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Easy-to-Read Version

Acts 17:4

Some of the Jews there believed Paul and Silas and decided to join them. Also, a large number of Greeks who were worshipers of the true God and many important women joined them.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Converts;   Fellowship;   Gentiles;   Greece;   Minister, Christian;   Paul;   Silas;   Women;   Thompson Chain Reference - Accessions;   Church;   Greeks;   Proselytes;   Silas;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Proselytes;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Proselyte;   Silas;   Synagogue;   Thessalonica;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Greece;   Hellenist;   Macedonia;   Mind;   Mission;   Paul;   Proselyte;   Remnant;   Silas;   Synagogue;   Thessalonians, letters to;   Thessalonica;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Synagogue;   Thessalonians, First and Second, Theology of;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Ordination;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Proselyte;   Synagogue;   Thessalonica;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Gentiles;   Gospels;   Proselytes;   Silas;   Thessalonians, the Epistles to the;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Acts;   Greece;   Jews in the New Testament;   Macedonia;   Marriage;   Proselytes;   1 Thessalonians;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Acts of the Apostles;   Damaris;   Proselyte;   Thessalonians, First Epistle to the;   Thessalonica;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Family;   Name ;   Peter Epistles of;   Philippi ;   Proselyte;   Proselyte (2);   Silas or Silyanus;   Thessalonians Epistles to the;   Thessalonica ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Greek,;   Silas ;   Thessalonians, Epistles to the;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Jason;   Macedonia;   Proselyte;   Silas;   Thessalonians;   Thessalonica;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Saul of Tarsus;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Consort;   Devout;   Grecians;   Macedonia;   Proselyte;   Silas;   Thessalonians, the First Epistle of Paul to the;   Thessalonians, the Second Epistle of Paul to the;   Thessalonica;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Purity of Race;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, including a large number of God-fearing Greeks, as well as a number of the leading women.
King James Version (1611)
And some of them beleeued, and consorted with Paul and Silas: and of the deuout Greekes a great multitude, and of the chiefe women not a few.
King James Version
And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
English Standard Version
And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.
New American Standard Bible
And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and a significant number of the leading women.
New Century Version
Some of them were convinced and joined Paul and Silas, along with many of the Greeks who worshiped God and many of the important women.
Amplified Bible
And some of them were persuaded to believe and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and many of the leading women.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women.
Legacy Standard Bible
And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a great multitude of the God-fearing Greeks and not a few of the leading women.
Berean Standard Bible
Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few leading women.
Contemporary English Version
Some of them believed what Paul had said, and they became followers with Paul and Silas. Some Gentiles and many important women also believed the message.
Complete Jewish Bible
Some of the Jews were persuaded and threw in their lot with Sha'ul and Sila, as did a great many of the Greek men who were "God-fearers," and not a few of the leading women.
Darby Translation
And some of them believed, and joined themselves to Paul and Silas, and of the Greeks who worshipped, a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And some of them beleeued, and ioyned in companie with Paul and Silas: also of the Grecians that feared God a great multitude, and of the chiefe women not a fewe.
George Lamsa Translation
And some of them believed and joined Paul and Silas; and many of them were Greeks who feared God, and many of them were well known women, a goodly number.
Good News Translation
Some of them were convinced and joined Paul and Silas; so did many of the leading women and a large group of Greeks who worshiped God.
Lexham English Bible
And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, and also a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few of the prominent women.
Literal Translation
And some of them were persuaded and joined themselves to Paul and Silas, both a great multitude of the worshiping Greeks, and not a few of the leading women.
American Standard Version
And some of them were persuaded, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
Bible in Basic English
And some of them had faith, and were joined to Paul and Silas; and a number of the God-fearing Greeks, and some of the chief women.
Hebrew Names Version
Some of them were persuaded, and joined Sha'ul and Sila, of the devout Yevanim a great multitude, and not a few of the chief women.
International Standard Version
Some of them were persuaded to join Paul and Silas, especially a large crowd of devout Greeks and the wives of many prominent men.Acts 15:22,27, 32,40; 28:24;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
And men of them believed and adhered to Paulos and Shilo, and many of the Javnoyee who feared Aloha, and distinguished women not a few.
Murdock Translation
And some of them believed, and adhered to Paul and Silas; and of those Greeks who feared God, a great many; and also of noted women, not a few.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And some of them beleued, and ioyned with Paul and Silas, and of the deuout Grekes a great multitude, and of the chiefe women not a fewe.
English Revised Version
And some of them were persuaded, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
World English Bible
Some of them were persuaded, and joined Paul and Silas, of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and not a few of the chief women.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And some of them believed, and were joined to Paul and Silas, and a great number of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the principal women.
Weymouth's New Testament
Some of the people were won over, and attached themselves to Paul and Silas, including many God-fearing Greeks and not a few gentlewomen of high rank.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And summe of hem bileueden, and weren ioyned to Poul and to Silas; and a greet multitude of hethene men worschipide God, and noble wymmen not a fewe.
Update Bible Version
And some of them were persuaded, and consorted with Paul and Silas, and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
