Acts 17:23

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

For as I went around and observed closely your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:‘To an unknown god.’ Therefore what you worship without knowing it, this I proclaim to you.

Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

  • John 4:22 : 22 You people worship what you do not know. We worship what we know, because salvation is from the Jews.
  • Acts 17:30 : 30 Therefore, although God has overlooked such times of ignorance, he now commands all people everywhere to repent,
  • John 17:3 : 3 Now this is eternal life– that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent.
  • Gal 4:8-9 : 8 Heirs of Promise Are Not to Return to Law Formerly when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods at all. 9 But now that you have come to know God(or rather to be known by God), how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless basic forces? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again?
  • 2 Thess 2:4 : 4 He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, and as a result he takes his seat in God’s temple, displaying himself as God.
  • 1 John 5:20 : 20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us insight to know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This one is the true God and eternal life.
  • 1 Tim 1:17 : 17 Now to the eternal king, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever! Amen.
  • Eph 2:12 : 12 that you were at that time without the Messiah, alienated from the citizenship of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
  • John 17:25 : 25 Righteous Father, even if the world does not know you, I know you, and these men know that you sent me.
  • Rom 1:20-25 : 20 For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes– his eternal power and divine nature– have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made. So people are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor their bodies among themselves. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
  • Rom 1:28 : 28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done.
  • 1 Cor 1:21 : 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world by its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased to save those who believe by the foolishness of preaching.
  • 1 Cor 8:5 : 5 If after all there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth(as there are many gods and many lords),
  • 2 Cor 4:4-6 : 4 among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said“Let light shine out of darkness,” is the one who shined in our hearts to give us the light of the glorious knowledge of God in the face of Christ.
  • John 8:54 : 54 Jesus replied,“If I glorify myself, my glory is worthless. The one who glorifies me is my Father, about whom you people say,‘He is our God.’
  • Ps 50:21 : 21 When you did these things, I was silent, so you thought I was exactly like you. But now I will condemn you and state my case against you!
  • Ps 147:20 : 20 He has not done so with any other nation; they are not aware of his regulations. Praise the LORD!
  • Matt 15:9 : 9 and they worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

  • Acts 17:15-22
    8 verses
    87%

    15Those who accompanied Paul escorted him as far as Athens, and after receiving an order for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they left.

    16Paul at Athens While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was greatly upset because he saw the city was full of idols.

    17So he was addressing the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles in the synagogue, and in the marketplace every day those who happened to be there.

    18Also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him, and some were asking,“What does this foolish babbler want to say?” Others said,“He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods.”(They said this because he was proclaiming the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.)

    19So they took Paul and brought him to the Areopagus, saying,“May we know what this new teaching is that you are proclaiming?

    20For you are bringing some surprising things to our ears, so we want to know what they mean.”

    21(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there used to spend their time in nothing else than telling or listening to something new.)

    22So Paul stood before the Areopagus and said,“Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious in all respects.

  • Acts 17:24-25
    2 verses
    78%

    24The God who made the world and everything in it, who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by human hands,

    25nor is he served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives life and breath and everything to everyone.

  • Acts 14:11-16
    6 verses
    75%

    11So when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language,“The gods have come down to us in human form!”

    12They began to call Barnabas Zeus and Paul Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.

    13The priest of the temple of Zeus, located just outside the city, brought bulls and garlands to the city gates; he and the crowds wanted to offer sacrifices to them.

    14But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard about it, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting,

    15“Men, why are you doing these things? We too are men, with human natures just like you! We are proclaiming the good news to you, so that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything that is in them.

    16In past generations he allowed all the nations to go their own ways,

  • Gal 4:8
    72%

    8Heirs of Promise Are Not to Return to Law Formerly when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods at all.

  • Acts 19:25-27
    3 verses
    72%

    25He gathered these together, along with the workmen in similar trades, and said,“Men, you know that our prosperity comes from this business.

    26And you see and hear that this Paul has persuaded and turned away a large crowd, not only in Ephesus but in practically all of the province of Asia, by saying that gods made by hands are not gods at all.

    27There is danger not only that this business of ours will come into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be regarded as nothing, and she whom all the province of Asia and the world worship will suffer the loss of her greatness.”

  • Acts 17:27-30
    4 verses
    72%

    27so that they would search for God and perhaps grope around for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

    28For in him we live and move about and exist, as even some of your own poets have said,‘For we too are his offspring.’

    29So since we are God’s offspring, we should not think the deity is like gold or silver or stone, an image made by human skill and imagination.

    30Therefore, although God has overlooked such times of ignorance, he now commands all people everywhere to repent,

  • Acts 24:11
    71%

    11As you can verify for yourself, not more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship.

  • Acts 19:37
    71%

    37For you have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess.

  • 1 Thess 1:9
    71%

    9For people everywhere report how you welcomed us and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God

  • Acts 3:17
    70%

    17And now, brothers, I know you acted in ignorance, as your rulers did too.

  • Acts 19:35
    70%

    35After the city secretary quieted the crowd, he said,“Men of Ephesus, what person is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the keeper of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image that fell from heaven?

  • Acts 21:28-29
    2 verses
    70%

    28shouting,“Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people, our law, and this sanctuary! Furthermore he has brought Greeks into the inner courts of the temple and made this holy place ritually unclean!”

    29(For they had seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him previously, and they assumed Paul had brought him into the inner temple courts.)

  • Rom 1:19-21
    3 verses
    69%

    19because what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.

    20For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes– his eternal power and divine nature– have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made. So people are without excuse.

    21For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts were darkened.

  • Acts 21:19
    69%

    19When Paul had greeted them, he began to explain in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

  • Acts 16:17
    68%

    17She followed behind Paul and us and kept crying out,“These men are servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.”

  • Acts 18:13
    68%

    13saying,“This man is persuading people to worship God in a way contrary to the law!”

  • 1 Cor 12:2
    68%

    2You know that when you were pagans you were often led astray by speechless idols, however you were led.

  • Rom 1:23
    68%

    23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles.

  • Acts 14:18
    68%

    18Even by saying these things, they scarcely persuaded the crowds not to offer sacrifice to them.

  • Acts 17:1
    67%

    1Paul and Silas at Thessalonica After they traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.

  • 1 Cor 14:25
    67%

    25The secrets of his heart are disclosed, and in this way he will fall down with his face to the ground and worship God, declaring,“God is really among you.”

  • 1 Cor 3:16
    67%

    16Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?

  • Acts 28:22
    67%

    22But we would like to hear from you what you think, for regarding this sect we know that people everywhere speak against it.”

  • Rom 10:2
    67%

    2For I can testify that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not in line with the truth.

  • Rom 1:13
    67%

    13I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I often intended to come to you(and was prevented until now), so that I may have some fruit even among you, just as I already have among the rest of the Gentiles.

  • Gal 1:22
    67%

    22But I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.

  • 1 Cor 1:21
    67%

    21For since in the wisdom of God the world by its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased to save those who believe by the foolishness of preaching.

  • 1 Cor 8:4
    67%

    4With regard then to eating food sacrificed to idols, we know that“an idol in this world is nothing,” and that“there is no God but one.”

  • Eph 4:17
    67%

    17Live in Holiness So I say this, and insist in the Lord, that you no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.