Acts 17:30
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Acts 17:30 in other translations
| BSB | Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent. |
|---|---|
| WEB | The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked. But now he commands that all people everywhere should repent, |
| ASV | The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he commandeth men that they should all everywhere repent: |
| YLT | the times, indeed, therefore, of the ignorance God having overlooked, doth now command all men everywhere to reform, |
| DARBY | God therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, now enjoins men that they shall all everywhere repent, |
| BBE | Those times when men had no knowledge were overlooked by God; but now he gives orders to all men in every place to undergo a change of heart: |
| Webster | And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: |
What does Acts 17:30 mean?
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain
Barnes' Notes
God winked at. υπεριδων. Overlooked, connived at; did not come forth to punish. In Acts 14:16, it is expressed thus: "Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways." The sense is, he passed over those times without punishing them, as if he did not see them. For wise purposes he suffered them to walk in ignorance, and to make the fair experiment to show what men would do; and how much necessity there was for a revelation to instruct them in the true knowledge of God. We are not to suppose that God regarded idolatry as innocent, or the crimes and vices to which idolatry led as of no importance; but their ignorance was a mitigating circumstance, and he suffered the nations to live without coming forth in direct judgment against them. Comp. Acts 3:17; Acts 14:16.
But now commandeth. By the gospel, Lk 24:47.
All men. Not Jews only, who had been favoured with peculiar privileges, but all nations. The barrier was broken down, and the call to repentance was sent abroad into all the earth.
To repent. To exercise sorrow for their sins, and to forsake them. If God commands all men to repent, we may observe,
(1.) that it is their duty to do it. There is no higher obligation than to obey the command of God.
(2.) It can be done. God would not command an impossibility.
(3.) It is binding on all. The rich, the learned, the great, the gay, are as much bound as the beggar and the slave. There is no distinction made. It pertains to all people, in all lands.
(4.) It must be done, or the soul lost. It is not wise, and it is not safe, to neglect a plain law of God. It will not be well to die reflecting that we have all our life neglected and despised his plain commands.
(5.) We should send the gospel to the heathen. God calls on the nations to repent, and to be saved. It is the duty of Christians to make known to them the command, and to invite them to the blessings of pardon and heaven.
(e) "winked at" Rom 2:16 (f) "commandeth all men" Lk 24:47, Tit 2:11,12 (&) "winked at" "overlooked"
Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain
Adam Clarke's Commentary
Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Acts 17:22-31
Here 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 case, his business was to lead his hearers by prophecies and miracles to the knowledge of the Redeemer, and faith in him; in the former, it was to lead them, by the common works of providence, to know…
Acts 17:30 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.
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Cross references for Acts 17:30
- Acts 14:16
Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.
- Titus 2:11-12
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
- Luke 24:47
And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
- Romans 3:25
Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
- Ephesians 4:17-32
This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ; …
- Acts 26:17-20
Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
- 1 Peter 4:3
For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:
- Romans 2:4
Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
- Luke 13:5
I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
- Acts 3:19
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
- 1 Peter 1:14-15
As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
- Ephesians 5:6-8
Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
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Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Context
- Acts 17:29
Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.
- Acts 17:30
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
- Acts 17:31
Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
Acts 17:30 in other languages
| Spanish Reina-Valera 1909 | Empero Dios, habiendo disimulado los tiempos de esta ignorancia, ahora denuncia á todos los hombres en todos los lugares que se arrepientan: |
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| French Bible J.N. Darby 1885 | Dieu donc, ayant passé par-dessus les temps de l’ignorance, ordonne maintenant aux hommes que tous, en tous lieux, ils se repentent; |
| German Elberfelder 1871 | Nachdem nun Gott die Zeiten der Unwissenheit übersehen hat, gebietet er jetzt den Menschen, daß sie alle allenthalben Buße tun sollen, |
| Latin Clementine Vulgate | Et tempora quidem hujus ignorantiæ despiciens Deus, nunc annuntiat hominibus ut omnes ubique pœnitentiam agant, |