Acts 17:22–17:34, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
Acts 17:22–17:34
Paul proclaims the Creator and calls Athens to repent
An unknown-god altar becomes a Creator argument that ends in resurrection
Paul begins from Athenian religiosity and an altar dedicated to an unknown god. He proclaims the God who made the world, does not live in handmade temples, needs nothing from human hands, and gives life and breath to all. From one ancestor God made every nation, assigning times and boundaries so that people might seek him, though he is not far from each one. Paul takes up Greek poetic lines, including "we are also his offspring," inside that biblical Creator claim, then argues that the divine is not gold, silver, or stone shaped by art.
Ignorance has been overlooked; now God commands all people everywhere to repent, because a day of judgment is appointed through a man God has raised from the dead. Some mock. Some delay. Some believe, including Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris. The altar's exact dedication and the Areopagus setting are debated. Cultural contact here is neither simple baptism of Athens nor contempt for it.
How this should shape us
Build a truthful bridge from a hearer's actual questions to the Creator, then state disagreement, repentance, and resurrection without flattery, mockery, or coercion. Mixed response is an honest ending, not a failure to close a sale.
Teach it back
Explain Acts 17:22–17:34 in your own words, naming its movement, speaker or narrator role, one source-controlled detail, one uncertainty, one affected person, and one conclusion the passage does not authorize.
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Go deeper
The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.
Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties
Where do responsible interpreters differ?
Best judgment: Paul adapts Greek poetic lines within a biblical Creator argument; the altar's exact dedication and the Areopagus setting are debated, and cultural contact is neither simple approval nor rejection.
How certain? probableResearch trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and unit coverage.
Acts 17:22–17:34, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Supports: Greek wording and punctuation control, without pretending one edition is a complete apparatus.
SBLGNT official text, Acts 17:22-17:34
Supports: Morphology and lexical cross-check for words explicitly discussed in this unit.
STEP Bible Data, TAGNT rows for Acts 17:22-17:34
Supports: Verse-attached textual, translation, language, geography, chronology, and historical notes actually printed for the unit.
NET Bible First Edition Acts PDF, printed pp. 2104-2205, exact tn/tc/sn entries attached to 17:22–17:34
Supports: Introductory critical orientation to the unit's place in Luke-Acts, with contested judgments retained as interpretations.
Yale Bible Study Acts course, course unit 'Apologetic Ministry,' Acts 16-17 study guide
Supports: One complete confessional commentary reading, independently checked against the text and critical controls.
Thompson, online Acts commentary, heading and paragraphs explicitly covering Acts 17:22–17:34
Sources for This Section
These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and unit coverage.
Exact location: Acts 17:22–17:34, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording and punctuation control, without pretending one edition is a complete apparatus.
Exact location: SBLGNT official text, Acts 17:22-17:34
Open the Acts Greek text file ↗Lexical and grammatical evidence
STEP Bible Data
Tyndale House Cambridge
Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026
Supports: Morphology and lexical cross-check for words explicitly discussed in this unit.
Exact location: STEP Bible Data, TAGNT rows for Acts 17:22-17:34
Open source ↗open translation and translator notes
NET Bible First Edition Notes: Acts
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Verse-attached textual, translation, language, geography, chronology, and historical notes actually printed for the unit.
Exact location: NET Bible First Edition Acts PDF, printed pp. 2104-2205, exact tn/tc/sn entries attached to 17:22–17:34
Open source ↗open university bible study course
Acts of the Apostles Course and Study Guides
Yale Divinity School faculty
Yale Bible Study, 2019
Supports: Introductory critical orientation to the unit's place in Luke-Acts, with contested judgments retained as interpretations.
Exact location: Yale Bible Study Acts course, course unit 'Apologetic Ministry,' Acts 16-17 study guide
Open source ↗open confessional commentary
The Acts of the Apostles
Alan J. Thompson
The Gospel Coalition, 2023
Supports: One complete confessional commentary reading, independently checked against the text and critical controls.
Exact location: Thompson, online Acts commentary, heading and paragraphs explicitly covering Acts 17:22–17:34
Open source ↗