Bible Commentary

Acts 17:31

The Pulpit Commentary on Acts 17:31

The Pulpit Commentary · Joseph S. Exell and contributors · Public domain

Inasmuch as for because, A.V. and T.R.; the man for that man, A.V. He hath appointed a day. Hitherto the Athenians seem to have listened with interest while St. Paul was, with consummate skill, leading them onwards from the doctrines of natural religion, and while he was laying down speculative truths.

But now they are brought to a stand. They might no longer go on asking, τι καινόν; A day fixed by God, they were told, was at hand, in which God would judge the world in righteousness, and in which they themselves would be judged also.

And the certainty of this was made apparent by the fact that he who was ordained to be Judge was raised from the dead, and so ready to commence the judgment. The time for immediate action was come; God's revelation had reached them.

The man ( ἀνδρί). So , ἰησοῦν τὸν ναζωραῖον ἄνδρα ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀποδεδειγμένον κ. τ. λ. And so in our Lord himself says of himself that the Father gave him authority to execute judgment "because he is the Son of man;" and in , "Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power."

(For the connection of the judgment with Christ's resurrection, see especially .) So too the Creeds.

Recommended reading

More for Acts 17:31

Continue with other commentaries and DiscipleDeck content connected to this verse, chapter, or topic.

Other commentaries

The Pulpit Commentary on Acts 17:1-34Acts 17:1-34 · The Pulpit CommentaryEXPOSITIONThe Pulpit Commentary on Acts 17:16-34Acts 17:16-34 · The Pulpit CommentaryThe cross of Christ in the metropolis of art and philosophy. There is a singular interest in this first encounter of the gospel with the art and philosophy of Athens, and it is instructive to note the attitude taken by…The Pulpit Commentary on Acts 17:16-34Acts 17:16-34 · The Pulpit CommentaryPaul at Athens. Consider— I. The connection of the whole with THE HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY. The Greek mind evangelized. The function of Greek thought in the development of doctrine. The contrast between the gospel and ph…The Pulpit Commentary on Acts 17:16-34Acts 17:16-34 · The Pulpit CommentaryPaul at Athens. Paul stands in Athens, amidst the master-pieces of Greek art and the memorials of Greek wisdom. It is not admiration or aesthetic delight which is awakened in him, but moral indignation. Christianity is…Matthew Henry on Acts 17:22-31Acts 17:22-31 · Matthew Henry Concise CommentaryHere we have a sermon to heathens, who worshipped false gods, and were without the true God in the world; and to them the scope of the discourse was different from what the apostle preached to the Jews. In the latter ca…Paul at AthensActs 17:22-31 · Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole BiblePAUL AT ATHENS. We have here St. Paul's sermon at Athens. Divers sermons we have had, which the apostles preached to the Jews, or such Gentiles as had an acquaintance with and veneration for the Old Testament, and were…
commentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Acts 17:1-34EXPOSITIONJoseph S. Exell and contributorscommentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Acts 17:16-34Paul at Athens. Paul stands in Athens, amidst the master-pieces of Greek art and the memorials of Greek wisdom. It is not admiration or aesthetic delight which is awakened in him, but moral indignation. Christianity is…Joseph S. Exell and contributorscommentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Acts 17:16-34Paul at Athens. Consider— I. The connection of the whole with THE HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY. The Greek mind evangelized. The function of Greek thought in the development of doctrine. The contrast between the gospel and ph…Joseph S. Exell and contributorscommentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Acts 17:16-34The cross of Christ in the metropolis of art and philosophy. There is a singular interest in this first encounter of the gospel with the art and philosophy of Athens, and it is instructive to note the attitude taken by…Joseph S. Exell and contributorscommentaryMatthew Henry on Acts 17:22-31Here we have a sermon to heathens, who worshipped false gods, and were without the true God in the world; and to them the scope of the discourse was different from what the apostle preached to the Jews. In the latter ca…Matthew HenrycommentaryPaul at AthensPAUL AT ATHENS. We have here St. Paul's sermon at Athens. Divers sermons we have had, which the apostles preached to the Jews, or such Gentiles as had an acquaintance with and veneration for the Old Testament, and were…Matthew HenrycommentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Acts 17:23-32The gospel's kindly encounter with novel foes. The opportunity now presented to Paul he must at once have recognized to be one of the grandest and most critical of his career. He was for a while separated from his two l…Joseph S. Exell and contributorscommentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Acts 17:31God revealed: his holy purpose. We ask not only—Who or what is he? what is his character and spirit? what is his present attitude towards us? we ask also—What is his purpose concerning us? That one infinite God, "in who…Joseph S. Exell and contributors