Acts 17 18

Acts 17:18 kjv

Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.

Acts 17:18 nkjv

Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, "What does this babbler want to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods," because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.

Acts 17:18 niv

A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.

Acts 17:18 esv

Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, "What does this babbler wish to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities" ? because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.

Acts 17:18 nlt

He also had a debate with some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. When he told them about Jesus and his resurrection, they said, "What's this babbler trying to say with these strange ideas he's picked up?" Others said, "He seems to be preaching about some foreign gods."

Acts 17 verses

Acts 17 18 Meaning

Paul's initial encounter with influential Athenian philosophers – Epicureans and Stoics – in the marketplace leads to two distinct reactions to his message about Jesus and the resurrection: dismissive contempt ("babbler") and a misunderstanding, accusing him of introducing new, foreign deities. This verse highlights the intellectual and spiritual clash between the radical nature of the Gospel and the dominant pagan philosophies of the time.

Acts 17 18 Context

Paul arrived in Athens after leaving Berea, troubled by the city's pervasive idolatry. He dialogued daily in the synagogue with Jews and God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace with anyone who would listen. This verse describes the moment he drew the attention of the city's leading intellectuals: the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. It sets the scene for his subsequent address at the Areopagus, where he artfully challenges their worldviews, presenting the true God who is not far from anyone, and culminates in the call to repentance based on the resurrection of Jesus.

Acts 17 18 Word analysis

• Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him.
  • Epicurean (Epikoureioi): Followers of Epicurus (c. 341-270 BC). They were materialists who believed gods were detached and indifferent to human affairs, thus there was no divine providence or judgment. Their highest good, ataraxia, was the absence of pain and mental disturbance, particularly the fear of death. The concept of a personal God and a bodily resurrection directly contradicted their atomistic, pleasure-seeking, and mortal-soul worldview.
  • Stoic (Stōikoi): Followers of Zeno of Citium (c. 333-262 BC). They were pantheistic, believing in an impersonal divine rational principle (logos) pervading the universe. They emphasized virtue, duty, reason, and living in harmony with cosmic law, often fatalistically. For Stoics, death meant reabsorption into the cosmic logos, not individual eternal life; thus, a personal, bodily resurrection was nonsensical.
  • philosophers (philosophōi): Literally "lovers of wisdom." In Athens, this term represented the intellectual elite, dedicated to pursuing knowledge and truth through reason and argument.
  • encountered him (synenechon): Literally "fell in with him" or "joined issue with him." This implies an active engagement or a more formal confrontation, suggesting Paul's consistent market teaching had already garnered their notice or irritation, prompting them to approach him directly.
• And some said, 'What does this babbler wish to say?'
  • babbler (spermologos, σπερμολόγος): A deeply contemptuous and insulting term. Literally means "seed-picker," like a scavenging bird pecking up scattered seeds, or a vagrant picking up scraps. Figuratively, it denotes someone who gathers isolated, unrelated bits of information or disjointed ideas and then presents them as profound truths, without real understanding, coherence, or originality. It indicates utter scorn for Paul as uneducated, unintelligent, and rambling nonsense.
  • wish to say (bouletai legein): This phrasing suggests a dismissive curiosity, as if asking, "What meaningless babble does this person intend to spout next?" rather than genuine intellectual inquiry.
• Others said, 'He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,'
  • proclaimer (katangeleus): From kataggellō, "to proclaim" or "announce." While the word itself is neutral, in this context it carries a suspicious overtone, indicating they viewed Paul's message as illicit or dangerous.
  • foreign gods (xenōn daimoniōn, ξένων δαιμονίων): "Strange or alien divinities/spirits." Athenian law, recalling the trial of Socrates, prohibited introducing new gods not sanctioned by the state. The philosophers mistakenly interpreted "Jesus" (Iēsous) and "resurrection" (anastasis, anastasis) as two distinct, new deities being introduced, rather than a person (Jesus) and a core Christian doctrine (His resurrection). Their polytheistic framework led to this fundamental misunderstanding; they reified the abstract concept of "resurrection" into a goddess, "Anastasis."
• because he preached Jesus and the resurrection.
  • preached (euēggelizeto): This term highlights Luke's perspective on Paul's mission. Paul was not simply debating philosophical ideas but proclaiming "good news" (euangelion) – the salvific message of the Gospel.
  • Jesus: The crucified and risen Messiah, the central figure of Christian faith and Paul's message.
  • the resurrection (kai tēn anastasin): This specific phrase was the theological and philosophical stumbling block. Unlike the Greek philosophical concepts of the soul's immortality or various afterlives, Paul was preaching a bodily resurrection of a specific individual, Jesus, from death, and the implication of a future bodily resurrection for all, leading to divine judgment. This concept was considered absurd, physically impossible, and socially contemptible to most Greek philosophers (Acts 17:32).

Acts 17 18 Bonus section

The philosophical and religious climate of Athens, famously characterized by its intellectual curiosity for anything new (Acts 17:21), paradoxically provided Paul a platform even as it bred contempt. Despite the immediate disdain, Paul leveraged this encounter as a strategic opportunity, leading to his renowned sermon on the Areopagus. His engagement with the Epicureans and Stoics demonstrates the apostolic principle of confronting dominant worldviews directly, without abandoning the core, scandalous truths of the Gospel, particularly the resurrection, which ultimately proved the pivotal point of division (Acts 17:32). This account serves as a timeless example for presenting Christ to an intellectually proud and spiritually lost society.

Acts 17 18 Commentary

Acts 17:18 powerfully depicts the direct collision of the Gospel with the intellectual bastions of the ancient world. The Epicureans, who believed in indifferent gods and no afterlife, and the Stoics, who believed in an impersonal divine reason and reabsorption into the cosmos, represented worldviews diametrically opposed to Paul's message. Their dual reactions – contempt ("babbler") and fundamental misunderstanding ("foreign gods") – highlight the radical nature of a faith that proclaimed a personal Creator God, a divine Incarnation, an atoning death, and especially a bodily resurrection. The notion of a God who intervenes in human history and raises someone physically from the dead was an affront to their logical constructs and spiritual sensibilities. Yet, Paul neither diluted his message nor recoiled from this sophisticated opposition, affirming the unique, challenging, and counter-cultural truth of Jesus and His victory over death. This encounter demonstrates the enduring reality that human wisdom, when divorced from divine revelation, struggles to grasp spiritual truths.