Acts 17:30

Acts 17:30-31 . And the times of this ignorance — What! Does he object ignorance to the learned and knowing Athenians? Yes, and they acknowledged it by this very altar; God winked at — Greek, υπεριδων , having overlooked, bearing with it, as if he did not take notice of it: that is, in his great long-suffering, he suffered mankind to go on in their course of ignorance and idolatry, without interrupting them in it, by sending express messages to them, by divinely-commissioned instructers, as he did to the Jews; because he meant to show them experimentally the insufficiency of their own reason in matters of religion; but now — This day, this hour, saith Paul, puts an end to the divine forbearance, and brings either greater mercy or punishment. Now he commandeth all men everywhere to repent — Of their ignorance, idolatry, and wickedness. There is a dignity and grandeur in this language of the apostle becoming an ambassador from the King of heaven. And this universal demand of repentance declared universal guilt in the strongest manner: and admirably confronted the pride of the haughtiest Stoic of them all. At the same time it bore down the idle plea of fatality. For how could any one repent of doing what he could not but have done. Because he hath appointed a day, &c. — To persuade them more effectually to repent, God hath set before mankind the greatest of all motives, that of a future judgment.

He hath appointed a day — A great and awful day in which he will judge the world — Even the whole world; in righteousness — And will pass a final sentence of happiness or misery on each, according to his true character and behaviour. How fitly does the apostle speak thus in their supreme court of justice! By that man whom he hath ordained — For that important purpose. Thus he speaks, suiting himself to the capacity of his hearers. Whereof he hath given assurance, &c., in that he hath raised him from the dead — The resurrection of Jesus from the dead hath put the resurrection and judgment of all men beyond dispute: 1st, Because it hath confirmed the doctrine of Christ, one important branch of which was, that he would raise the dead and judge all mankind. 2d, Because God raised him from the dead, as on divers other accounts, so especially that he might judge mankind by him. We are by no means to imagine that this was all which the apostle intended to have said. But the indolence of some of his hearers, and the petulancy of others, cut him short. For when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked — Made a jest of it, as a despicable and incredible tale, not worthy to be any longer heard; thereby interrupting him. These were probably the Epicureans, who took offence at that which is a principal object of faith, from the pride of reason.

The times of this ignorance God winked at; to prevent an objection, lest any should think that they might continue in their unbelief, and fare as well as their progenitors, God is said to have overlooked them; as if he had counted them unworthy of his care and providence, and therefore he did not correct or instruct them. When any are left to go on in their sin, without God’s instruction or correction, it is a sad sign that God scorns to look upon them, or to use any means to recover them. But now commandeth all men every where to repent: under the gospel we are so far from having liberty to do what we list, that we are more nearly concerned to repent and become holy, Romans 13:11 Titus 2:11,12 1 Peter 1:14,15 ; and all men, every where, without exception of time or place, are under this command of repentance; and cursed indeed will he be that does not observe it.

Acts 17:30 . Χρόνους ) the long times , which both ye, and other nations older than you, have spent. For that the Athenians, a colony of the Egyptians, derived that inscription, to the unknown God , from Isis and her robe (peplo: the πέπλος or robe of state worn by the gods), which was never taken off her so as to reveal her, is shown by Gottfr. Olearius Diss. de Gestis Pauli in urbe Athen.— τῆς ἀγνοίας , of ignorance ) Is ignorance brought as an objection against the Athenians? (“Whom ye ignorantly worship,” Acts 17:23 .) They themselves have confessed it. Ἀγνώστῳ Θεῷ , “to the unknown God;” answering to which is the ἀγνοοῦντες , ye ignorantly , of Paul, Acts 17:23 .— ὑπεριδὼν ) A frequent verb in the LXX. Transl., applied to a thing which is not attended to, and is left without favourable help (propitious aid) or without severe punishment (animadversion). For it is a verb of a middle signification between good and bad, most suitable to this passage: Genesis 42:21 , ὑπερείδομεν τὴν θλίψιν , “ we overlooked , or did not regard, the distress of our brother,” etc.; Leviticus 20:4 ; Numbers 22:30 ; Deuteronomy 21:16 ; Deuteronomy 22:1 ; Deuteronomy 22:3-4 ; Job 31:19 . And God is said ὑπεριδεῖν , Leviticus 26:44 , οὐχ ὑπερεῖδον αὐτοὺς , “I did not disregard them;” with which comp. Leviticus 26:43 , ἀνθʼ ὧν τὰ κρίματά μου ὑπερεῖδον , “because they disregarded My judgments:” Deuteronomy 3:26 ; Zechariah 1:12 ; Psalm 55:1 ; Psalm 78:59 ; Psalm 78:62 ; Job 6:14 .

