Acts 17:16

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

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
Now	δὲ de	G1161	but · conjunction
Paul	Παύλου Paulou	G3972	(little · noun — genitive singular masculine, a proper name
waited	ἐκδεχομένου ekdechomenou	G1551	to accept from some source · verb — present middle or passive deponent participle, genitive singular masculine
them	αὐτοὺς autous	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — accusative plural masculine
at	Ἐν En	G1722	"in · preposition
Athens	Ἀθήναις Athēnais	G116	Athenæ · noun — dative plural feminine, a place
his	αὐτοῦ autou	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — genitive singular masculine
spirit	πνεῦμα pneuma	G4151	a current of air · noun — nominative singular neuter
stirred	παρωξύνετο parōxuneto	G3947	to sharpen alongside · verb — imperfect passive indicative, 3rd person singular
in	ἐν en	G1722	"in · preposition
him	αὐτῷ autō	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — dative singular masculine
when	ὤν ṓn	G5607	being
saw	θεωροῦντος theōrountos	G2334	to be a spectator of · verb — present active participle, genitive singular masculine
city	πόλιν. polin	G4172	a town (properly · noun — accusative singular feminine
idolatry	κατείδωλον kateidōlon	G2712	utterly idolatrous · adjective — accusative singular feminine

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Psalms 119:158 I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they kept not thy word.
Exodus 32:19-20 And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast t…
Psalms 119:136 Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law.
2 Peter 2:7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:
Job 32:18-20 For I am full of matter, the spirit within me constraineth me.
Jeremiah 20:9 Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my…
Micah 3:8 But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israe…
Mark 3:5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Acts 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 tu…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Acts 17:16

PAUL AT ATHENS. (Acts 17:16-34) wholly given to idolatry--"covered with idols"; meaning the city, not the inhabitants. Petronius, a contemporary writer at Nero's court, says satirically that it was easier to find a god at Athens than a man. This "stirred the spirit" of the apostle. "The first impression which the masterpieces of man's taste for art left on the mind of St. Paul was a revolting one, since all this majesty and beauty had placed itself between man and his Creator, and bound him the faster to his gods, who were not God. Upon the first contact, therefore, which the Spirit of Christ came into with the sublimest creations of human art, the judgment of the Holy Ghost--through which…

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Adam Clarke on Acts 17:16

He saw the city wholly given to idolatry - Κατειδωλον, Full of idols, as the margin has it, and very properly. Whoever examines the remains of this city, as represented by Mr. Stuart in his Antiquities, already referred to, will be satisfied of the truth of St. Luke's remark: it was full of idols. Bishop Pearce produces a most apposite quotation from Pausanias, which confirms the observation: Ουκ ην αλλαχου τοσαυτα ιδειν ειδωλα. There was no place where so many idols were to be seen. Paus. in Attic. cap. xvii. 24. Petronius, who was contemporary with St. Paul, in his Satyr. cap. xvii., makes Quartilla say of Athens: Utique nostra regio tam Praesentibus Plena Est Numinibus, ut facilius possis…

The Church Fathers

"was stirred within him." Here he does not say anger, nor indignation; for anger and indignation are far from grace. What then is this, "was stirred within him"? Instead of "he was aroused," he does not bear it, but is softened, as elsewhere he says, "There was a frustration among them," and what follows. [CHRYSOSTOM]
— Oecumenius, Commentary on Acts

"And while Paul waited," etc. It is providentially ordered that against his will he stays there, while waiting for those others. "His spirit," it says, "within him was roused." It does not mean there anger or exasperation: just as elsewhere it says, "There was sharp contention between them." Then what does "was roused" mean? Was roused: for the gift is far removed from anger and exasperation. He could not bear it, but pined away.
— John Chrysostom, Homily on Acts 38

Observe how he meets with greater trials among the Jews than among the Gentiles. Thus in Athens he undergoes nothing of this kind; the thing goes as far as ridicule, and there an end: and yet he did make some converts: whereas among the Jews he underwent many perils; so much greater was their hostility against him. "His spirit," it says, "was roused within him when he saw the city all full of idols." Nowhere else were so many objects of worship to be seen.
— John Chrysostom, Homily on Acts 38

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Athens · A city of Greece — A city of Greece
Gentiles · UNCLASSIFIED SCIPTURES RELATING TO — UNCLASSIFIED SCIPTURES RELATING TO
Idolatry · Exemplified: Athenians — Exemplified: Athenians

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Acts 17:16

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Acts 17:16-21

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Acts 17:16

Adam Clarke on Acts 17:16

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Acts 17:16

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Acts 17:16-21

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Acts 17:16

Adam Clarke on Acts 17:16

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on Acts 17:16

John Calvin on Acts 17:16-21

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Acts 17:16-34