He isn’t served by men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself gives to all life and breath, and all things. He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings, 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. ‘For in him we live, move, and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’
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Acts 17:25-28 sits inside this longer paragraph.
Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus, and said, “You men of Athens, I perceive that you are very religious in all things. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription: ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ What therefore you worship in ignorance, I announce to you. The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands. He isn’t served by men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself gives to all life and breath, and all things. He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings, 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. ‘For in him we live, move, and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’ Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold, or silver, or stone, engraved by art and design of man. The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked. But now he commands that all people everywhere should repent, because he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained; of which he has given assurance to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead.”
Parallel Translations
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He isn’t served by men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself gives to all life and breath, and all things.
He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings,
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.
‘For in him we live, move, and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’
-
nether is worshipped with mennes hondes as though he neded of eny thinge seinge he him selfe geveth lyfe and breeth to all men every where
and hath made of one bloud all nacions of men for to dwell on all the face of the erthe and hath assigned before how longe tyme and also the endes of their inhabitacion
that they shuld seke God yf they myght fele and fynde him though he be not farre from every one of vs.
For in him we lyve move and have oure beynge as certayne of youre awne Poetes sayde. For we are also his generacion.
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Neither is worshipped with mens handes, as though he needed any thing, seeing hee giueth to all life and breath and all things,
And hath made of one blood all mankinde, to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath assigned the seasons which were ordeined before, and the boundes of their habitation,
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.
For in him we liue, and mooue, and haue our being, as also certaine of your owne Poets haue sayd, for we are also his generation.
Cross-references (58)
- Job 12:10 (vv25, 28) in whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind?
- Colossians 1:17 (v28) He is before all things, and in him all things are held together.
- Hebrews 1:3 (v28) His Son is the radiance of his glory, the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, who, when he had…
- Psalms 36:9 (v28) For with you is the spring of life. In your light we will see light.
- Deuteronomy 32:7-8 (v26) Remember the days of old. Consider the years of many generations. Ask your father, and he will show you; your elders, and they will tell…
Show all 56 cross-references
- Luke 20:38 (v28) Now he is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all are alive to him.”
- Genesis 3:20 (v26) The man called his wife Eve because she would be the mother of all the living.
- Jeremiah 23:23-24 (v27) “Am I a God at hand,” says Yahweh, “and not a God afar off? Can anyone hide himself in secret places so that I can’t see him?” says Yahweh.…
- John 5:26 (v28) For as the Father has life in himself, even so he gave to the Son also to have life in himself.
- John 11:25 (v28) Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies.
- Deuteronomy 4:7 (v27) For what great nation is there that has a god so near to them as Yahweh our God is whenever we call on him?
- Psalms 66:9 (v28) who preserves our life among the living, and doesn’t allow our feet to be moved.
- Malachi 2:10 (v26) Don’t we all have one father? Hasn’t one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, profaning the covenant…
- Romans 5:12-19 (v26) Therefore as sin entered into the world through one man, and death through sin; so death passed to all men, because all sinned. For until…
- Hebrews 12:9 (v28) Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the…
- Acts 14:17 (vv25, 27) Yet he didn’t leave himself without witness, in that he did good and gave you rains from the sky and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts…
- Romans 1:20 (v27) For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even…
- 1 Corinthians 15:22 (v26) For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
- 1 Samuel 25:29 (v28) Though men may rise up to pursue you, and to seek your soul, yet the soul of my lord will be bound in the bundle of life with Yahweh your…
- Psalms 50:8-13 (v25) I don’t rebuke you for your sacrifices. Your burnt offerings are continually before me. I have no need for a bull from your stall, nor male…
- 1 Corinthians 15:47 (v26) The first man is of the earth, made of dust. The second man is the Lord from heaven.
- Job 12:23 (v26) He increases the nations, and he destroys them. He enlarges the nations, and he leads them captive.
- Job 14:5 (v26) Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his bounds that he can’t pass;
- Genesis 2:7 (v25) Yahweh God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
- Psalms 31:15 (v26) My times are in your hand. Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.
