English Standard Version
Acts 17:23
23For 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.
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.
- 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:
- New Living Translation (NLT)for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about.
Context of Acts 17:23
21Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new. 22So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 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. 24The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
Read all of Acts 17Acts 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 of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
- 1 Corinthians 8:5For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"—
- 2 Thessalonians 2:4who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
- Psalms 147:20He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his rules. Praise the Lord!
- John 17:3And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
- Romans 1:20For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
- 1 Corinthians 1:21For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.
- 2 Corinthians 4:4In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
- Galatians 4:8Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods.
- Ephesians 2:12remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
- 1 Timothy 1:17To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
- 1 John 5:20And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
- Acts 17:30The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
- Psalms 50:21These things you have done, and I have been silent; you thought that I was one like yourself. But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.
- Matthew 15:9in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"
- John 4:22You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, 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
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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries