Tree of Life Version
Acts 17:29
29Since we are His offspring, we ought not to suppose the Deity is like gold or silver or stone, an engraved image of human art and imagination.
Acts 17:29 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.
- New International Version (NIV)“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising.
Context of Acts 17:29
27They were to search for Him, and perhaps grope around for Him and find Him. Yet He is not far from each one of us, 28for ‘In Him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His offspring.’ Since we are His offspring, we ought not to suppose the Deity is like gold or silver or stone, an engraved image of human art and imagination. 30Although God overlooked the periods of ignorance, now He commands everyone everywhere to repent. 31For He has set a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness, through a Man whom He has appointed. He has brought forth evidence of this to all men, by raising Him from the dead.”
Read all of Acts 17Acts 17:29 word by word
γένος οὖν ὑπάρχοντες τοῦ θεοῦ οὐκ ὀφείλομεν νομίζειν χρυσῷ ἢ ἀργύρῳ ἢ λίθῳ, χαράγματι τέχνης καὶ ἐνθυμήσεως ἀνθρώπου, τὸ θεῖον εἶναι ὅμοιον.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Forasmuch thenοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
- as we areὑπάρχωhuparchō · be alreadyG5225
- the offspringγένοςgenos · family: descendantG1085
- of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- we oughtὀφείλωopheilō opheileō · to oweG3784
- notοὐou · noG3756
- to think thatνομίζωnomizō · to thinkG3543
- the Godheadθεῖοςtheios · divineG2304
- isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- like untoὅμοιοςhomoios · likeG3664
- goldχρυσόςchrusos · goldG5557
- orἤē · orG2228
- silverἄργυροςarguros · silverG696
- stoneλίθοςlithos · stoneG3037
- gravenχάραγμαcharagma · image/markG5480
- by artτέχνηtechnē · skillG5078
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- man’sἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
- deviceἐνθύμησιςenthumēsis · reflectionG1761
Cross-references for Acts 17:29
- Psalms 94:7So they say: “Adonai does not see— the God of Jacob pays no attention.”
- Psalms 106:20Thus they exchanged their glory for an image of a grass-eating ox.
- Psalms 115:4Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
- Isaiah 40:12Who has measured the waters in the palm of His hand, or measured out heaven with a span, or calculated the dust of the earth in a measure, or weighed the mountains in scales, or the hills in a balance?
- Isaiah 44:9Those who fashion idols are empty. Their precious things do not profit. Their witnesses do not see or know, so they will be put to shame.
- Habakkuk 2:19Oy to one who says to wood: “Awake!” To a dumb stone: “Rouse yourself!” Can it teach? Look, it is plated with gold and silver, but it has no spirit within it.
- Romans 1:20His invisible attributes—His eternal power and His divine nature—have been clearly seen ever since the creation of the world, being understood through the things that have been made. So people are without excuse—
- Exodus 20:4Do not make for yourself a graven image , or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or on the earth below or in the water under the earth.
- Exodus 32:4He received them from their hand, and made a molten calf, fashioned with a chiseling tool. Then they said, “This is your god, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”
- Isaiah 46:5To whom will you liken Me, or make Me equal or compare Me, that we should be alike?
- Jeremiah 10:4They decorate it with silver and gold, and fasten it with hammer and nails so it won’t totter.
Commentaries on Acts 17:29
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 29Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, etc. - This inference of the apostle was very strong and conclusive; and his argument runs thus: "If we are the offspring of God, he cannot be like those images of gold, silver, and stone, which are formed by the art and device of man; for the parent must resemble his offspring. Seeing, therefore, that we are living and intelligent beings, He from whom we have derived that being must be living and…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 29Forasmuch then - Admitting or assuming this to be true. The argument which follows is drawn from the concessions of their own writers. We ought not to think - It is absurd to suppose. The argument of the apostle is this: “Since we are formed by God; since we are like him, living and intelligent beings; since we are more excellent in our nature than the most precious and ingenious works of art, it is absurd to suppose that the original source of our…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. 2929. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think--The courtesy of this language is worthy of notice. that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device--("graven by the art or device of man"). One can hardly doubt that the apostle would here point to those matchless monuments of the plastic art, in gold and silver and costliest stone, which lay so profusely beneath and around him. The more…Read the comment
Topics related to Acts 17:29
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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