Acts 17 27

Acts 17:27 kjv

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:

Acts 17:27 nkjv

so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;

Acts 17:27 niv

God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.

Acts 17:27 esv

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

Acts 17:27 nlt

"His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him ? though he is not far from any one of us.

Acts 17 verses

Acts 17 27 Meaning

Acts 17:27 explains that God ordained human existence and location with a specific purpose: that humanity might diligently seek Him. This seeking, while potentially a stumbling or unsure search, is made possible because God is inherently not distant but intimately near to every individual. It highlights God's initiative in making Himself discoverable and the human responsibility to respond to that inherent proximity.

Acts 17 27 Context

This verse is part of Paul's famous sermon on the Areopagus in Athens (Acts 17:22-31). He addresses an audience primarily composed of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers, along with other intellectually curious Athenians, who were steeped in polytheism and abstract philosophical ideas about God. Paul strategically starts by acknowledging their religious inclinations, referencing their "altar to the unknown god" to bridge his message. Leading up to verse 27, Paul establishes God as the sovereign Creator (v. 24), self-sufficient and independent of human needs (v. 25), and the ordainer of all nations, their times, and boundaries (v. 26). Verse 27, therefore, presents the purpose behind God's universal providence and establishment of humanity: that they might find Him. This entire discourse challenges their various worldviews, from the Epicurean view of a distant, uninvolved deity to the Stoic pantheistic understanding, presenting a personal, sovereign, yet knowable and accessible God.

Acts 17 27 Word analysis

• that they should seek (ζητεῖν τὸν Θεόν - zētein ton Theon):
  • ζητεῖν (zētein): The Greek verb "to seek," implying a conscious, intentional effort or investigation. It goes beyond mere curiosity; it suggests a sustained endeavor or pursuit. In this context, it highlights God's expectation for humanity to actively engage in discovering Him. This pursuit is not always straightforward due to human limitations and spiritual blindness but is nonetheless God's design.
  • τὸν Θεόν (ton Theon): "The God," referring specifically to the one true God, as Paul is implicitly contrasting Him with the multitude of Athenian deities and philosophical concepts of the divine.
• if perhaps (εἰ ἄρα γε - ei ara ge):
  • This phrase indicates a possibility or contingency, an outcome that is desired but not guaranteed. It conveys the nuance of God's desire for humanity to seek and find Him, while also acknowledging human free will and the potential for not finding Him due to a lack of earnest seeking or spiritual resistance. It can express hopeful uncertainty, not of God's willingness to be found, but of human receptiveness.
• they might grope for Him (ψηλαφήσειαν αὐτόν - psēlaphēseian auton):
  • ψηλαφήσειαν (psēlaphēseian): An aorist optative verb, meaning "to feel after, to touch, to handle." It strongly evokes the image of someone who is blind or in darkness, trying to find an object by touch, uncertainly reaching out. This word emphasizes the difficult, tentative, even stumbling nature of humanity's natural search for God without direct revelation. It highlights the limited, unassisted human capacity to discern God fully. It is a metaphorical searching in obscurity.
  • αὐτόν (auton): "Him," again referring to the singular, true God.
• and find Him (καὶ εὕροιεν - kai heuroien):
  • εὕροιεν (heuroien): The aorist optative for "to find, discover, obtain." It denotes a successful outcome to the search, an actual encounter or understanding. This implies that despite the "groping" difficulty, God is ultimately discoverable to those who sincerely seek.
• though He is not far (καίτοι γε οὐ μακρὰν - kaitoige ou makran):
  • καίτοι γε (kaitoige): "And yet, although, though indeed," a strong adversative conjunction emphasizing a contrast or concession. It means despite the potential difficulty of "groping," this condition exists.
  • οὐ μακρὰν (ou makran): "Not far," a double negative that powerfully affirms God's extreme closeness. This statement is a profound counter-argument to the perceived remoteness of the divine in many pagan and philosophical thought systems of the time. God is universally accessible and intimately involved in creation.
• from each one of us (ἀπὸ ἑνὸς ἑκάστου ἡμῶν - apo henos hekastou hēmōn):
  • ἀπὸ ἑνὸς ἑκάστου (apo henos hekastou): "From each one" or "from every single one." This stresses the personal and individual nature of God's proximity. It's not just a general divine presence, but a deeply personal accessibility for every human being, transcending all societal, national, or philosophical boundaries. It highlights God's direct concern for individuals.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• that they should seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him: This phrase outlines the divine purpose for humanity's existence – an active pursuit of God. The inclusion of "if perhaps" and "grope for" indicates that this search is not necessarily easy or assured of immediate success from a human perspective, but it is nonetheless expected and potentially rewarded. It highlights both divine expectation and human struggle in spiritual discernment without explicit revelation.
• though He is not far from each one of us: This powerfully balances the previous thought. Despite the human difficulty ("groping"), the reality is God's universal and intimate proximity. This divine closeness underpins the possibility of the search. It's an affirmation of God's omnipresence and immanence, directly contradicting any idea of a distant or uninvolved deity. This implies that failure to find God is not due to His inaccessibility, but rather a lack of sincere or persistent seeking from the human side.

Acts 17 27 Bonus section

The "groping" (ψηλαφήσειαν - psēlaphēseian) imagery chosen by Paul connects to themes in the Septuagint, such as when Moses stretched out his hand causing darkness in Egypt so that "they did not see each other, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings" (Ex 10:21-23 LXX), suggesting a period of intense, sightless search. It also has echoes of Job 5:14 ("They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope at noonday as in the night"). This demonstrates the deep struggle of discerning God's presence or truth in spiritual darkness or human limitation without His direct light. Paul’s use of this word is thus highly evocative, depicting human struggle, but ultimately balanced by God’s immanent presence. This verse also lays foundational groundwork for the concept of common grace and God's desire for all people to come to the knowledge of Him, setting the stage for evangelism across cultures.

Acts 17 27 Commentary

Acts 17:27 is a core statement of God's missional intent, particularly for those who have not received direct biblical revelation. Paul, in this crucial moment of Athenian apologetics, asserts that God, having created and ordered the world, did so with the purpose that humanity, by observing creation and experiencing their own inner spiritual longing, would be prompted to seek Him. The description of this seeking as "groping" powerfully portrays humanity's often uncertain and fumbling attempts to comprehend the divine through reason or experience, much like a blind person trying to locate an object by touch. This metaphor resonates with philosophical inquiry, often reaching for answers in the dark.

Crucially, Paul immediately reassures his audience that this quest is not futile because God is not remote. His declaration, "He is not far from each one of us," profoundly undercuts both Epicurean apathy (God as unconcerned) and Stoic impersonal pantheism (God as indistinguishable from creation). It speaks to God's intimate involvement and inherent accessibility to every individual. This accessibility is a basis for both general revelation and the subsequent call to repentance Paul issues. God has left sufficient fingerprints in the world and an inner witness in human hearts (Rom 1:19-20; 2:14-15) such that no one is entirely without knowledge of Him, enabling a rudimentary search, however imperfect, and affirming His availability to be found by those who earnestly seek.