Open Bible Data Home About News OET Key
OET OET-RV OET-LV ULT UST BSB BLB AICNT OEB WEBBE WMBB NET LSV FBV TCNT T4T LEB BBE Moff JPS Wymth ASV DRA YLT Drby RV Wbstr KJB-1769 KJB-1611 Bshps Gnva Cvdl TNT Wyc SR-GNT UHB BrLXX BrTr Related Topics Parallel Interlinear Reference Dictionary Search
parallelVerse INT GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOS JDG RUTH 1SA 2SA PSA AMOS HOS 1KI 2KI 1CH 2CH PRO ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL JOB YHN MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC GAL 1TH 2TH 1COR 2COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1TIM TIT 1PET 2PET 2TIM HEB YUD 1YHN 2YHN 3YHN REV
Acts Intro C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22 C23 C24 C25 C26 C27 C28
Acts 17 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18 V19 V20 V21 V22 V23 V24 V25 V26 V27 V28 V29 V30 V31 V32 V33
Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.
Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance=normal (All still tentative.)
OET (OET-RV) but some people joined with him and believed, including Dionysius who was a council member, a woman named Damaris, and others as well.
OET-LV But some men having_been_joined_together to_him, believed among whom both Dionusios the Areopagitaʸs, and a_woman by_the_name Damaris, and others with them.
SR-GNT Τινὲς δὲ ἄνδρες κολληθέντες αὐτῷ, ἐπίστευσαν ἐν οἷς καὶ Διονύσιος ὁ Ἀρεοπαγίτης, καὶ γυνὴ ὀνόματι Δάμαρις, καὶ ἕτεροι σὺν αὐτοῖς. ‡
(Tines de andres kollaʸthentes autōi, episteusan en hois kai Dionusios ho Areopagitaʸs, kai gunaʸ onomati Damaris, kai heteroi sun autois.)
Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, cyan:dative/indirect object.
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 But certain men, being joined to him, believed, among whom were even Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman, Damaris by name, and others with them.
UST However, some of the people went with Paul and believed the message about Jesus. Among those who believed in Jesus was a man named Dionysius who was a member of the council. Also, there were a woman named Damaris and some other people with them who believed.
BSB But some [fn] joined him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others who were with them.
17:34 Literally some men
BLB But some men, having joined themselves to him, believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
AICNT But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
OEB There were, however, some people who joined him, and became believers in Christ. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the Court of Areopagus, a woman named Damaris, and several others.
WEBBE But certain men joined with him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
WMBB (Same as above)
NET But some people joined him and believed. Among them were Dionysius, who was a member of the Areopagus, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
LSV and certain men having cleaved to him, believed, among whom [is] also Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman, by name Damaris, and others with them.
FBV A few men joined him and trusted in God, including Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, as well as a woman called Damaris, and some others.
TCNT but some of the people joined him and believed, among whom were Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
T4T However, some of the people there went along with Paul and became believers. Among those who believed in Jesus was a member of the council whose name was Dionysius. Also, an important woman whose name was Damaris and some other people who had heard Paul’s message also believed in Jesus.
LEB But some people[fn] joined him and[fn] believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named[fn] Damaris and others with them.
17:34 *Here the Greek term “men” is used as a generic for “people”; note the presence of of a woman (Damaris) in the group
17:34 *Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“joined”) has been translated as a finite verb
17:34 Literally “by name”
BBE But some men gave him their support: among whom was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
Moff No Moff ACTs book available
Wymth A few, however, attached themselves to him and believed, among them being Dionysius a member of the Council, a gentlewoman named Damaris, and some others.
¶
ASV But certain men clave unto him, and believed: among whom also was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
DRA But certain men adhering to him, did believe; among whom was also Dionysius, the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
YLT and certain men having cleaved to him, did believe, among whom [is] also Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman, by name Damaris, and others with them.
Drby But some men joining themselves to him believed; among whom also was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman by name Damaris, and others with them.
RV But certain men clave unto him, and believed: among whom also was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
Wbstr But certain men adhered to him, and believed: among whom was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
KJB-1769 Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
KJB-1611 Howbeit, certaine men claue vnto him, and beleeued: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
(Howbeit, certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.)
Bshps Howe be it, certaine men claue vnto hym, and beleued: among the whiche was Denys Areopagita, and a woman named Damaris, & other with them.
(How be it, certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Denys Areopagita, and a woman named Damaris, and other with them.)
Gnva Howbeit certaine men claue vnto Paul, and beleeued: among whome was also Denys Areopagita, and a woman named Damaris, and other with them.
(Howbeit certain men clave unto Paul, and believed: among whom was also Denys Areopagita, and a woman named Damaris, and other with them. )
Cvdl Howbeit certayne men claue vnto him, and beleued: amonge whom was Dionisius, one of the councell: and a woman named Damaris, and other with them.
(Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among whom was Dionisius, one of the council/counsel: and a woman named Damaris, and other with them.)
TNT Howbeit certayne men clave vnto Paul and beleved amonge the which was Dionysius a senatour and a woman named Damaris and other with them.