- Isaiah 42:5 (v25) God Yahweh, he who created the heavens and stretched them out, he who spread out the earth and that which comes out of it, he who gives…
- Daniel 5:23 (v28) but have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before you, and you and your lords,…
- Genesis 9:19 (v26) These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated.
- Job 33:4 (v25) The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
- Acts 17:28 (v25) ‘For in him we live, move, and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’
- Romans 11:35 (v25) “Or who has first given to him, and it will be repaid to him again?”
- Job 22:2 (v25) “Can a man be profitable to God? Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.
- Job 35:6-7 (v25) If you have sinned, what effect do you have against him? If your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him? If you are…
- Psalms 19:1-6 (v27) The heavens declare the glory of God. The expanse shows his handiwork. Day after day they pour out speech, and night after night they…
- Daniel 11:35 (v26) Some of those who are wise will fall, to refine them, and to purify, and to make them white, even to the time of the end; because it is yet…
- Acts 15:17 (v27) that the rest of men may seek after the Lord; all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who does all these things.’
- Romans 2:4 (v27) Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and patience, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
- Psalms 104:27-30 (v25) These all wait for you, that you may give them their food in due season. You give to them; they gather. You open your hand; they are…
- Job 27:3 (v25) (for the length of my life is still in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils);
- Psalms 16:2 (v25) My soul, you have said to Yahweh, “You are my Lord. Apart from you I have no good thing.”
- Daniel 11:27 (v26) As for both these kings, their hearts will be to do mischief, and they will speak lies at one table; but it won’t prosper, for the end will…
- 1 Timothy 6:17 (v25) Charge those who are rich in this present world that they not be arrogant, nor have their hope set on the uncertainty of riches, but on the…
- Hebrews 2:3 (v26) how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation—which at the first having been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed to us by those…
- Isaiah 14:31 (v26) Howl, gate! Cry, city! You are melted away, Philistia, all of you; for smoke comes out of the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks.
- Zechariah 12:1 (v25) A revelation, Yahweh’s word concerning Israel. Yahweh, who stretches out the heavens, and lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the…
- Numbers 27:16 (v25) “Let Yahweh, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation,
- Job 34:14 (v25) If he set his heart on himself, if he gathered to himself his spirit and his breath,
- Psalms 139:1-13 (v27) Yahweh, you have searched me, and you know me. You know my sitting down and my rising up. You perceive my thoughts from afar. You search…
- Isaiah 45:21 (v26) Declare and present it. Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has shown this from ancient time? Who has declared it of old? Haven’t I,…
- Isaiah 57:16 (v25) For I will not contend forever, neither will I always be angry; for the spirit would faint before me, and the souls whom I have made.
- Jeremiah 7:20-23 (v25) Therefore the Lord Yahweh says: “Behold, my anger and my wrath will be poured out on this place, on man, on animal, on the trees of the…
- Amos 5:21-23 (v25) I hate, I despise your feasts, and I can’t stand your solemn assemblies. Yes, though you offer me your burnt offerings and meal offerings,…
- Matthew 5:45 (v25) that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just…
- Matthew 9:13 (v25) But you go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
- Numbers 16:22 (v25) They fell on their faces, and said, “God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the…
- 1 Kings 8:27 (v27) But will God in very deed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens can’t contain you; how much less this house that I…
56 distinct cross-references across this passage (58 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (20 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv25–28 25. Neither is he worshipped with man’s hands. The…
25. Neither is he worshipped with man’s hands. The same question which was answered of late concerning the temple, may now be objected touching ceremonies. For it seemeth that that may be translated unto the worshippings of the law of Moses, which Paul condemneth in the ceremonies of the Gentiles. But we may readily answer, that the faithful did never properly place the worship of God in ceremonies; but they did only count them helps wherewith they might exercise themselves according to their infirmity. When they did slay beasts, offered bread and drink offerings, light torches and other lights, they knew that godliness was not placed in these things, but being holpen by these, they did always look unto the spiritual worship of God, and they made account of it alone. And God himself saith plainly in many places, that he doth not pass for any external or visible thing, that ceremonies are of themselves of no importance, and that he is worshipped no otherwise but by faith, a pure conscience, by prayer and thankfulness. What did the Gentiles then? to wit, when they erected images, they offered incense, they set forth plays, and laid their cushions before their idols, they thought they had fulfilled the offices of godliness excellent well. Not only the philosophers, but also the poets, do sometimes deride the folly of the common people, because they did disorderly place the worship of God in the pomp and gorgeousness of ceremonies. That I may omit infinite testimonies, that of Persius is well known:
“Tell me, ye priests to sacred rites, what profit gold doth bring? The same which Venus’ puppets fine, certes no other thing. Why give not we to gods that which the blear-eyed issue could of great Messiah never give from out their dish of gold? Right justly deem’d a conscience clear, and heavenly thoughts of mind, A breast with mildness such adorn’d, as virtue hath assign’d, Let me in temples offer these, Then sacrifice the gods shall please.”
