν ὑπάρχοντα.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• That they should seekζητέωzēteō · to seekG2212
• the Lordὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the Lordκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962
• ifεἰei · if: is(QUESTION)G1487
• ·ἆραara · no?G687
• haplyγέge · indeedG1065
• they might feel afterψηλαφάωpsēlaphaō · to touchG5584
• himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• findεὑρίσκωheuriskō · to find/meetG2147
• thoughκαίτοιγεkaitoige · and yet/althoughG2544
• he beὑπάρχωhuparchō · be alreadyG5225
• notοὐou · noG3756
• farμακράνmakran · farG3112
• fromἀπόapo · away fromG575
• everyἕκαστοςhekastos · eachG1538
• oneεἷςheis · oneG1520
• of usἐγώegō · I/weG1473

Cross-references for Acts 17:27

• Acts 15:17Then many other people will want to know me, the Lord God. Those are the Gentiles that I have chosen to belong to me. I, the Lord God, say this, and I will make these things happen.
• Psalms 19:1The heavens show us how great God is. The sky above shows his good work.
• Romans 1:20Ever since God made the world, he has been showing people clearly about himself. We cannot see God. But the things that he has made show us clearly what he is like. We can understand his great power that continues for ever. We can know that he is the true God. So there is no reason for anyone to say, ‘We could not know about God.’
• Romans 2:4Remember that God is very kind and patient with us. He waits a long time before he punishes us. Do you not think that that is important? You should understand that God is giving you a chance to change. He waits patiently, so that you may turn away from wrong things.
• Acts 14:17But God has showed everybody very clearly what he is like. He has showed you that he is kind. He causes the rain to fall from the sky. He causes the plants to give you food at the right time each year. He gives you plenty of food to eat. In these ways he makes you very happy.’
• 1 Kings 8:27But surely God, you do not live on the earth! The whole sky, or even heaven itself, is too small to contain you! So how can you live in this temple that I have built?
• Psalms 139:1Lord, you look deep inside me, and you know all about me.
• Jeremiah 23:23The Lord says, ‘Am I a God in only one place? No! I see everything everywhere!

Commentaries on Acts 17:27

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 27That they should seek the Lord - This is a conclusion drawn from the preceding statement. God, who is infinitely great and self-sufficient, has manifested himself as the maker of the world, the creator, preserver, and governor of men. He has assigned them their portion, and dispensed to them their habitations, and the various blessings of his providence, to the end that they should seek him in all his works. Feel after him - , That they might grope after…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 27That they should seek the Lord - Greek: to seek the Lord. The design of thus placing them on the earth - of gang them their habitation among his works - was, that they should contemplate his wisdom in his works, and thus come to a knowledge of his existence and character. All nations, though living in different regions and climates, have thus the opportunity of becoming acquainted with God, Romans 1:19-20. The fact that the nations did not thus learn the…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. 26-2726-27. and hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth--Holding with the Old Testament teaching, that in the blood is the life (Ge 9:4; Le 17:11; De 12:23), the apostle sees this life stream of the whole human race to be one, flowing from one source [Baumgarten]. and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation--The apostle here opposes both Stoical Fate and Epicurean Chance, ascribing…Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 17:27

• Athens
• Gentiles
• God Continued...
• Life
• Paul
• Readings, Select
• Religion
• Seekers
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Appoint
• Areopagus
• Assurance
• Blood
• Determine
• Ignorantly
• James
• Manner
• Mars Hill
• 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