25 Neither G3761 is worshipped G2323 with G5259 men's G444 hands, G5495 as though he needed G4326 any thing, G5100 seeing he G846 giveth G1325 to all G3956 life, G2222 and G2532 breath, G4157 and G2596 all things; G3956
Can a man H1397 be profitable H5532 unto God, H410 as H3588 he that is wise H7919 may be profitable H5532 unto himself?
Charge G3853 them that are rich G4145 in G1722 this G3568 world, G165 that they be G5309 not G3361 highminded, G5309 nor G3366 trust G1679 in G1909 uncertain G83 riches, G4149 but G235 in G1722 the living G2198 God, G2316 who G3588 giveth G3930 us G2254 richly G4146 all things G3956 to G1519 enjoy; G619
For G1063 in G1722 him G846 we live, G2198 and G2532 move, G2795 and G2532 have our being; G2070 as G5613 certain G5100 also G2532 of your G5209 own G2596 poets G4163 have said, G2046 For G1063 we are G2070 also G2532 his G5120 offspring. G1085
The burden H4853 of the word H1697 of the LORD H3068 for Israel, H3478 saith H5002 the LORD, H3068 which stretcheth H5186 forth the heavens, H8064 and layeth the foundation H3245 of the earth, H776 and formeth H3335 the spirit H7307 of man H120 within H7130 him.
Thus saith H559 God H410 the LORD, H3068 he that created H1254 the heavens, H8064 and stretched them out; H5186 he that spread forth H7554 the earth, H776 and that which cometh out H6631 of it; he that giveth H5414 breath H5397 unto the people H5971 upon it, and spirit H7307 to them that walk H1980 therein:
I will not reprove H3198 thee for thy sacrifices H2077 or thy burnt offerings, H5930 to have been continually H8548 before me. I will take H3947 no bullock H6499 out of thy house, H1004 nor he goats H6260 out of thy folds. H4356 For every beast H2416 of the forest H3293 is mine, and the cattle H929 upon a thousand H505 hills. H2042 I know H3045 all the fowls H5775 of the mountains: H2022 and the wild beasts H2123 of the field H7704 are mine. H5978 If I were hungry, H7456 I would not tell H559 thee: for the world H8398 is mine, and the fulness H4393 thereof. Will I eat H398 the flesh H1320 of bulls, H47 or drink H8354 the blood H1818 of goats? H6260
All the while H5750 my breath H5397 is in me, and the spirit H7307 of God H433 is in my nostrils; H639
And the LORD H3068 God H430 formed H3335 man H120 of the dust H6083 of H4480 the ground, H127 and breathed H5301 into his nostrils H639 the breath H5397 of life; H2416 and man H120 became a living H2416 soul. H5315
That G3704 ye may be G1096 the children G5207 of your G5216 Father G3962 which G3588 is in G1722 heaven: G3772 for G3754 he maketh G393 his G846 sun G2246 to rise G393 on G1909 the evil G4190 and G2532 on the good, G18 and G2532 sendeth rain G1026 on G1909 the just G1342 and G2532 on the unjust. G94
I hate, H8130 I despise H3988 your feast days, H2282 and I will not smell H7306 in your solemn assemblies. H6116 Though ye offer H5927 me burnt offerings H5930 and your meat offerings, H4503 I will not accept H7521 them: neither will I regard H5027 the peace offerings H8002 of your fat beasts. H4806 Take thou away H5493 from me the noise H1995 of thy songs; H7892 for I will not hear H8085 the melody H2172 of thy viols. H5035
Therefore thus saith H559 the Lord H136 GOD; H3069 Behold, mine anger H639 and my fury H2534 shall be poured out H5413 upon this place, H4725 upon man, H120 and upon beast, H929 and upon the trees H6086 of the field, H7704 and upon the fruit H6529 of the ground; H127 and it shall burn, H1197 and shall not be quenched. H3518 Thus saith H559 the LORD H3068 of hosts, H6635 the God H430 of Israel; H3478 Put H5595 your burnt offerings H5930 unto your sacrifices, H2077 and eat H398 flesh. H1320 For I spake H1696 not unto your fathers, H1 nor commanded H6680 them in the day H3117 that I brought them out H3318 of the land H776 of Egypt, H4714 concerning H1697 burnt offerings H5930 or sacrifices: H2077 But this thing H1697 commanded H6680 I them, saying, H559 Obey H8085 my voice, H6963 and I will be your God, H430 and ye shall be my people: H5971 and walk H1980 ye in all the ways H1870 that I have commanded H6680 you, that it may be well H3190 unto you.