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And, undoubtedly, the Lord caused profane men to utter such speeches, that they might take away all color of ignorance. But it doth plainly appear, that those who spake thus did straightway slide back again unto common madness; yea, that they did never thoroughly understand what this meant. For though those who pass the common people in wit be enforced to confess that bare ceremonies are in no estimation, yet it is impossible to pull from them this persuasion, but that they will think that they be a part of the divine worship. Therefore, the more diligently they give themselves to such vanities, they do not doubt but that they do the duties of godliness well. Therefore, because all mortal men, from the highest to the lowest, do think that God is pacified with external things, and they will, with their own works, fulfill their duty towards him, that doth Paul refute. There is also a reason added, because, seeing he is Lord of heaven and earth, he needeth nothing, because, seeing that he giveth bread and life to men, he can receive nothing of them again. For what can they bring of their own, who, being destitute of all good things, have nothing but of his free goodness, yea, who are nothing but by his mere grace, who shall forthwith be brought to nought, if he withdraw the Spirit whereby they live? Whereupon it followeth, that they are not only dull, but too proud, if they thrust in themselves to worship God with the works of their own hands.
For whereas he saith, that alms and the duties of love are sweet-smelling sacrifices, that must be distinguished from the matter which we have now in hand, where Paul doth only intreat of the ceremonies which the unbelievers put in place of the spiritual worship of God. By life and breath is mean the life which men live so long as the soul and body are joined together. Touching the end of the sentence, though some Greek books agree in this reading, [κατα παντα], “through all things;” yet that seemeth to me more agreeable which the old interpreter hath, [κατα παντα], “and all things,” because it is both plainer, and doth also contain a more perfect and full doctrine. For thence we do better gather that men have nothing of their own; and also certain Greek copies agree thereto.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv26–27 Of one stock and one beginning.
Of one stock and one beginning.
God is wonderful in all his works, but especially in the work of man: not that we should stand amazed at his works, but that we should lift up our eyes to the workman.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv25–28 25 Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though…
25 Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
Ver. 25. Neither is worshipped] Colitur vel delinitur, collogued with, or complimented. Colendi verbum απο του κολακευειν, dictum volant eo quod plerunque Dei hominumque cultus cum adulatione et hypocrisi est coniunctus. Sic a λατρευειν, Gallicum flatter. Some derive the word here used, θεραπευω, of the Hebrew Taraph or Teraphim, idols or images, Gen 31:30; Jdg 17:5. God is not so worshipped. (Stuchius de Sacrif. Gentil.; Avenarius; Ainsworth.)
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv25–28 As though he needed any thing; God is not…
As though he needed any thing; God is not worshipped or served by holy men, because he wants their service, or any thing that can be offered unto him by them; but because it is their duty and advantage to be employed in his service and worship, Psa 50:10,11.
