Acts 17

Paul and Silas carry the gospel through Thessalonica and Berea, where one city rejects it and the other searches the Scriptures. Then Paul stands alone in idol-filled Athens and speaks to philosophers about the one Creator, the call to repent, and the risen Jesus as coming Judge. Some mock, some are curious, and some believe.

Acts 17:1

Paul, Silas and Timothy leave Philippi and travel the main Roman road west across Macedonia. They pass two towns and stop at Thessalonica, a large port city with a Jewish synagogue. As usual, the gospel begins where people already know the Scriptures.

Acts 17:2-3

For three Sabbaths Paul taught from the Old Testament. He showed that the promised Messiah was always meant to suffer and rise again, and that Jesus fits that pattern. Many expected a conquering king, so the cross needed careful explaining from the Scriptures.

BSA: explaining (“opening up, revealing”): Paul was unfolding what was already in the Scriptures, as if opening a locked scroll. had to (“it was necessary, must”): Christ’s suffering was no accident but part of God’s plan.

Greek: διελέξατο (dielexato, G1256) — “reasoned, talked through.” It is the root of our word ‘dialogue.’ Paul’s teaching involved back-and-forth discussion and answering questions, not just a speech.

See also: Luke 24:25-27; Isaiah 53:3-5.

Acts 17:4

Some Jews believed, but the largest response came from Greeks who already worshiped the God of Israel, along with several prominent women. The gospel quickly became a message for people of every background, joined together in one new fellowship.

See also: 1 Thessalonians 1:9.

Acts 17:5

Envy drove the opposition. Paul’s message was drawing away people they considered their own. They hired idle men from the marketplace, stirred up a mob, and went to Jason’s house looking for the missionaries. Jason was evidently their host.

BSA: jealous (“moved with envy, stirred up by resentment”): The attack began in wounded pride and resentment, not in a real search for truth.

Acts 17:6-7

Unable to find Paul, the mob dragged Jason before the city rulers and made a political charge. They twisted Christ’s kingship into treason against the emperor. Yet their complaint, that these men had turned the world upside down, unintentionally describes what the gospel does.

BSA: upside down (“into chaos, turmoil”): The enemies meant disorder, but the gospel overturns settled worldly loyalties.

Greek: ἀναστατώσαντες (anastatōsantes, G387) — “stirred up, unsettled, upset.” It pictures people being made to stand up and leave their settled places. The accusers feared the gospel would upset the established order, and they were right.

See also: John 18:36.

Acts 17:8-9

The crowd and officials were alarmed at the talk of a rival king. They made Jason and the others post a security payment, a guarantee of good behavior, and let them go. This may be part of why Paul could not quickly return.

See also: 1 Thessalonians 2:17-18.

Acts 17:10

The believers sent Paul and Silas out by night for their safety. They went about fifty miles to Berea, a quieter town. Even after being driven out, Paul went straight to the synagogue again and began with the Scriptures.

Acts 17:11-12

The Bereans are praised for two things: they welcomed the message eagerly, and they checked it against the Scriptures every day. They did not accept it blindly or reject it out of hand. Many believed, including Greek men and women of standing.

BSA: examined (“investigated, searched carefully”): They weighed the teaching with careful study, not a quick glance. eagerness (“all readiness of mind, willingness to learn”): Their openness was wholehearted, which is why their examination was fair.

Greek: εὐγενέστεροι (eugenesteroi, G2104) — “more noble, better-born.” The word usually described high birth. Luke uses it for a noble attitude of mind: open, fair and willing to test what they hear.

See also: 1 John 4:1.

Acts 17:13-15

Opponents from Thessalonica followed Paul to Berea and stirred up the crowds there too. The believers quickly sent Paul toward the coast and on to Athens. Silas and Timothy stayed to strengthen the new church, then were told to follow soon.

Acts 17:16

Waiting alone in Athens, Paul walked the city and was grieved at what he saw. Statues and shrines were everywhere. He did not feel superior or merely curious. His heart was stirred for people who were giving to idols the worship that belongs to God.

Greek: παρωξύνετο (parōxyneto, G3947) — “was provoked, stirred sharply.” Our word ‘paroxysm’ comes from it. It means a deep, sharp agitation of the spirit, like grief mixed with holy anger.

See also: Psalm 119:136.

Acts 17:17

Paul spoke wherever people gathered. In the synagogue he reasoned with Jews and God-fearing Gentiles, and in the open marketplace he spoke daily with whoever was there. Athens was a talking city, and he joined the conversation.

Acts 17:18

Two leading schools of thought engaged him. Epicureans sought a calm life and doubted the gods cared about humans. Stoics stressed reason and enduring whatever comes. Some sneered at him, others thought he was announcing new gods, because he spoke of Jesus and the resurrection.

BSA: babbler (“idle talker, seed picker”): The insult pictures a bird pecking up scraps, meaning someone who gathers bits of ideas and repeats them without understanding.

Greek: σπερμολόγος (spermologos, G4691) — “seed-picker, scrap collector.” It first described a bird pecking at seeds, then a person picking up scraps of learning and passing them off as his own. It was a put-down.

