Acts 17:24, Acts 17:27 NIV

The Pulpit Commentary - Acts 17:24

The God for God, A.V. (surely a change for the worse); he being Lord for seeing that he is Lord, A.V. Made with hands ( χειροποιήτοις ) ; see the same phrase in Mark 14:5 , Mark 14:8 ; Acts 7:48 ; Hebrews 9:11 . St. Paul applies it, too, to the circumcision made with the knife, as distinguished from that wrought by the Holy Spirit ( Ephesians 3:11 ). It is frequent in the LXX . It is a striking instance of St. Paul's unflinching boldness and fidelity to the truth,... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Acts 17:24

God that made the world - The main object of this discourse of Paul is to convince them of the folly of idolatry Acts 17:29, and thus to lead them to repentance. For this purpose he commences with a statement of the true doctrine respecting God as the Creator of all things. We may observe here:(1) That he speaks here of God as the Creator of the world, thus opposing indirectly their opinions that there were many gods.(2) He speaks of him as the Creator of the world, and thus opposes the opinion... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Acts 17:24-26

Acts 17:24-26. God that made the world Thus is demonstrated, even to reason, the one, true, good God; absolutely different from the creatures, from every part of the visible creation. Seeing he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands God hath no need of temples to dwell in, seeing he hath made the world, and is the Lord, or possessor, of the universe. Ye, therefore, greatly err in thinking, that by erecting magnificent temples and images, and by consecrating... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Acts 17:16-34

Paul in Athens (17:16-34)Athens was in the province of Achaia, the southern part of present-day Greece. It was the chief centre of learning in the Roman Empire, a place where philosophy, religion and politics were taught and discussed freely. When some local philosophers heard Paul preaching in the public places of the city, they invited him to give an account of his religion to the council of philosophers known as the Areopagus. This was an ancient council that exercised control over those who... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Acts 17:24

world . Greek. kosmos. App-129 . therein = in (Greek. en) it. seeing that He is = This One being essentially (Greek. huparcho. See note on Luke 9:48 ). heaven . No art. See note on Matthew 6:9 , Matthew 6:10 . earth . Greek. ge. App-129 .4. dwelleth . See note on Acts 2:5 . temples = shrines. Greek. naos. See note on Matthew 23:16 . made with hands . See note on Acts 7:48 . This is a direct quotation from Stephen's speech. read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Acts 17:24

The God that made the world and all things therein, he being Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands.In this Paul proclaimed the unity and creative power of the one eternal and true God, hailing him as the Creator of all things and the Lord of heaven and earth alike. There was absolutely nothing of this concept in the Greek philosophies.Dwelleth not in temples made with hands ... Paul who had learned from Stephen's dying words that God's true temple was not a physical... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Acts 17:24

24, 25. God that made the world and all . . . therein—The most profound philosophers of Greece were unable to conceive any real distinction between God and the universe. Thick darkness, therefore, behooved to rest on all their religious conceptions. To dissipate this, the apostle sets out with a sharp statement of the fact of creation as the central principle of all true religion—not less needed now, against the transcendental idealism of our day. seeing he is Lord—or Sovereign. of heaven and... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Acts 17:16-34

Ministry in Athens 17:16-34This section of Luke’s narrative contains three parts: the experiences of the missionaries that resulted in Paul preaching to the pagan Greeks there, the sermon itself, and the results of the sermon. read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Acts 17:22-31

Paul’s sermon to the Athenians 17:22-31Luke probably recorded Paul’s address (Acts 17:22-31) as a sample of his preaching to intellectual pagans (cf. Acts 13:16-41; Acts 14:15-18; Acts 20:18-35). [Note: See Dean W. Zweck, "The Areopagus Speech of Acts 17," Lutheran Theological Journal 21:3 (December 1987):11-22. See also Witherington, p. 518, for a rhetorical analysis of this speech.] In this speech Paul began with God as Creator and brought his hearers to God as Judge. read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Acts 17:24

The true God created all things. Since He is Lord of heaven and earth, human temples cannot contain Him. He is transcendent over all (cf. Acts 7:48-50). This harmonized with the Epicureans’ idea of God as above the world, but it corrected the Stoics’ pantheism. Some Greek philosophers, including Euripides, agreed that temples did not really house their pagan gods, but many Greeks thought they did. [Note: Bock, Acts, p. 565.] read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Acts 17:24

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Acts 17:24

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Acts 17:24-26

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Acts 17:16-34

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Acts 17:24

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Acts 17:24

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Acts 17:24

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Acts 17:16-34

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Acts 17:22-31

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Acts 17:24

Group of Brands