Life, and breath; the breath of life, Gen 2:7. And in this respect God is called the God of the spirits of all flesh, Num 16:22; as the cause of life and breath in all creatures, but especially in man; which made that charge so great against Belshazzar, Dan 5:23, that his breath was in God’s hand, and yet he had not glorified him.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv25–28 Neither is worshipped with men's hands,.... Or "served" with…
Neither is worshipped with men's hands,.... Or "served" with them; or "ministered unto" by them, as the Syriac version renders it: and the sense is, that men by worshipping God do not give anything to him, that can be of any use or service to him; he, being God all sufficient, stands in need of nothing; for external worship is not here intended by worshipping with men's hands, in distinction from, and opposition to, internal worship, or to the worship of God with the heart; but that whether it be with the one or with the other, or both, nothing is given to God, as adding any thing to his essential glory and happiness:
as though he needed anything; for he does not, he is "El Shaddai", God all sufficient; nor can anything be given to him, he has not; or otherwise all perfection would not be in him: but that he cannot be indigent of anything, appears from hence,
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seeing he giveth to all life and breath; or "the breath of life", as the Ethiopic version renders it; this God breathed into man at first, and he became a living soul; and every animate creature, everyone that has life and breath, have them from God; he gives them to them, and continues them:
and all things; that are enjoyed by them, and are necessary for their subsistence, and for the comfort of life, and for both their use and profit, and for their delight and pleasure; wherefore he that gives them all things, cannot want anything himself, nor receive anything at their hands. This clause is left out in the Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv25–28 Neither is he served as though he needed any…
Neither is he served as though he needed any thing - or person - The Greek word equally takes in both. To all - That live and breathe;-in him we live; and breathe - In him we move. By breathing life is continued. I breathe this moment: the next is not in my power: and all things - For in him we are. So exactly do the parts of this discourse answer each other.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv25–28 Verse 25. Neither is worshiped with men's hands] This…
Verse 25. Neither is worshiped with men's hands] This is an indirect stroke against making of images, and offering of sacrifices: he is not worshipped with human hands, as if he needed any thing, or required to be represented under a particular form or attitude; nor has he required victims for his support; for it is impossible that he should need any thing who himself gives being, form, and life, to all creatures.
Giveth-life, and breath, and all things] These words are elegantly introduced by St. Paul: God gives life, because he is the fountain of it: he gives breath, the faculty of breathing or respiration, by which this life is preserved; and though breathing or respiration, be the act of the animal, yet the πνοην, the faculty of breathing, and extracting from the atmosphere what serves as a pabulum of life, is given by the influence of God, and the continued power thus to respire, and extract that pure oxygen gas which is so evident a support of animal life, is as much the continued gift of God as life itself is. But, as much more is necessary to keep the animal machine in a state of repair, God gives the ταπαντα, all the other things which are requisite for this great and important purpose, that the end for which life was given may be fully answered. St. Paul also teaches that Divine worship is not enacted and established for GOD, but for the use of his creatures: he needs nothing that man can give him; for man has nothing but what he has received from the hand of his Maker.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v27 Act 17:27-28. That they should seek, &c. — As…
