19 And G5037 they took G1949 him, G846 and brought him G71 unto G1909 Areopagus, G697 saying, G3004 May G1410 we know G1097 what G5101 this G3778 new G2537 doctrine, G1322 whereof G5259 thou G4675 speakest, G2980 is?
And G2532 they were G2284 all G3956 amazed, G2284 insomuch that G5620 they questioned G4802 among G4314 themselves, G846 saying, G3004 What thing G5101 is G2076 this? G3778 what G5101 new G2537 doctrine G1322 is this? G5124 for G3754 with G2596 authority G1849 commandeth G2004 he even G2532 the unclean G169 spirits, G4151 and G2532 they do obey G5219 him. G846
A new G2537 commandment G1785 I give G1325 unto you, G5213 That G2443 ye love G25 one another; G240 as G2531 I have loved G25 you, G5209 that G2443 ye G5210 also G2532 love G25 one another. G240
For G1063 thou bringest G1533 certain G5100 strange things G3579 to G1519 our G2257 ears: G189 we would G1014 know G1097 therefore G3767 what G5101 these things G5023 mean. G302 G2309 G1511
Then G1161 Agrippa G67 said G5346 unto G4314 Festus, G5347 I would G1014 also G2532 hear G191 the man G444 myself. G846 To morrow, G839 G1161 said G5346 he, thou shalt hear G191 him. G846
Then G1161 Agrippa G67 said G5346 unto G4314 Paul, G3972 Thou G4671 art permitted G2010 to speak G3004 for G5228 thyself. G4572 Then G5119 Paul G3972 stretched forth G1614 the hand, G5495 and answered for himself: G626
Brethren, G80 I write G1125 no G3756 new G2537 commandment G1785 unto you, G5213 but G235 an old G3820 commandment G1785 which G3739 ye had G2192 from G575 the beginning. G746 The old G3820 commandment G1785 is G2076 the word G3056 which G3739 ye have heard G191 from G575 the beginning. G746 Again, G3825 a new G2537 commandment G1785 I write G1125 unto you, G5213 which thing G3739 is G2076 true G227 in G1722 him G846 and G2532 in G1722 you: G5213 because G3754 the darkness G4653 is past, G3855 and G2532 the true G228 light G5457 now G2235 shineth. G5316
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.