ACTs 17:27 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) He made them so that they would try to discover God, and if they did search for him they might find him as he’s not far from any one of us

Key: khaki:verbs, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT to seek God, if perhaps they might feel around for him and find him, yet indeed not being far from each one of us.

UST He wanted people to realize that they need him. Then maybe they would look for him and find him. People will find God if they sincerely look for him, because he is very close to each one of us.

BSB § God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.

BLB to seek God, if perhaps indeed they might palpate for Him, and might find Him. And indeed, He is not far from each one of us.

AICNT that they should seek {God},[fn] and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,

17:27, God: Some manuscripts read “the Lord.”

OEB That they might search for God, if by any means they might feel their way to him and find him. And yet he is not really far from any one of us;

WEBBE that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET so that they would search for God and perhaps grope around for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

LSV to seek the LORD, if perhaps they felt after Him and found, though, indeed, He is not far from each one of us,

FBV God's purpose was that they should seek him, hoping they would reach out for him and find him—though he isn't far from any one of us.

TCNT so that they might seek [fn]the Lord and perhaps feel their way toward him [fn]and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.

17:27 the Lord ¦ God CT

17:27 and ¦ or ECM^†

T4T He wanted people to realize that they need him. Then maybe they would seek him and find him. God wants us to seek him, although he is really close [LIT] to each one of us.

LEB to search for God, if perhaps indeed they might feel around for him and find him.[fn] And indeed he is not far away from each one of us,

17:27 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation

BBE So that they might make search for God, in order, if possible, to get knowledge of him and make discovery of him, though he is not far from every one of us:

Moff No Moff ACTs book available

Wymth that they might seek God, if perhaps they could grope for Him and find Him. Yes, though He is not far from any one of us.

ASV that they should seek God, if haply they might feel after him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us:

DRA That they should seek God, if happily they may feel after him or find him, although he be not far from every one of us:

YLT to seek the Lord, if perhaps they did feel after Him and find, — though, indeed, He is not far from each one of us,

Drby that they may seek [fn]God; if indeed they might feel after him and find him, although he is not far from each one of us:

17.27 Elohim

RV that they should seek God, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he is not far from each one of us:

Wbstr That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he is not far from every one of us:

KJB-1769 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
(That they should seek the Lord, if happily they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: )

KJB-1611 That they should seeke the Lord, if haply they might feele after him and finde him, though he be not farre from euery one of vs.
(That they should seek the Lord, if happily they might feele after him and find him, though he be not far from every one of us.)

Bshps That they shoulde seke the Lorde, yf perhappes they myght haue felt and founde hym, though he be not farre fro euery one of vs.
(That they should seek the Lord, if perhappes they might have felt and found him, though he be not far from every one of us.)

Gnva That they shoulde seeke the Lord, if so be they might haue groped after him, and founde him though doubtlesse he be not farre from euery one of vs.
(That they should seek the Lord, if so be they might have groped after him, and found him though doubtlesse he be not far from every one of us. )

Cvdl that they shulde seke the LORDE, yf they mighte fele and fynde him. And truly he is not farre from euery one of vs.
(that they should seek the LORD, if they might fele and find him. And truly he is not far from every one of us.)

TNT that they shuld seke God yf they myght fele and fynde him though he be not farre from every one of vs.
(that they should seek God if they might fele and find him though he be not far from every one of us. )

Wyc to seke God, if perauenture thei felen hym, ether fynden, thouy he be not fer fro eche of you.
(to seek God, if peradventure/perhaps they felen him, ether fynden, though he be not far from each of you.)

Luth daß sie den HErr’s suchen sollten, ob sie doch ihn fühlen und finden möchten. Und zwar er ist nicht ferne von einem jeglichen unter uns;
(daß they/she/them the LORD’s suchen sollten, ob they/she/them though/but him/it fühlen and finden möchten. And zwar he is not ferne from one jeglichen under uns;)

ClVg quærere Deum si forte attrectent eum, aut inveniant, quamvis non longe sit ab unoquoque nostrum.
(quærere God when/but_if forte attrectent him, aut inveniant, quamvis not/no longe let_it_be away unotoo nostrum. )

UGNT ζητεῖν τὸν Θεὸν, εἰ ἄρα γε ψηλαφήσειαν αὐτὸν καὶ εὕροιεν, καί γε οὐ μακρὰν ἀπὸ ἑνὸς ἑκάστου ἡμῶν ὑπάρχοντα.
(zaʸtein ton Theon, ei ara ge psaʸlafaʸseian auton kai heuroien, kai ge ou makran apo henos hekastou haʸmōn huparⱪonta.)