For I will not contend H7378 for ever, H5769 neither will I be always H5331 wroth: H7107 for the spirit H7307 should fail H5848 before H6440 me, and the souls H5397 which I have made. H6213
These wait H7663 all upon thee; that thou mayest give H5414 them their meat H400 in due season. H6256 That thou givest H5414 them they gather: H3950 thou openest H6605 thine hand, H3027 they are filled H7646 with good. H2896 Thou hidest H5641 thy face, H6440 they are troubled: H926 thou takest away H622 their breath, H7307 they die, H1478 and return H7725 to their dust. H6083 Thou sendest H7971 forth thy spirit, H7307 they are created: H1254 and thou renewest H2318 the face H6440 of the earth. H127
If he set H7760 his heart H3820 upon man, if he gather H622 unto himself his spirit H7307 and his breath; H5397
And they fell H5307 upon their faces, H6440 and said, H559 O God, H410 the God H430 of the spirits H7307 of all flesh, H1320 shall one H259 man H376 sin, H2398 and wilt thou be wroth H7107 with all the congregation? H5712
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Acts 17
Commentary on Acts 17 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 17
We have here a further account of the travels of Paul, and his services and sufferings for Christ. He was not like a candle upon a table, that gives light only to one room, but like the sun that goes its circuit to give light to many. He was called into Macedonia, a large kingdom, ch. 16:9. He began with Philippi, because it was the first city he came to; but he must not confine himself to this. We have him here,
Act 17:1-9
Paul's two epistles to the Thessalonians, the first two he wrote by inspiration, give such a shining character of that church, that we cannot but be glad here in the history to meet with an account of the first founding of the church there.
Act 17:10-15
In these verses we have,
Act 17:16-21
A scholar that has acquaintance, and is in love, with the learning of the ancients, would think he should be very happy if he were where Paul now was, at Athens, in the midst of the various sects of philosophers, and would have a great many curious questions to ask them, for the explication of the remains we have of the Athenian learning; but Paul, though bred a scholar, and an ingenious active man, does not make this any of his business at Athens. He has other work to mind: it is not the improving of himself in their philosophy that he aims at, he has learned to call it a vain thing, and is above it (Col. 2:8); his business is, in God's name, to correct their disorders in religion, and to turn them from the service of idols, and of Satan in them, to the service of the true and living God in Christ.
Act 17:22-31
We have here St. Paul's sermon at Athens. Divers sermons we have had, which the apostles preached to the Jews, or such Gentiles as had an acquaintance with and veneration for the Old Testament, and were worshippers of the true and living God; and all they had to do with them was to open and allege that Jesus is the Christ; but here we have a sermon to heathens, that worshipped false gods, and were without the true God in the world, and to them the scope of their discourse was quite different from what it was to the other. In the former case their business was to lead their hearers by prophecies and miracles to the knowledge of the Redeemer, and faith in him; in the latter it was to lead them by the common works of providence to the knowledge of the Creator, and the worship of him. One discourse of this kind we had before to the rude idolaters of Lystra that deified the apostles (ch. 14:15); this recorded here is to the more polite and refined idolaters at Athens, and an admirable discourse it is, and every way suited to his auditory and the design he had upon them.
Act 17:32-34
We have here a short account of the issue of Paul's preaching at Athens.