Acts 17:20

Greek (Tischendorf 8th ed.)

English Translation

For you bring certain strange things to our ears. We want to know therefore what these things mean."

World English Bible · Public Domain

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εἰσφέρεις

eisphérō

G1533

“to bring in”

Verb, Present, Active, Indicative, 2nd person, Singular

Appears 8× in the Greek New Testament
First appears at Matthew 6:13

Full Thayer's Definition

Origin: from G1519 and G5342

TDNT: 10:04,1

1. to bring into, in or to 2. to lead into

About this verse

These counts appear in no published source. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged text and Lemma’s own curated glosses. What Lemma adds →

15: words
15: distinct lemmas
Acts: section

Notable vocabulary

The rarest word here is εἰσφέρεις to bring in G1533 — appearing just 8 times in the whole Greek New Testament.

Shared distinctive vocabulary

εἰσφέρεις to bring in G1533 occurs in 8 verses of the Greek New Testament. Also found in:

Cross-references

Topical passages linked to Acts 17:20 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — connected by theme and wording, ordered by reader-vote popularity; previews shown in the World English Bible.

Hosea 8:12 I wrote for him the many things of my law; But they were regarded as a strange thing.
1 Corinthians 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified; a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Greeks,
1 Corinthians 2:14 Now the natural man doesn't receive the things of God's Spirit, for they are foolishness to him, and he can't know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
1 Corinthians 1:18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are saved it is the power of God.
1 Peter 4:4 They think it is strange that you don't run with them into the same excess of riot, blaspheming:
Matthew 19:23–25 Jesus said to his disciples, "Most assuredly I say to you, a rich man will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven with difficulty.
Mark 9:10 They kept this saying to themselves, questioning what the "rising from the dead" meant.
Mark 10:24–26 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus answered again, "Children, how hard is it for those who trust in riches to enter into the Kingdom of God!

John 6:60 Therefore many of his disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying! Who can listen to it?"
John 7:35–36 The Jews therefore said among themselves, "Where will this man go that we won't find him? Will he go to the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks?
Acts 2:12 They were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying one to another, "What does this mean?"
Acts 10:17 Now while Peter was very perplexed in himself what the vision which he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon's house, stood before the gate,
Hebrews 5:11 About him we have many words to say, and hard to interpret, seeing you have become dull of hearing.

Cross-references courtesy of OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).

Commentary

Notes on Acts 17:20 from classic Christian and Jewish commentators (each source and its license shown beneath its notes). The classic Christian expositions comment on the surrounding passage and are grouped to its opening verse, so a note may address several verses; the Jewish commentaries on the Tanakh (Rashi and others) are per-verse, so they appear only where the commentator wrote on this verse.

Lemma curates 59 commentaries, every one of them public domain or Creative Commons licensed, each selected and text-cleaned for this edition rather than reprinted as found. About our sources →

Commentary source

Bengel's Gnomon

Johann Albrecht Bengel

Act 17:20. Ξενίζοντα, strange things) The same word occurs, 1Pe 4:4; 1Pe 4:12.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Expositor's Greek Testament

ed. W. Robertson Nicoll

Act 17:20 . ξενίζοντα : rather perhaps startling or bewildering than strange so too in Polyb., cf. 1Pe 4:12 , but see Grimm-Thayer, sub v. Ramsay renders “some things of foreign fashion” as if the words were connected with the opinion that the Apostle was an announcer of foreign gods, cf. also 2Ma 9:6 , Diod. Sic., xii., 53. τινα : the rhetorical use of the indefinite τις here strengthening the participle, cf. Act 8:9 , Act 5:6 , Heb 10:27 . εἰσφ .… ἀκοὰς : Blass suggests a Hebraism, but on the life of Greeks we must look no further than the parallel which the same writer adduces, Soph., Ajax , 147, cf. also Wetstein. The verb is only used here in this sense in N.T. τί ἂν θέλοι , see critical note and Simcox, Language of the N. T. , p. 112: “de rebus in aliquem exitum tendentibus,” Grimm; cf. Act 2:12 ; so Bethge.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 20. Thou bringest - strange things to our ears] The doctrine of the apostles was different from any they had ever heard: it was wholly spiritual and divine; thus it was strange: it was contrary to their customs and manners; and thus it was strange also. As it spoke much of the exaltation and glory of Jesus Christ, they supposed him to be a setter forth of strange gods: and, therefore, on the authority of the laws, which forbade the introduction of any new deities, or modes of worship, he was called before the Areopagus.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(20) Thou bringest certain strange things.—The adjective stands for a Greek participle, things that startle, or leave an impression of strangeness.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne

