Acts 17:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.

NIV: While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.

NASB: Now while Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he observed that the city was full of idols.

CSB: While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply distressed when he saw that the city was full of idols.

NLT: While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city.

KJV: Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.

NKJV: Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.

For the first time in a long while, Paul is alone. He left Luke in Philippi and Silas and Timothy in Berea. He doesn't need an entourage to teach, however. He starts in the synagogue, branches out into the marketplace, and receives a cordial invitation to share in the Areopagus. First, he tours the city.

He is used to idols, monuments, and temples. Non-Jewish cities were filled with them. Most homes had a family idol that sat on a shelf, waiting a daily offering of grain in return for guarding the household. Each city had an array of civil gods that promised to bring fortune and safety if worshiped properly. And there were the national gods, not least the emperor, that had to be placated to ward off famine, plague, and infertility.

Still, Paul finds Athens' array of gods overwhelming. As a Roman citizen, he understands, but as a Jew, he's horrified. It was because of idolatry that God condemned the Jews to seventy years of exile in Babylon. Since then, Jews have made a slightly better attempt to follow God and the Mosaic law. Persia destroyed Babylon, and Greece destroyed Persia, but Greece never learned that God dictates their victories and downfall. Though controlled by Rome, Athens is still respected as the cradle of classical civilization. Rome allows it to be a free and allied city within the Empire, but it's 500 years past its prime. Rome has over a million residents, Paul's home base of Syrian Antioch has around 400,000, and Jerusalem 80,000, but Athens has only 30,000. Even the altar "To the unknown god" (Acts 17:23) could not save the great city.

When he arrived in Athens, Paul asked his escort to tell Timothy and Silas to come to him as quickly as possible. He will change his mind, sending Timothy to Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 3:1–6) while Silas either stays in Berea or goes on another errand. They won't join Paul until he is settled in Corinth (Acts 18:5; 1 Thessalonians 3:6). Until then, Paul has work to do. "Provoked" is from the Greek root word paroxuna from when we get the word paroxysm. It can mean to become angry or exasperated, but it can also mean to stimulate to action. The rampant idolatry in Athens convicts and moves Paul to share the story of the one God who can save.

Acts 17:16–21 records Paul's interactions with the Greek philosophers in Athens. First, he teaches in the synagogue that Jesus fulfills the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah. He takes a similar message to the Agora where the Stoics and Epicureans hear and invite him to the Areopagus. Paul uses their own poets to speak of their mutual Creator God. When Paul mentions the resurrection of the dead, however, they lose interest. They have no problem worshipping so many deities that it requires a monument to ''the unknown god,'' but the idea any god could raise the dead is unthinkable.

Acts 17 describes how Paul's ministry travels down the coast of Greece. In Thessalonica, some Jews and God-fearing Gentiles believe while other Jews start a riot (Acts 17:1–9). The Bereans study the veracity of Paul's statements—until the Thessalonian Jews arrive and threaten to start another riot (Acts 17:10–15). Paul flees to Athens where the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers accept Paul's argument when he uses Greek poets to introduce God as the creator of the world, but lose interest when he mentions the resurrection from the dead (Acts 17:16–34).

Acts 17 continues Paul and Silas' travels out of Macedonia and on to Greece. The two have been through modern-day Asia minor where they picked up Timothy in Lystra and Luke in Troas (Acts 16:1–10). They have established a strong church in Philippi but were forced to leave after being falsely imprisoned (Acts 16:11–40). They now skip down the coast to Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens. From here, they will spend a considerable amount of time in Corinth before heading back to Judea and Syrian Antioch (Acts 18:1–22).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.