Acts 17:19-21

They brought Paul to the Areopagus, the hill and council where Athens judged matters of teaching and law. Their question was courteous but curious. Luke remarks that Athenians loved to hear the latest idea. Novelty was a hobby, which made serious hearing difficult.

Greek: Ἄρειον Πάγον (Areion Pagon, G697) — “the hill of Ares.” It names both a rocky hill and the council that met there. The Romans called the god Mars, which is why older Bibles say Mars’ Hill.

Acts 17:22

Paul begins with respect and common ground. He does not insult their devotion but notices it. They are clearly seeking something beyond themselves, and he will show them where that seeking leads.

BSA: religious (“devout, superstitious, having a strong regard for spiritual things”): The word can be mild praise or gentle criticism. Paul notes their devotion while hinting it has gone astray.

Greek: δεισιδαιμονεστέρους (deisidaimonesterous, G1174) — “very reverent toward spiritual powers.” It literally suggests fear of the divine. It could be taken as polite or as a mild rebuke, so Paul chose a word that opened a door without starting a fight.

Acts 17:23

Paul found an altar to an unknown god, a sign that the Athenians knew they did not fully know the divine. He uses their own admission as a starting point. The God they do not know is the one he can now make known.

See also: Romans 1:20.

Acts 17:24

He begins with creation. The God who made everything cannot be housed in a building, because he is Lord of heaven and earth. This answers the Athenians’ many temples and shrines. A Creator is not confined to what he has created.

See also: Acts 7:48-50; Isaiah 66:1-2.

Acts 17:25

God has no needs for humans to fill. Pagan worship often treated the gods as hungry and in need of gifts. Paul turns that around. Every person depends on God for life, breath and all else, and he gives freely.

BSA: needed (“lacked, required”): God lacks nothing. We come to receive from him, not to supply him.

See also: Psalm 50:9-12.

Acts 17:26

All nations come from one man, so every people shares one human family. God also governs history, setting the times and places where nations live. Nothing about humanity’s story is accidental, and no group is outside his care.

See also: Deuteronomy 32:8.

Acts 17:27

God’s purpose was that people would look for him and find him. Paul says ‘perhaps’ because people can grope without finding. Yet God is not far from anyone. The search is not hopeless, because the one sought is already near.

BSA: reach out (“feel after, grope for”): The picture is of someone feeling around in the dark for something that is actually close by.

Greek: ψηλαφήσειαν (psēlaphēsaien, G5584) — “feel about for, grope.” It describes a blind or dark-bound person reaching out with the hands. It suggests that people without light still touch toward God, even if they stumble.

See also: Jeremiah 23:23-24.

Acts 17:28

Paul quotes lines familiar to Greek thinkers to show a truth they already half-sensed: our life, movement and existence all rest on God. Being his offspring means we are made by him and for him. He is not using the poets as Scripture, only as a bridge.

BSA: offspring (“family, descendants, children of God”): It means we come from God by creation and are made to resemble him, which is why carved images cannot represent him.

Acts 17:29

If humans are God’s offspring, then lifeless metal or stone cannot capture him. A living Creator cannot be less than the living people he made. Paul exposes the foolishness of idols without needing to mock anyone.

See also: Isaiah 44:9-20.

Acts 17:30

In earlier times God did not bring the full weight of judgment on people’s ignorance. Now the gospel has come, and ignorance is no longer an excuse. God calls everyone everywhere to repent, which means to change their mind and turn to him.

BSA: overlooked (“winked at, disregarded”): God was patient and did not at once punish, but he did not approve either.

Greek: μετανοεῖν (metanoein, G3340) — “to change one’s mind and direction.” It means a real turn of the whole person, not only regret. It is the command that now goes out to ‘all people everywhere.’.

See also: Acts 14:16; 2 Peter 3:9.

Acts 17:31

God has fixed a day of judgment and has chosen the Man who will judge. Paul does not name Jesus here, but he points to the resurrection as God’s public proof that Jesus is that Judge. The same fact that calls for repentance also offers hope.

BSA: proof (“assurance, evidence”): The resurrection is God’s guarantee that Jesus is who he claimed and that judgment is certain.

Greek: πίστιν (pistin, G4102) — “assurance, guarantee.” This is the usual word for faith, but here it means something given to establish trust. God has put the resurrection forward as solid ground for believing.

See also: John 5:22; Romans 1:4.

Acts 17:32

The word ‘resurrection’ divided the crowd. Greeks generally welcomed the soul living on but thought a bodily rising was absurd. Some scoffed, others wanted to hear more. The same message still draws both ridicule and curiosity.

Greek: ἐχλεύαζον (echleuazon, G5512) — “mocked, jeered.” It describes open scorn and derision, not polite disagreement. Their reaction shows how strange a bodily resurrection sounded to Greek ears.

See also: 1 Corinthians 15:12-14.

Acts 17:33-34

Paul left without a large church, yet the word bore fruit. A member of the high council, Dionysius, and a woman named Damaris believed, along with others. God’s work is not measured only by crowds, since even in a skeptical city some turned to Christ.