Act 17:27-28. That they should seek, &c. — As if he had said, This most wise and free government of the nations of men, God carries on through all ages for this purpose, that they may be led to seek the Lord — That is, to seek the knowledge, fear, and love of him; to seek his favour, his Spirit, and communion with him: if haply — The way is open; God is ready to be found; but he will lay no force upon any man; they might feel after him — Feeling is the lowest and grossest of all our senses, and is therefore applied to that low kind of the knowledge of God which some of the heathen possessed, and which is first attained before higher discoveries of him are made. Though he be not — Και τοι γε, and truly indeed he is not, far from any one of us — Therefore, though he be not the object of men’s senses, we need not go far to seek or find him. He is very near us; yea, in us. It is only blind, perverse reason which thinks he is far off. For in him — Not in ourselves; we live, move, and have our being — This denotes his necessary, intimate, and most efficacious presence. The structure of our bodies, and the union of our souls to these exquisite pieces of material mechanism, together with the noble faculties of our minds, wherein we resemble God, and the admirable end for which this wonderful composition of soul and body is formed, afford to every man, not only an idea, but a proof of the Deity supporting and animating him: so that no words can better express, than these of the apostle do, the continual and necessary dependance of all created beings, in their existence and all their operations, on the first, the universal, and almighty Cause, which the truest philosophy, as well as divinity teaches. As certain also of your own poets have said — Aratus, whose words these are, and who also added another sentence, equally just and striking, namely, We are his offspring, especially in respect of intelligence, and other mental powers, similar to his, with which we are endowed. This poet, Aratus, was an Athenian, who lived almost three hundred years before this time. The words are also to be found, with the alteration of one letter only, in the hymn of Cleanthes to the Supreme Being, one of the purest and finest pieces of natural religion in the whole world of pagan antiquity.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv25–28 Neither is worshipped with men’s hands - The word…
Neither is worshipped with men’s hands - The word here rendered “worshipped” (θεραπέυεται therapeuetai) denotes to “serve”; to wait upon; and then to render religious service or homage. There is reference here, undoubtedly, to a notion prevalent among the pagan, that the gods were fed or nourished by the offerings made to them. The idea is prevalent among the Hindus that the sacrifices which are made, and which are offered in the temples, are consumed by the gods themselves. Perhaps, also, Paul had reference to the fact that so many persons were employed in their temples in serving them with their hands; that is, in preparing sacrifices and feasts in their honor. Paul affirms that the great Creator of all things cannot be thus dependent on his creatures for happiness, and consequently, that that mode of worship must be highly absurd. The same idea occurs in Psa 50:10-12;
For every beast of the forest is mine;
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And the cattle upon a thousand hills.
I know all the fowls of the mountain;
And the wild beasts of the field are mine.
If I were hungry, I would not tell thee;
For the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.
Seeing he giveth - Greek: he having given to all, etc.
Life - He is the source of life, and therefore he cannot be dependent on that life which he has himself imparted.
And breath - The power of breathing, by which life is sustained. He not only originally gave life, but he gives it at each moment; he gives the power of drawing each breath by which life is supported. It is possible that the phrase “life and breath may be the figure hendyades, by which one thing is expressed by two words. It is highly probable that Paul here had reference to Gen 2:7; “And the Lord God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.” The same idea occurs in Job 12:10;
In whose hand is the life (margin) of every living thing;
And the breath of all mankind.
And all things - All things necessary to sustain life. We may see here how dependent man is on God. There can be no more absolute dependence than that for every breath. How easy it would be for God to suspend our breathing! How incessant the care, how unceasing the providence, by which, whether we sleep or wake - whether we remember or forget him, he heaves our chest, fills our lungs, restores the vitality of our blood, and infuses vigor into our frame! Compare the notes on Rom 11:36.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv27–28 Feel after him. Si forte attrectent eum, Greek: ei…
Feel after him. Si forte attrectent eum, Greek: ei arage pselapheseian. It signifies palpare quasi in tenebris. (Witham)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv25–28 Neither is worshipped with--ministered unto, served by
Neither is worshipped with--ministered unto, served by
men's hands, as though he needed anything--No less familiar as this thought also is to us, even from the earliest times of the Old Testament (Job 35:6, Job 35:8; Psa 16:2-3; Psa 50:12-14; Isa 40:14-18), it would pour a flood of light upon any candid heathen mind that heard it.