Webster's Bible Translation
And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas: and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
New English Translation
Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large group of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.
New King James Version
And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.
New Living Translation
Some of the Jews who listened were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with many God-fearing Greek men and quite a few prominent women.
New Life Bible
Some of them put their trust in Christ and followed Paul and Silas. There were many Greek people and some leading women who honored God among those who had become Christians.
New Revised Standard
Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, some from among them, were persuaded, and cast in their lot with Paul and Silas; also, of the devout Greeks, a great throng, and, of the chief women, not a few.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And some of them believed and were associated to Paul and Silas: and of those that served God and of the Gentiles a great multitude: and of noble women not a few.
Revised Standard Version
And some of them were persuaded, and joined Paul and Silas; as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And some of them beleved and came and companyed with Paul and Sylas: also of the honourable Grekes a greate multitude and of the chefe wemen not a feawe.
Young's Literal Translation
And certain of them did believe, and attached themselves to Paul and to Silas, also of the worshipping Greeks a great multitude, of the principal women also not a few.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And some of the beleued, and were ioyned vnto Paul and Sylas, a greate multitude also of the deuoute Grekes, and of the chefe wemen not a fewe.
Mace New Testament (1729)
Some of them believed, and join'd themselves to Paul and Silas, besides a great number of Greek proselytes, and several women of distinction.
THE MESSAGE
Some of them were won over and joined ranks with Paul and Silas, among them a great many God-fearing Greeks and a considerable number of women from the aristocracy. But the hard-line Jews became furious over the conversions. Mad with jealousy, they rounded up a bunch of brawlers off the streets and soon had an ugly mob terrorizing the city as they hunted down Paul and Silas. They broke into Jason's house, thinking that Paul and Silas were there. When they couldn't find them, they collared Jason and his friends instead and dragged them before the city fathers, yelling hysterically, "These people are out to destroy the world, and now they've shown up on our doorstep, attacking everything we hold dear! And Jason is hiding them, these traitors and turncoats who say Jesus is king and Caesar is nothing!" The city fathers and the crowd of people were totally alarmed by what they heard. They made Jason and his friends post heavy bail and let them go while they investigated the charges. That night, under cover of darkness, their friends got Paul and Silas out of town as fast as they could. They sent them to Berea, where they again met with the Jewish community. They were treated a lot better there than in Thessalonica. The Jews received Paul's message with enthusiasm and met with him daily, examining the Scriptures to see if they supported what he said. A lot of them became believers, including many Greeks who were prominent in the community, women and men of influence. But it wasn't long before reports got back to the Thessalonian hard-line Jews that Paul was at it again, preaching the Word of God, this time in Berea. They lost no time responding, and created a mob scene there, too. With the help of his friends, Paul gave them the slip—caught a boat and put out to sea. Silas and Timothy stayed behind. The men who helped Paul escape got him as far as Athens and left him there. Paul sent word back with them to Silas and Timothy: "Come as quickly as you can!" The longer Paul waited in Athens for Silas and Timothy, the angrier he got—all those idols! The city was a junkyard of idols. He discussed it with the Jews and other like-minded people at their meeting place. And every day he went out on the streets and talked with anyone who happened along. He got to know some of the Epicurean and Stoic intellectuals pretty well through these conversations. Some of them dismissed him with sarcasm: "What an airhead!" But others, listening to him go on about Jesus and the resurrection, were intrigued: "That's a new slant on the gods. Tell us more." These people got together and asked him to make a public presentation over at the Areopagus, where things were a little quieter. They said, "This is a new one on us. We've never heard anything quite like it. Where did you come up with this anyway? Explain it so we can understand." Downtown Athens was a great place for gossip. There were always people hanging around, natives and tourists alike, waiting for the latest tidbit on most anything. So Paul took his stand in the open space at the Areopagus and laid it out for them. "It is plain to see that you Athenians take your religion seriously. When I arrived here the other day, I was fascinated with all the shrines I came across. And then I found one inscribed, to the god nobody knows . I'm here to introduce you to this God so you can worship intelligently, know who you're dealing with. "The God who made the world and everything in it, this Master of sky and land, doesn't live in custom-made shrines or need the human race to run errands for him, as if he couldn't take care of himself. He makes the creatures; the creatures don't make him. Starting from scratch, he made the entire human race and made the earth hospitable, with plenty of time and space for living so we could seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark but actually find him. He doesn't play hide-and-seek with us. He's not remote; he's near. We live and move in him, can't get away from him! One of your poets said it well: ‘We're the God-created.' Well, if we are the God-created, it doesn't make a lot of sense to think we could hire a sculptor to chisel a god out of stone for us, does it? "God overlooks it as long as you don't know any better—but that time is past. The unknown is now known, and he's calling for a radical life-change. He has set a day when the entire human race will be judged and everything set right. And he has already appointed the judge, confirming him before everyone by raising him from the dead." At the phrase "raising him from the dead," the listeners split: Some laughed at him and walked off making jokes; others said, "Let's do this again. We want to hear more." But that was it for the day, and Paul left. There were still others, it turned out, who were convinced then and there, and stuck with Paul—among them Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris.
Simplified Cowboy Version
A few Jews dared to join Paul and Silas. There were many Greeks who believed along with a quite a few well-to-do ladies.