(Howbeit certain men clave unto Paul and believed among the which was Dionysius a senatour and a woman named Damaris and other with them. )
Wyc But summen drowen to hym, and bileueden. Among whiche Dynyse Aropagite was, and a womman, bi name Damaris, and othere men with hem.
(But summen drowen to him, and believed. Among which Dynyse Aropagite was, and a woman, by name Damaris, and other men with them.)
Luth Etliche Männer aber hingen ihm an und wurden gläubig, unter welchen war Dionysius, einer aus dem Rat, und ein Weib mit Namen Damaris und andere mit ihnen.
(Etliche men but hingen him at and became gläubig, under welchen what/which Dionysius, einer out_of to_him Rat, and a woman with name(s) Damaris and other with to_them.)
ClVg Quidam vero viri adhærentes ei, crediderunt: in quibus et Dionysius Areopagita, et mulier nomine Damaris, et alii cum eis.[fn]
(Quidam vero viri adhærentes ei, crediderunt: in to_whom and Dionysius Areopagita, and mulier nomine Damaris, and alii when/with eis. )
17.34 Dionysius. BED. Hic est Dionysius qui, postea episcopus Corinthiorum ordinatus, bene rexit Ecclesiam, ad cujus utilitatem etiam multa reliquit volumina, cognomen a loco cui præerat accipiens. Areopagus est Athenarum curia, nomen trahens a Marte, qui Græce Arios dicitur, pagus, villa.
17.34 Dionysius. BED. Hic it_is Dionysius qui, postea episcopus Corinthiorum ordinatus, bene rexit Ecclesiam, to cuyus utilitatem also multa reliquit volumina, cognomen from instead cui præerat accipiens. Areopagus it_is Athenarum curia, nomen trahens from Marte, who Græce Arios it_is_said, pagus, villa.
UGNT τινὲς δὲ ἄνδρες κολληθέντες αὐτῷ, ἐπίστευσαν ἐν οἷς καὶ Διονύσιος ὁ Ἀρεοπαγίτης, καὶ γυνὴ ὀνόματι Δάμαρις, καὶ ἕτεροι σὺν αὐτοῖς.
(tines de andres kollaʸthentes autōi, episteusan en hois kai Dionusios ho Areopagitaʸs, kai gunaʸ onomati Damaris, kai heteroi sun autois.)
SBL-GNT τινὲς δὲ ἄνδρες κολληθέντες αὐτῷ ἐπίστευσαν, ἐν οἷς καὶ Διονύσιος ὁ Ἀρεοπαγίτης καὶ γυνὴ ὀνόματι Δάμαρις καὶ ἕτεροι σὺν αὐτοῖς.
(tines de andres kollaʸthentes autōi episteusan, en hois kai Dionusios ho Areopagitaʸs kai gunaʸ onomati Damaris kai heteroi sun autois.)
TC-GNT Τινὲς δὲ ἄνδρες κολληθέντες αὐτῷ, ἐπίστευσαν· ἐν οἷς καὶ Διονύσιος ὁ Ἀρεοπαγίτης, καὶ γυνὴ ὀνόματι Δάμαρις, καὶ ἕτεροι σὺν αὐτοῖς.
(Tines de andres kollaʸthentes autōi, episteusan; en hois kai Dionusios ho Areopagitaʸs, kai gunaʸ onomati Damaris, kai heteroi sun autois. )
Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs (from our SR-GNT base).
17:34 some joined him and became believers: Paul’s sermon was not without positive response. Two prominent converts are mentioned: Dionysius and Damaris. Luke often placed a man and a woman in juxtaposition (e.g., 5:1-11; 17:4, 12; Luke 14:1-6; 15:3-10).
• Dionysius was a member of the council of the Areopagus, the highest governing body of Athens.
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
Note 1 topic: writing-endofstory
δὲ
but
Luke uses the word But to introduce information about what happened at the end of the story of what Paul did in Athens. Your language may have its own way of presenting such information.
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations
τινὲς & ἄνδρες
some & men
Although the term men is masculine, Paul is using the word in a generic sense that includes both men and women, as the mention of Damaris shows. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a term in your language that is clearly inclusive of both men and women. Alternate translation: “certain people”
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / events
κολληθέντες αὐτῷ, ἐπίστευσαν
/having_been/_joined_together ˱to˲_him believed
The people Luke describes here believed before they were joined to Paul, so it might be more natural to put the information about them believing first. Alternate translation: “believed and were joined to him”
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive
κολληθέντες αὐτῷ
/having_been/_joined_together ˱to˲_him
If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “joining him”
Note 5 topic: translate-names
Διονύσιος ὁ Ἀρεοπαγίτης
Dionysius the Areopagite
The word Dionysius is the name of a man. The word Areopagite is the name for someone who was a member of a council of rulers and judges that met on the Areopagus.
Note 6 topic: translate-names
Δάμαρις
Damaris
The word Damaris is the name of a woman.