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seeing he--He Himself.
giveth to all life, and breath, and all things--The Giver of all cannot surely be dependent for aught upon the receivers of all (Ch1 29:14). This is the culminating point of a pure Theism.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv25–28 25. As though he needed any thing—A fatal blow…
25. As though he needed any thing—A fatal blow at the whole system of pagan rituals, which assumed that its sacrifices and incense gratified the appetites and senses of the human-like deities.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv25–28 25. neither is worshipped with (served by) men’s hands]…
25. neither is worshipped with (served by) men’s hands] The verb implies the sort of service yielded by a steward to his master, or a minister to his King, a service in which the superior is not independent of his inferior, and could not well do without him. This is seen in the next clause. God is not like earthly masters and kings. He gives all, and men can only offer to Him themselves in return. Cp. Psalms 50, 51 for like teaching.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv25–28 (25) Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though…
(25) Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing.—Literally, as needing anything in addition. The previous words had struck at a false theory of temples, this strikes at a false theory of worship. Men have to think of God as the supreme Giver, not as requiring anything at their hands but justice, mercy, and truth. Both Jewish and heathen writers had borne their witness of the same truth: David had said, “Thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it” (Psa_51:16), and the Latin Epicurean poet had written of the Divine nature, that it was—
“Ipsa suis pollens opibus, nihil indiga nostri,
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Nec bene promeritis capitur, nec tangitur ira.”
[“Strong in itself, it needeth nought of ours,
Is neither won by gifts, nor moved by wrath.”]
Lucret. ii. 649-50.
The passage is found also in some editions in i. 61, 62.
Life and breath.—If we can draw a distinction between the two words, the first may be held to mean the higher element of man’s life, the latter that which he shares, by virtue of his organization, with other animals. Stoics and Epicureans would, probably, both of them, so far, accept a teaching which echoed much that was taught in their own schools.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv25–28 Is he served by for is worshipped with, A.V;…
Is he served by for is worshipped with, A.V; he himself for he, A.V. Served by men"s hands. Qerapeuetai, is "waited upon," as a man is waited upon by his servant, who ministers to his wants; qerapwn and qerapeuthv are "an attendant." So in Hebrew: db to serve God; dbe; a servant of God; hdwOb service as of the Levites in the temple, etc. Anything; or as some take it, as if he needed anybody"s help or service. The argument, as Chrysostom suggests, is similar to that in Ps
1.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv25–28 Neither is worshipped with mens hands.
Act_17:25
Neither is worshipped with mens hands.
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Contrast between God and idols
Idols certainly require the care of human hands. There are still shops in the cities of India and China, with this inscription on their sign boards, Here old gods are repaired and renovated. (Leonhard.)
As though He needed anything.
God has no needs
The idol was supposed to be a needy, dependent being, fed by the hands of man. God not so (Psa_50:1-23). Notice the main points of comparison.
I. Idols are dead; God lives of Himself and by Himself. He gives--
1. Life. What a gift is life! And what a giver the Author of life!
2. Breath.
3. All things necessary for the sustentation and continuance of both. It is not matter that lives, but God in matter. This living God is the Being with whom we have to do; there is a living eye on thee, a judge taking account now.
II. God is the builder of His own temple. The idol is made, then a temple is built, and the idol is put there and chained, that he might not be stolen. God too has a temple; but He is the architect of His own temple, erected it not for Himself but for us; worship is for the benefit of man. It is getting, not giving; receiving, not imparting. Worship may be regarded--
1. As the highest exercise of mans nature. Man can never be greater than when he stands before God; a creature can never perform a nobler office than when thus holding communion with God.
2. As the purest influence of mans nature. Sin is put down by this. We must look up, not down; the glance of the eye on the infinite is worth all the talking and troubling our minds about non-essentials in religion. But we must get the principles from the habit of looking up.
3. As the truest happiness. Have you ever felt happiness corresponding to the high demands of your nature? When your soul has been with God, how little did this world appear then!
III. God is the proprietor of His own sacrifice. All dead matter, silver and gold, our body, soul, intellect, affections, hopes, fears, are Gods. When we worship we are teaching ourselves a great truth, instructing ourselves in our own dependence on God.
IV. God is the father of His own worshippers.
1. Paul shows the nature of man. We are also His offspring. The tree, the elephant, birds, stars, etc., are not like God. They are far from Him, they are matter; He is mind. They are dead; He is living. But we are like God. We have power to think as He thinks, to love as He loves, to be felicitous as He is felicitous.