20. strange things] The original is not an adjective, but a participle, and signifies “something which strikes a person as strange.” So that the effect is indicated which had been produced on the minds of the hearers. The words had filled them with surprise. In the middle voice the word is found 1Pe_4:4; 1Pe_4:12 = “to think anything strange.”

what these things mean] See above on Act_17:18.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

John Gill's Exposition

For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears,.... Strange doctrines and strange deities, such as they had never heard of before:

we would know therefore what these things mean; they desire he would explain these things to them, and let them know the rise, and ground, and nature, and end, and design of them.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Trapp's Complete Commentary

John Trapp

20 For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.

Ver. 20. For thou bringest certain strange things] Or, new, never heard of, ξενιζοντα. Yet now so new neither as they thought for; see Rom 11:2-4; Rom 16:25-26. Papists upbraid us with the novelty of our religion, and ask us where it was till Luther’s time? We answer (as one once did), "In the Bible, where their religion never was." See Catalog. Test. verit., and Mr Bernard’s Look beyond Luther, Dr Featlie’s Conference with Fisher, &c. They boast much of antiquity, as once the Gibeonites did of old shoes and mouldy bread. We refer them to Alex. Cook’s Abatement of Popish Brags, and Guild’s Popish Boasting of Antiquity; besides abundance of other good authors.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Certain strange things - Literally, something pertaining to a foreign country or people. Here it means something unusual or remarkable - something different from what they had been accustomed to hear from their philosophers.

What these things mean - We would understand more clearly what is affirmed respecting Jesus and the resurrection.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations

The greatest objection which these men had against the gospel was, that it was strange and new. That it is not new was apparent, it having been in the Old Testament (as the ripe fruit is in the blossom) so long ago; and their own superstitions were but so many apish imitations of God’s worship. And if these things were strange unto them, they might thank themselves, who had not made due inquiring after them; and had, by their not improving the light of nature, provoked God to withhold further manifestations unto them, Rom 1:24,28.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

Daniel D. Whedon

20. Strange things—A new form of religion from the East! Something from Syria that even the Jews of Athens do not recognise!

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Pulpit Commentary

Strange things. Xenizein, in this use of it, means to act or play the foreigner, to imitate the manners and language and appearance of a foreigner (xenov), just as jIoudaizein jEllhnizein Attikizein, etc., mean to Judaize, Hellenize, Atticize, etc. Here, then, the Athenians say that St. Paul"s doctrines have a foreign air, do not lock like native Athenian speculations.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

McGarvey & Pendleton's Commentaries

J. W. McGarvey

See notes on verse 19

J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges

20. τίνα θέλει with אAB. Vulg. ‘quidnam velint.’

20. ξενίζοντα γάρ τινα, certain strange things. Literally ‘things striking us as strange.’ The word implies the effect produced on the minds of the hearers. In the middle voice the word occurs in 1Pe 4:4; 1Pe 4:12 = ‘to think anything strange.’ The active is found, as here, in 2Ma 9:6, πολλαῖς καὶ ξενιζούσαις συμφοραῖς, ‘with many and strange torments.’

τίνα θέλει ταῦτα εἶναι, what these things mean, i.e. of what nature they are. Cf. above on Act 17:18.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament

Marvin R. Vincent

Strange [ξενιζοντα] . A participle : surprising. Compare 1Pe 4:4, 12.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Lesson kit

Teaching starters — assembled from the data on this page, not authored interpretation. Every prompt links to the verse data it draws on. Edit before teaching.

Acts, in the Acts, opens this verse with 15 words (15 distinct Greek lemmas). Its most distinctive word is eisphérō (“to bring in”). A historical commentator’s framing appears above. Read the whole chapter for the surrounding context.

Discussion questions

How does “to bring in” (eisphérō) shape what this verse is saying?
How does Matthew 6:13, which shares the word «to bring in», read alongside this verse?
The translations on this page render this verse differently — a whole-verse word diff, not a word-by-word alignment. What might account for the different wordings?
Compare how Bengel's Gnomon and Expositor's Greek Testament read this verse. Where do they agree or differ?

Things to notice

These translations choose different wording for 13 words in this verse.
15 distinct Greek lemmas span 15 words in this verse.