SBL-GNT ζητεῖν τὸν ⸀θεὸν εἰ ἄρα γε ψηλαφήσειαν αὐτὸν καὶ εὕροιεν, καί γε οὐ μακρὰν ἀπὸ ἑνὸς ἑκάστου ἡμῶν ὑπάρχοντα.
(zaʸtein ton ⸀theon ei ara ge psaʸlafaʸseian auton kai heuroien, kai ge ou makran apo henos hekastou haʸmōn huparⱪonta.)

TC-GNT ζητεῖν τὸν [fn]Κύριον, εἰ ἄρα γε ψηλαφήσειαν αὐτὸν [fn]καὶ εὕροιεν, [fn]καί γε οὐ μακρὰν ἀπὸ ἑνὸς ἑκάστου ἡμῶν ὑπάρχοντα.
(zaʸtein ton Kurion, ei ara ge psaʸlafaʸseian auton kai heuroien, kai ge ou makran apo henos hekastou haʸmōn huparⱪonta. )

17:27 κυριον ¦ θεον CT

17:27 και ¦ η ECM^†

17:27 και γε ¦ καιτοιγε TR

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

TTN Tyndale Theme Notes:

The Unknown God

When Paul spoke to the Areopagus, the “high council of the city” of Athens (Acts 17:19), he was speaking to people who did not share his faith in the God of Abraham and Moses who had revealed himself “many times and in many ways to [his] ancestors through the prophets” (Heb 1:1). The members of his audience had a very different definition of the divine. A host of divinities inhabited their world, and the common people retained much of their belief in the ancient gods. But many of the cultural elite of Athens no longer believed in the gods in any literal sense. Instead, they held to either a form of materialism (the physical is everything) or pantheism (the divine inhabits everything).

What they all shared in common was the absence of the idea that there is one true God who is Lord of all. Their myths told of the activities of various gods, but they did not have faith that the ultimate reality, God himself, could be known. Instead, they reasoned and discussed “the latest ideas,” hoping for a better understanding of the nature of things.

There were a wide variety of philosophical ideas current in Athens when Paul visited, but two main schools of thought dominated, Stoicism and Epicureanism (Acts 17:18).

Zeno of Citium (334~262 BC) founded Stoicism. Stoics studied nature’s laws and believed in the Logos, a pervasive organizing and sustaining force that gives all things their essential nature and so gives life and reason to humanity. The good life is one in which reason rules, and peace of mind and harmony with nature prevail. Many prominent statesmen were Stoics or influenced by Stoicism, including Cicero, Seneca, and Marcus Aurelius. Stoic ideas proved attractive to some Christians because of the similarities between the Stoic logos and the divine Logos (John 1:1-18), and between the idea of natural law and the law of God.

Those who followed Epicurus (341–270 BC) were empiricists; they relied upon sense experience (as opposed to reason) for knowledge. Epicureans were concerned with natural evidence and were unenthusiastic about mathematics. Their focus was ethics, the study of right behavior; they judged the value of an action or thing in terms of the pleasure or pain it brought. Epicurus saw belief in gods (meddling and powerful beings who terrified ordinary mortals) as a serious threat to tranquility. For him and his followers, neither the gods nor death (which is the end) should be feared.

When Paul spoke in that context, he used their own poets to proclaim things that they could barely comprehend: That the God who made everything is both personal and knowable; that he revealed himself clearly, historically, and definitively in Jesus Christ; that death is not followed by either the cessation of existence or the migration of the soul, but by judgment; and that the proof of all of this is the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

What was foolishness to most of the Greeks of Athens turns out to be the ultimate truth: God is knowable, and can be known through Jesus Christ.

Passages for Further Study

Ps 50:7-15; Isa 42:5-7; Acts 17:16-32; Rom 1:18-32; Col 1:15-23; 2:6-12; 1 Thes 1:9-10; Heb 1:1-4

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ζητεῖν τὸν Θεὸν

/to_be/_seeking ¬the God

Paul means implicitly that God did the things he described in the previous verse, giving the nations of humanity particular times to live in particular places, so that they would seek him. You can include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “God did this so that people would seek him”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ψηλαφήσειαν αὐτὸν καὶ εὕροιεν

˱they˲_/might/_grope ˱for˲_him and /might/_find_‹him›

Paul is speaking as if people could feel around for God and find him that way. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “they might sincerely try to know God and come to know him”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / litotes

οὐ μακρὰν ἀπὸ

not far from

Paul is using a figure of speech that expresses a positive meaning by using a negative word together with a word that is the opposite of the intended meaning. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “close to”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / exclusive

ἡμῶν

˱of˲_us

Paul is using the pronoun us to refer to himself and his listeners, so use the inclusive form of that word if your language marks that distinction.

Parallel ACTs 17:27