Acts 17:21
(For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)
Original Language Analysis
καὶ
and
G2532
καὶ
and
Strong's:
G2532
Word #:
4 of 17
and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words
οἱ
which
G3588
οἱ
which
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
5 of 17
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
ἐπιδημοῦντες
were there
G1927
ἐπιδημοῦντες
were there
Strong's:
G1927
Word #:
6 of 17
to make oneself at home, i.e., (by extension) to reside (in a foreign country)
ξένοι
strangers
G3581
ξένοι
strangers
Strong's:
G3581
Word #:
7 of 17
foreign (literally, alien, or figuratively, novel); by implication, a guest or (vice-versa) entertainer
εἰς
in
G1519
εἰς
in
Strong's:
G1519
Word #:
8 of 17
to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etc.); also in adverbial phrases
οὐδὲν
nothing
G3762
οὐδὲν
nothing
Strong's:
G3762
Word #:
9 of 17
not even one (man, woman or thing), i.e., none, nobody, nothing
εὐκαίρουν,
spent their time
G2119
εὐκαίρουν,
spent their time
Strong's:
G2119
Word #:
11 of 17
to have good time, i.e., opportunity or leisure
λέγειν
to tell
G3004
λέγειν
to tell
Strong's:
G3004
Word #:
13 of 17
properly, to "lay" forth, i.e., (figuratively) relate (in words (usually of systematic or set discourse; whereas g2036 and g5346 generally refer to an
Historical Context
Athens in Paul's day (c. AD 50) had declined from its classical glory but remained the intellectual capital of the Roman world. As a free city with numerous philosophical schools (Stoic, Epicurean, Academic, Peripatetic), Athens attracted scholars and tourists. The Athenian addiction to novelty was noted by ancient writers including Demosthenes and Thucydides, making Luke's observation historically accurate.
Questions for Reflection
- How does modern culture's obsession with 'the latest thing' mirror first-century Athens' addiction to novelty?
- What is the difference between genuine intellectual curiosity that seeks truth versus the Athenian pursuit of novelty for its own sake?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else—Luke provides this parenthetical cultural observation to explain the Athenian response. The Greek phrase εὐκαιροῦντες εἰς οὐδὲν ἕτερον (eukairountes eis ouden heteron) literally means 'had leisure for nothing else,' highlighting how the Athenians devoted their abundant free time exclusively to intellectual novelty.
But either to tell, or to hear some new thing (καινότερόν τι, kainoteron ti)—the comparative form 'newer' (rather than simply 'new') captures Athens' insatiable appetite for the latest philosophical speculation. This cultural obsession perfectly positioned Paul's message about the resurrection as both novel and compelling, yet also revealed the underlying spiritual emptiness: intellectual curiosity divorced from truth-seeking. Athens represents the danger of valuing innovation over wisdom, novelty over revelation—a perpetual quest for 'something new' that never satisfies because it rejects the ancient truth of God.