Contextual Overview

1 Paul and Silas traveled through the cities of Amphipolis and Apollonia. They came to the city of Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 Paul went into the synagogue to see the Jews as he always did. The next three weeks, on each Sabbath day, he discussed the Scriptures with them. 3 He explained the Scriptures to show them that the Messiah had to die and then rise from death. He said, "This Jesus that I am telling you about is the Messiah." 4 Some of the Jews there believed Paul and Silas and decided to join them. Also, a large number of Greeks who were worshipers of the true God and many important women joined them. 5 But the Jews who did not believe became jealous, so they got some bad men from around the city center to make trouble. They formed a mob and caused a riot in the city. They went to Jason's house, looking for Paul and Silas. They wanted to bring them out before the people. 6 When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the other believers to the city leaders. The people shouted, "These men have made trouble everywhere in the world, and now they have come here too! 7 Jason is keeping them in his house. They all do things against the laws of Caesar. They say there is another king called Jesus." 8 When the city leaders and the other people heard this, they became very upset. 9 They made Jason and the other believers deposit money to guarantee that there would be no more trouble. Then they let them go.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

some: Acts 17:34, Acts 2:41, Acts 2:42, Acts 2:44, Acts 4:23, Acts 5:12-14, Acts 14:1, Acts 14:4, Acts 28:24, Proverbs 9:6, Proverbs 13:20, Song of Solomon 1:7, Song of Solomon 1:8, Song of Solomon 6:1, Zechariah 2:11, Zechariah 8:20-23, 2 Corinthians 6:17, 2 Corinthians 6:18

consorted: 2 Corinthians 8:5

Silas: Acts 15:22, Acts 15:27, Acts 15:32, Acts 15:40

the devout: Acts 17:17, Acts 13:43, Acts 16:3, Acts 18:4, Acts 19:10, Acts 21:28

and of the chief: Acts 17:12, Acts 13:50

Reciprocal: Isaiah 56:3 - the son John 12:20 - Greeks Acts 18:7 - worshipped Acts 19:9 - he departed Acts 22:12 - a devout 1 Thessalonians 1:1 - Silvanus 1 Thessalonians 3:7 - in all