2. We have the destiny of this nature. Seek the Lord, if haply they might find Him. Seek Him, so as to feel Him touch the soul. Are you in search after God? Whatever pursuit fails, this will not. It is the only study worthy the soul of man. (Caleb Morris.)
God has no needs
I. This declaration sheds considerable light on God Himself, who is underived, unconditioned, everlasting, and the source of all other life throughout the universe. We have to do with a living God; therefore let us have no dead souls or dead services.
II. How may this truth apply to the scheme of redemption? God is all fulness of being, excellency, and blessing; yet He has condescended to propose reconciliation to men. The advantage here is altogether on the side of men. And what an advantage it is f It is the fulness, the power, of the rich God spreading Himself out through the entire nature of man; so that he feels he is invested with every attribute God possesses. When man is thus brought into union with the rich God, he receives two things which constitute his spiritual life.
1. A consciousness of his relationship to God. A living consciousness that we are His offspring, in whom we live and move and have our being. That feeling is worth the universe. Man is a child of God, whether he feels it or not; he has not lost his relationship to God. What has he lost by sin?
(1) The filial character. All likeness to Gods character.
(2) Sympathy to the Father. He does not love what God loves, nor hate what God hates.
(3) The knowledge of God to a great extent. Not altogether. He is far from God, as an isolated being. Man has not the slightest formal knowledge of Him as his Father.
(4) Every disposition to return to God.
2. But when the poor sinner comes to the rich God what takes place?
(1) There is a quickening sense of his relationship. He says, I am not worthy to be called Thy son. Then he says, Talk to me about my Father. The soul sympathises with God till it has impressed on it Gods character.
(2) There is a right in all the privileges involved in the relationship (Rom_8:17). Think how Christ is the heir of God; think of His position, offices, glory; then imagine yourselves to be in a state of approximation to Him; and then feel what it is to be enriched with the riches of God.
III. God has no needs. Then He is more than adequate to finish the work of redemption. If He has all power, He is able to work out mens salvation. Man has not a fixed purpose. God has a clear, definite conception of the Divine scheme of salvation. God is so in love with His purpose of saving man there is no fear of His giving it up. Men often fail in their purposes in consequence of impediments. God, who is the Creator of heaven and earth, has dominion over all things.
IV. God has no needs. Then He could have no motives in redemption but generosity. (Caleb Morris.)
Seeing that He giveth to all life.--
Gods bounty
He giveth--
I. Life, and none but He, the Living One. It is a rill from the Fountain of Life. Growth and other qualities belong to plants, such as circulation of sap and respiration by their leaves; but life characterises man--with its voluntary and involuntary functions, its enjoyments and capabilities, its appetites and instincts, its operations on the world without it, and its conscious possession of its powers within it. Pleasure, glory, and usefulness are bound up with its prolongation. So sweet is it that few choose to part with it, and the cessation of it was regarded by the apostles hearers as the direst of calamities. He who is our life confers and supports it in His ineffable goodness--for man liveth not by bread alone.
II. Breath, Which, as the condition and means of life, is, therefore, singled out. Even then the atmosphere was popularly valued as the first of necessary gifts, and, when scientifically examined, its preciousness is not only confirmed, but it becomes a powerful proof of Divine unceasing goodness. For the air we breathe is endowed with many qualities, the loss or disturbance of which must be fatal to life. If it lose its gravity, or if its elasticity be changed or become changeable; if it thicken, and darken, and cease to be an invisible medium; if it be deprived of its compressibility, or if any amount of cold could condense it; if the gases composing it were to vary in their proportions: or if it were not universally present, and what is vitiated by respiration purified and restored--animal existence would be extinguished on the face of the earth.
