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 strangers visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new.) 22So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious in all respects. For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. 24The God who made the world and everything that is in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made by hands; 25nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself 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

• For while I was passingδιέρχομαιdierchomai · to pass throughG1330
• and examiningἀναθεωρέωanatheōreō · to contemplateG333
• objectsσέβασμαsebasma · object of worshipG4574
• I alsoκαίkai · andG2532
• foundεὑρίσκωheuriskō · to find/meetG2147
• an altarβωμόςbōmos · altarG1041
• with thisὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• inscriptionἐπιγράφωepigraphō · to write onG1924
• TO AN UNKNOWNἄγνωστοςagnōstos · unknownG57
• GODθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• Thereforeοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
• you worshipεὐσεβέωeusebeō · to show pietyG2151
• in ignoranceἀγνοέωagnoeō · be ignorantG50
• thisοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• I proclaimκαταγγέλλωkataggellō · to proclaimG2605

Cross-references for Acts 17:23

• Romans 1:23and they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible mankind, of birds, four-footed animals, and crawling creatures.
• 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 above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.
• Psalms 147:20He has not dealt this way with any other nation; And as for His judgments, they have not known them. Praise the Lord!
• John 17:3And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
• Romans 1:20For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
• 1 Corinthians 1:21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
• 2 Corinthians 4:4in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they will not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
• Galatians 4:8However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are not gods.
• Ephesians 2:12remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the people of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
• 1 Timothy 1:17Now to the King eternal, 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. This is the true God and eternal life.
• Acts 17:30So having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now proclaiming to mankind that all people everywhere are to repent,
• Psalms 50:21These things you have done and I kept silent; You thought that I was just like you; I will rebuke you and present the case before your eyes.
• Matthew 15:9And in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
• John 4:22You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, because 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