Acts 17:32

Acts 17:32

 

And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.

 

a. NLT: When they heard Paul speak about the resurrection of the dead, some laughed in contempt, but others said, “We want to hear more about this later.” [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

 

b. NIV: When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” [THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.]

 

c. YLT: And having heard of a rising again of the dead, some, indeed, were mocking, but others said, 'We will hear thee again concerning this;' [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

 

d. Amplified Bible: Now when they had heard [that there had been] a resurrection from the dead, some scoffed; but others said, We will hear you again about this matter. [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

 

e. Worrell Translation: And, hearing of the resurrection of the dead, some, indeed, were mocking; but others said, “We will hear you concerning this yet again. [Copyright 1904 by A.S. Worrell. Copyright assigned to the Assemblies of God, Springfield, MO. This edition was published 1980 by the Gospel Publishing House, Springfield, MO 65802. Printed in the U.S.A.]

 

1. “And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked…”

 

a. And [Strong: 1161 * de] [Strong:  a primary particle (adversative or continuative); but, and, etc.:--also, and, but, moreover, now (often unexpressed in English).]

 

b. [when they] heard [191 * akouo] [Strong: a primary verb; to hear (in various senses):--give (in the) audience (of), come (to the ears), (shall) hear(-er, -ken), be noised, be reported, understand.]

 

c. of the resurrection [386 * anastasis] [Strong: from 450; a standing up again, i.e. (literally) a resurrection from death (individual, genitive case or by implication, (its author)), or (figuratively) a (moral) recovery (of spiritual truth):--raised to life again, resurrection, rise from the dead, that should rise, rising again.]

 

d. [of the] dead [Strong: 3498. nekros nek-ros' from an apparently primary nekus (a corpse); dead (literally or figuratively; also as noun):--dead.]

e. some [3303 * men] [Strong: a primary particle; properly, indicative of affirmation or concession (in fact); usually followed by a contrasted clause with 1161 (this one, the former, etc.):--even, indeed, so, some, truly, verily. Often compounded with other particles in an intensive or asseverative sense.]

 

f. [Strong: 3588. [hoi] ὁ ho ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.] [Thayer: [hoi] ὁ, ἡ, τό, originally τος, τῇ, τό (as is evident from the forms τοι, ται for οἱ, αἱ in Homer and the Ionic writings), corresponds to our definite article the (German der, die, das), which is properly a demonstrative pronoun, which we see in its full force in Homer, and of which we find certain indubitable traces also in all kinds of Greek prose, and hence also in the N. T.] [Additional variants: tē, hoi, oi, tēn,ta, tēs,tois, tō, tōn, hé  hē, hai ]

g. mocked [Strong: 5512. chleuazo khlyoo-ad'-zo from a derivative probably of 5491; to throw out the lip, i.e. jeer at:--mock.] [Vine: "to jest, mock, jeer at" (from chleue, "a jest"), is said of the ridicule of some of the Athenian philosophers at the Apostle's testimony concerning the resurrection of the dead,] 

h. [Strong: 3588. [hoi] ὁ ho ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.] [Thayer: [hoi] ὁ, ἡ, τό, originally τος, τῇ, τό (as is evident from the forms τοι, ται for οἱ, αἱ in Homer and the Ionic writings), corresponds to our definite article the (German der, die, das), which is properly a demonstrative pronoun, which we see in its full force in Homer, and of which we find certain indubitable traces also in all kinds of Greek prose, and hence also in the N. T.] [Additional variants: tē, hoi, oi, tēn,ta, tēs,tois, tō, tōn, hé  hē, hai ]

1). The mockery that Paul endured consisted of being called names. One name he was called was a “babbler”

 

a). Acts 17:18 Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.

 

b). babbler [Strong: 4691. spermologos sper-mol-og'-os from 4690 and 3004; a seed-picker (as the crow), i.e. (figuratively) a sponger, loafer (specially, a gossip or trifler in talk):--babbler.] [spermologos ; sperm-a seed; lego-to collect] [Vine: it came to be used as a noun signifying a crow, or some other bird picking up seeds. Metaphorically it became used of a man who picks up scraps of information and retails them second hand, a plagiarist, of those who make a show in unscientific lectures.] [Zodhiates: a chatterer who picks up and repeats trifling things. It is said that the Athenians applied this name to those who made their living be collecting and selling refuse they found in the market place. Therefore, they were men of no account, low and contemptible persons.]

 

2). 8/18/2011 ICR Today's verse describes the reaction of the Athenians to Paul's preaching on the resurrection. These listeners seem to have consisted mostly of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers: these were the ones who got Paul to come over to the Areopagus (near the famous Parthenon) to present his case there to an open-air gathering of curious spectators. Now these philosophers, like most of our modern philosophers, were evolutionists. The Stoics were pantheists and the Epicureans were atheists: neither believed in a personal Creator God nor in a primeval creation. Paul began his message by stressing the fact of special creation. They had been worshipping many nature gods and goddesses, but Paul insisted that they must turn to the true Creator God, who had revealed Himself in Christ and had "given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead". Paul seems here to be giving us the general pattern to follow when witnessing to people who neither know nor believe the Bible. That is, begin with the fact of creation, then climax with Christ's resurrection and the requirement to believe on Him for salvation. Paul's audience reacted much as modern skeptical audiences tend to react today. "Some mocked" and others said they would consider it later. Most went away unsaved. But "certain men clave unto him, and believed." That's the way it is today with evolutionist hearers of the message. Many will scoff and others will say they may think about it. But some will believe! HMM

3). Paul’s mention of the resurrection of Christ caused a definite disturbance among the group. Even though on the outside most were mocking the message and the messenger, there were more than a few that the Holy Ghost convicted and they believed.

 

2. “…and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter. So Paul departed from among them.”

 

a. and [1161 * de] [Strong:  a primary particle (adversative or continuative); but, and, etc.:--also, and, but, moreover, now (often unexpressed in English).]

 

b. others said [2036 * ereo] [Strong: probably a fuller form of 4483; an alternate for 2036 in certain tenses; to utter, i.e. speak or say:--call, say, speak (of), tell.]

 

c. [we will] hear [191 * akouo] [Strong: a primary verb; to hear (in various senses):--give (in the) audience (of), come (to the ears), (shall) hear(-er, -ken), be noised, be reported, understand.]

 

d. thee [4675 * sou] [Strong: genitive case of 4771; of thee, thy:--X home, thee, thine (own), thou, thy.]

 

e. again [3825 * palin] [Strong: probably from the same as 3823 (through the idea of oscillatory repetition); (adverbially) anew, i.e. (of place) back, (of time) once more, or (conjunctionally) furthermore or on the other hand:--again.]

 

f. of [4012 * peri] [Strong: from the base of 4008; properly, through (all over), i.e. around; figuratively with respect to; used in various applications, of place, cause or time (with the genitive case denoting the subject or occasion or superlative point; with the accusative case the locality, circuit, matter, circumstance or general period):--(there-)about, above, against, at, on behalf of, X and his company, which concern, (as) concerning, for, X how it will go with, ((there-, where-)) of, on, over, pertaining (to), for sake, X (e-)state, (as) touching, (where-)by (in), with. In comparative, it retains substantially the same meaning of circuit (around), excess (beyond), or completeness (through).]

 

g. this matter [5127 * toutou] [Strong: genitive case singular masculine or neuter of 3778; of (from or concerning) this (person or thing):--here(-by), him, it, + such manner of, that, thence(-forth), thereabout, this, thus.]