III. And His bounty is immense, for He giveth all things. Whatever we have He has given us--the food on our table, and the raiment on our persons, with ability to win them and health to enjoy them. Nor let any man boast of being the architect of his own fortune; for the materials out of which he builds it, the skill with which he constructs it, and the propitious season which enables him to rear it without pause or discomfiture--are each of them the gift of the one sovereign Benefactor. Discovery, invention, science, art, adventure, commercial shrewdness, literary power, mechanical skill, and political success; the sharp eye that is first to perceive the tide in the affairs of men; and the wary enterprise that launches the vessel upon it--are not self-originated. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of Lights. (Prof. Eadie.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
William B. Godbey 1900 · Public Domain On v26 26. “And of one [i. e., one man, Adam;…
26. “And of one [i. e., one man, Adam; “blood,” as in E. V., not in the original] he made every race of men to dwell upon the whole face of the earth.” Having first expounded to them the God of Providence, filling the world with His benefactions, he astounds them by certifying that He can not be represented by gold, silver or any artistic display, neither does He want a temple to dwell in, thus casting a dark shadow of depreciation over all the wonderful works of art which filled their city with idolatrous worship; proceeding on from an exposition of Providence, delineating the august majesty of the divine administration culminating in the final judgment, for which He proposes to prepare all nations by righteousness purchased for them by His Son, whom He has raised from the dead, thus giving inspiration and gracious possibility to the faith of all the people in the world preparatory to the momentous responsibilities of the final judgment, when all the world must stand before the tribunal of that “Unknown God” and give an account of all the deeds done in the body, whether good or evil. We need not wonder that these profound philosophers revolted at the very mention of the resurrection of the dead, as they had no revelation, and discarded all Jewish miracles as mere superstition. Of course, they were stunned and disgusted at the irreconcilably unphilosophical doctrine of the resurrection. Though Paul approached them so judiciously and favorably, he was forced, finally, to alienate them, thus making the worst failure of his ministry at the world’s literary and philosophical metropolis, illustrating the significant fact that unsanctified learning is always a citadel of Satanic power inimical to God, and sending many smart folks down to hell. The policy of popular churches in educating heathens before they convert them is wrong, as educated people are only the more difficult to save. The true policy is to go for nothing but salvation, until you get them saved, and educate them afterward. It is easier to convert a hundred illiterate, ignorant people than one highly-cultured infidel, as knowledge is a citadel of power, and with the unsaved always occupied by the devil. This accounts for Paul’s failure at Athens, not making converts enough to organize a church.
When I was there my guide showed me the superscription of Dionysius on the very wall of the Areopagus, stating that that was a part of the wall of a church edifice that bore his name, some inferring that this Dionysius, the Areopagite, went on and built up a church at Athens. It is more than likely that the church was organized and the edifice built in some after age and named for Dionysius, the Pauline convert, as there were no church edifices built in the Apostolic churches until A. D. 150.
William B. Godbey, Commentary on the New Testament (1896–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. W. McGarvey 1914 · Public Domain On vv25–28 See notes on verse 22
See notes on verse 22
J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On vv26, 28 "blood" is not in the best manuscripts. R.V. omits.
blood
"blood" is not in the best manuscripts. R.V. omits.
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv26, 28 General Information:
General Information:
Here the words "he" and "him" refer to the one true God, the creator.
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General Information:
The words "their" and "them" refer to every nation of people living on the surface of the earth.
General Information:
In using the word "us," Paul includes himself, his audience, and every nation. (See: Inclusive "We")
one man
This means Adam, the first person God created. This can be stated to include Eve. It was through Adam and Eve that God made all other people. AT: "one couple"
having determined their appointed seasons and the boundaries of their living areas
This can be stated as a new sentence. AT: "And he determined when and where they would live"
so that they should search for God and perhaps they may feel their way toward him and find him
Here "search for God" represents desiring to know him, and "feel their way toward him and find him" represents praying and having a relationship with him. AT: "so that they should want to know God and perhaps pray to him and become one of his people" (See: Metaphor)
Yet he is not far from each one of us
This can be stated in positive form. AT: "Yet he is very near to everyone of us" (See: Litotes)
translationWords
nation
appoint
seek
God
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.