Therefore Paul means to say this: God passed over the times of ignorance, without any preaching of repentance, faith, and the judgment to come, as if He Himself did not animadvert upon (take notice with a view to punishment) or feel much displeased at the error of mankind, which was so great. Comp. Matthew 20:7 , “No man hath hired us” (the parable of the labourers called at different hours of the day), and Acts 14:16 , “God in times past suffered ( εἴασε ) all nations to walk in their own ways:” although Paul speaks more severely at Athens, than he had spoken to the Lycaonians: for he had courteously invited the latter, whereas here, at Athens, he speaks in atone of threatening.— τὰ νῦν , now ) This day, this hour, saith Paul, brings with it the termination of the Divine connivance [dissimulationis, overlooking the times of ignorance, as though they had no existence, acting as if He did not see them], and a season of greater grace or else of greater punishment.— παραγγέλλει , plainly enjoins ) even by Paul.— πανταχοῦ , everywhere ) Repentance is preached everywhere: because all shall be judged. The penitent escape.— μετανοεῖν ) to repent , to cease from their ignorance, etc. Paul, though drawing his discourse from natural Theology, yet blends with it some things out of revealed Theology. Comp. Acts 17:27-28 . For even the Gentiles are to be won over by the doctrines which are above nature.

30. the times of this ignorance God winked at—literally (and far better), "overlooked," that is, bore with, without interposing to punish it, otherwise than suffering the debasing tendency of such worship to develop itself (compare Ac 14:16, and see on [2043]Ro 1:24, &c.). but now—that a new light was risen upon the world. commandeth—"That duty—all along lying upon man estranged from his Creator, but hitherto only silently recommending itself and little felt—is now peremptory." all men every where to repent—(compare Col 1:6, 23; Tit 1:11)—a tacit allusion to the narrow precincts of favored Judaism, within which immediate and entire repentance was ever urged. The word "repentance" is here used (as in Lu 13:3, 5; 15:10) in its most comprehensive sense of "repentance unto life."

Verse 30. - The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked for and the times of this ignorance God winked at , A.V.; he commandeth for commandeth , A.V.; men for all men, A.V.; that they should all everywhere repent for everywhere to repent , A.V. and T.R. The times of ignorance ; perhaps with reference to ver. 23, and also implying that all the idolatry, of which he had spoken in ver. 29, arose from ignorance. God overlooked ; or, as it is idiomatically expressed in the A.V., winked at ; made as if he did not see it; "kept silence," as it is said in Psalm 50:21 ; made no move to punish it. That they should all everywhere . The gospel is for the whole world- "Their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world" ( Romans 10:18 ); "Preach the gospel to every creature" ( Mark 16:15 ). Repent . The key-note of the gospel ( Matthew 3:2 ; Matthew 4:17 ; Acts 20:21 ). Acts 17:30

30 . And the times of this ignorance ] There is no pronoun in the original, and the conjunctions are feebly represented by “and.” The sense is more nearly conveyed by “Having however overlooked the times of ignorance.” (Cp. Romans 3:25 .) “To wink at” is now used with the meaning of “to connive at.” St Paul, however, only means that God has not imputed to men the errors which they committed in ignorance, but now the case is changed. Men cannot plead ignorance, who have heard of Christ. (Cp. Luke 12:48 .) but now commandeth ] If the translation of the first clause be taken as above, the conjunction “but” (which has no Greek representative) is not needed. The best Greek text would be literally translated “He now commandeth men that they all everywhere should repent” (as nearly R. V. ). “Repentance” means that they shall amend the lives which hitherto they have lived wrongly through ignorance.

Acts 17:30-31 . It is evident from Acts 17:29 that heathenism is based on ignorance. Therefore Paul, proceeding to the Christological portion of his discourse, now continues with μὲν οὖν : the times, therefore, of ignorance (for such they are, according to Acts 17:29 ) God having overlooked, makes known at present to all men everywhere to repent. ὑπεριδών ] without noting them with a view to punishment or other interference. Comp. Dion. Hal. v. 32. Opposite of ἐφορᾶν . See also on Romans 3:25 ; Acts 14:16 . The idea of contempt (Vulg.: despiciens ), although otherwise linguistically suitable, which Castalio, de Dieu, Gataker, Calovius, Seb. Schmid, and others find in the expression, partly even with the observation: “indignatione et odio temporum … correptus” (Wolf), is at variance with the cautiousness and moderation of the whole speech. πᾶσι πανταχοῦ ] a popular hyperbolical expression; yet not incorrect, as the universal announcement was certainly in course of development. Comp. Colossians 1:23 . On the juxtaposition of πᾶσι παντ ., see Lobeck, Paralip. p. 56 f. καθότι (see the critical remarks): in accordance with the fact that He has appointed a day. It denotes the important consideration, by which God was induced τανῦν παραγγέλλειν κ . τ . λ . Comp. Acts 2:24 . ἐν δικαιοσ .] in righteousness (so that this is the determining moral element, in which the κρίνειν is to take place), i.e. δικαίως ( 1 Peter 2:23 ).