Acts 14:17
Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.
Acts 14:17 in other translations
| BSB | Yet He has not left Himself without testimony to His goodness: He gives you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.” |
|---|---|
| WEB | 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 with food and gladness.” |
| ASV | And yet he left not himself without witness, in that he did good and gave you from heaven rains and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness. |
| YLT | though, indeed, without witness He did not leave himself, doing good--from heaven giving rains to us, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness;' |
| DARBY | though indeed he did not leave himself without witness, doing good, and giving to you from heaven rain and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness. |
| BBE | But he was not without witness, because he did good, and gave you rain from heaven and times of fruit, making your hearts full of food and joy. |
| Webster | Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. |
What does Acts 14:17 mean?
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Acts 14:14-18
14-18. when ... Barnabas and Paul heard--Barnabas is put first here, apparently as having been styled the "Jupiter" of the company. they rent their clothes and ran in--rather (according to the true reading), "ran forth." among the people, crying out ... Sirs, why do ye these things?--This was something more than that abhorrence of idolatry which took possession of the Jews as a nation from the time of the Babylonish…
Barnes' Notes
He left not himself without witness. He gave demonstration of his existence, and of his moral character.
In that he did good. By doing good. The manner in which he did it he immediately specifies. Idols did not do good, or confer favours, and were therefore unworthy of their confidence.
And gave us rain from heaven. Rain from above, from the clouds, Mk 8:11, Lk 9:54, 17:29, 21:11, Jn 6:31,32. Rain is one of the evidences of his goodness. Man could not cause it; and without it, regulated at proper intervals of time, and in proper quantities, the earth would soon be one wide scene of desolation. There is scarcely anything that more certainly indicates unceasing care and wisdom than the needful and refreshing showers of rain. The sun and stars move by fixed laws, whose operation we can see and anticipate. The falling of rain and dew is regulated by laws which we cannot trace, and seems therefore to be poured, as it were, directly from God's hollow hand. Ps 147:8, "Who covereth the heaven with clouds; who prepareth rain for the earth."
"He sends his showers of blessings down,
To cheer the plains below;
He makes the grass the mountains crown,
And corn in valleys grow.
"The cheering wind, the flying cloud,
Obey his mighty word:
with songs and honours sounding loud,
Praise ye the sovereign Lord."--WATTS
And fruitful seasons. Seasons when the earth produces abundance. It is remarkable, and a shining proof of the Divine goodness, that so few seasons are unfruitful. The earth yields her increase; and the labours of the husbandman are crowned with success; and the goodness of God demands the expressions of praise. His ancient covenant God does not forget, Gen 8:22, though man forgets it, and disregards his great Benefactor.
Filling our hearts with food. The word hearts is here used as a Hebraism, to denote persons themselves; filling us with food, etc. Comp. Mt 12:40.
Gladness. Joy; comfort--the comfort arising from the supply of our constantly returning wants. This is proof of ever watchful goodness. It is demonstration at once that there is a God, and that he is good. It would be easy for God to withdraw these blessings, and leave us to want. A single word, or a single deviation from the fullness of benevolence, would blast all these comforts, and leave us to lamentation, woe, and death, Ps 145:15,16.
"The eyes of all wait upon thee,
And thou givest them their food in due season.
Thou openest thine hand,
And satisfiest the desire of all the living."
(b) "Nevertheless" Rom 1:20 (c) "rain" Job 5:10, Ps 147:8, Mt 5:45
Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain
Adam Clarke's Commentary
Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Acts 14:8-18
All things are possible to those that believe. When we have faith, that most precious gift of God, we shall be delivered from the spiritual helplessness in which we were born, and from the dominion of sinful habits since formed; we shall be made able to stand upright and walk cheerfully in the ways of the Lord. When Christ, the Son of God, appeared in the likeness of men, and did many miracles, men were so far from…
Acts 14:17 in the original Greek
Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.
Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).
Cross references for Acts 14:17
- Romans 1:19-20
Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
- Joel 2:23
Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.
- Job 5:10
Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields:
- Deuteronomy 11:14
That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.
- Isaiah 5:6
And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
- Ezekiel 34:26
And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.
- Deuteronomy 28:12
The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.
- Psalms 145:9
The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
- James 5:17-18
Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
- Deuteronomy 8:12-14
Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;
- Psalms 19:1-4
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
- 1 Timothy 6:17
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
17:27,28; Ps 19:1-4; Ro 1:19,20
in that.
Ps 36:5-7; 52:1; 104:24-28; 145:9,15,16; Lu 6:35
and gave.
Le 26:4; De 11:14; 28:12; 1Ki 18:1; Job 5:10; 37:6; 38:26-28
Ps 65:9-13; 68:9,10; 147:7,8; Isa 5:6; Jer 5:24; 14:22; Mt 5:45
Jas 5:17,18
filling.
De 8:12-14; Ne 9:25; Isa 22:13; 1Ti 6:17
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain
Context
- Acts 14:16
Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.
- Acts 14:17
Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.
- Acts 14:18
And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them.
Acts 14:17 in other languages
| Spanish Reina-Valera 1909 | Si bien no se dejó á sí mismo sin testimonio, haciendo bien, dándonos lluvias del cielo y tiempos fructíferos, hinchiendo de mantenimiento y de alegría nuestros corazones. |
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| French Bible J.N. Darby 1885 | quoique cependant il ne se soit pas laissé sans témoignage, en faisant du bien, en vous donnant du ciel des pluies et des saisons fertiles, remplissant vos cœurs de nourriture et de joie. |
| German Elberfelder 1871 | wiewohl er sich doch nicht unbezeugt gelassen hat, indem er Gutes tat und euch vom Himmel Regen und fruchtbare Zeiten gab und eure Herzen mit Speise und Fröhlichkeit erfüllte. |
| Latin Clementine Vulgate | Et hæc dicentes, vix sedaverunt turbas ne sibi immolarent. |