Cross-References

Genesis 12:2
I will build a great nation from you. I will bless you and make your name famous. People will use your name to bless other people.
Genesis 13:16
I will make your people so many that they will be like the dust of the earth. If people could count all the particles of dust on earth, they could count your people.
Genesis 16:10
The angel of the Lord also said, "From you will come many people—too many people to count."
Genesis 17:1
When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him. He said, "I am God All-Powerful. Obey me and live the right way.
Genesis 17:11
You will cut the skin to show that you follow the agreement between me and you.
Genesis 17:18
Then Abraham said to God, "I hope Ishmael will live and serve you."
Genesis 22:17
I will surely bless you and give you as many descendants as the stars in the sky. There will be as many people as sand on the seashore. And your people will live in cities that they will take from their enemies.
Genesis 32:12
Lord, you said to me, ‘I will be good to you. I will increase your family and make your children as many as the sands of the sea. There will be too many to count.'"
Genesis 35:11
God said to him, "I am God All-Powerful, and I give you this blessing: Have many children and grow into a great nation. Other nations and other kings will come out of you.
Genesis 48:19
But his father refused and said, "I know, son. I know. Manasseh is the firstborn. He will be great and will be the father of many people. But his younger brother will be greater than he is. And the younger brother's family will be much larger."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And some of them believed,.... That is, some of the Jews, power went along with the word, and faith came by it, and they believed that Jesus of Nazareth was the true Messiah, and that what the apostle preached concerning him was the truth; and this they received in the love of it, and cordially embraced it, and made a profession of it:

and consorted with Paul and Silas; associated with them, and privately conversed with them, as well as publicly attended their ministry; for when souls are converted, they love to be in company with believers, and especially with the ministers of the Gospel, to hear their discourses, and learn from them the doctrines of grace:

and of the devout Greeks a great multitude; these were Gentiles who were proselytes to the Jewish religion; and these in greater numbers believed, and joined themselves to the apostles, and became followers of them, than there were of the Jews, who were the most averse to the Gospel, and were more hardened, and incredulous:

and of the chief women not a few; some of the wives of the principal men of the city were become proselytes to the Jews, and these attending synagogue worship, and hearing the discourses of Paul from time to time, were convinced and converted, and professed faith in Christ Jesus; and these converts laid the foundation of a Gospel church in Thessalonica, of which church Silvanus is said to be the first bishop; :-. In the "second" century there were martyrs for Christ here; and to the inhabitants of this place, Antonintus Pius the emperor wrote in behalf of the Christians there, to give them no disturbance f: in the "third" century there was a church here; Tertullian g makes mention of it: in the "fourth" century h Theodosius the emperor was baptized at Thessalonica, by Acholius bishop of that place; who first asked him what faith he professed, to which he replied, that he embraced and professed that faith which the churches in Illyricum, who were not yet infected with the Arian heresy, namely the same which was of old delivered by the apostles, and afterwards confirmed at the synod at Nice; in this century Ireminus, Paulinus, and Alexander, were bishops of Thessalonica: in the "fifth" century it was a metropolitan of Macedonia, and Anysius was bishop of it, and so were Rufus and Anastasius: and that there was a church here in the "sixth" century is manifest from hence, that their bishops, for fear of the emperor Anastasius, agreed with Timothy bishop of Constantinople, whom the council at Chalcedon had anathematized; and in this age Pope Gregory, among others, wrote to Eusebius bishop of Thessalonica, that he would not receive any of a military habit into monasteries within three years: in the "seventh" century a bishop of this place assisted at the sixth council at Constantinople; and in the same age it was the seat of an archbishop: in the "eighth" century there was one Thomas bishop of this place, and also Theophilus, who was present at the Nicene synod; in the ninth century a bishop of Thessalonica was beaten with two hundred stripes, for being against image worship.

f Euseb. Eccles. Hist. l. 4. c. 26. g De Praescript. Heret. c. 36. h Magdeburg. Hist. Eccl. cent. 4. c. 3. p. 82. & c. 10. p. 659. cent. 5. c. 2. p. 6. c. 7. p. 418. cent. 6. c. 2. p. 7. cent. 7. c. 2. p. 5. c. 7. p. 115. cent. 8. c. 2. p. 7. cent. 9. c. 3. p. 15.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And consorted - Literally, had their lot with Paul and Silas; that is, they united themselves to them, and became their disciples. The word is commonly applied to those who are partakers of an inheritance.

And of the devout Greeks - Religious Greeks; or, of those who worshipped God. Those are denoted who had renounced the worship of idols, and who attended on the worship of the synagogue, but who were not fully admitted to the privileges of Jewish proselytes. They were called, by the Jews, proselytes of the gate.

And of the chief women - See the notes on Acts 13:50.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Acts 17:4. The devout Greeks — That is, Gentiles who were proselytes to the Jewish religion, so far as to renounce idolatry, and live a moral life, but probably had not received circumcision.


 
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