Acts 17:30

30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.

Acts 17:30 in Other Translations

30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,

30 “God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him.

30 "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.

30 The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he commandeth men that they should all everywhere repent:

30 "God overlooked the times when people didn't know any better. But now he commands everyone everywhere to turn to him and change the way they think and act.

30 "Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent,

30 In the past, God didn't judge people for what they didn't know. But now he commands all people everywhere to turn away from their sins.

Acts 17:30 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 17:30

And the times of this ignorance God winked at
Not that he approved of, or encouraged such blindness and folly, as appeared among the Gentiles, when they worshipped idols of gold, silver, and stone, taking them for deities; but rather the sense is, he despised this, and them for it, and was displeased and angry with them; and as an evidence of such contempt and indignation, he overlooked them, and took no notice of them, and gave them no revelation to direct them, nor prophets to instruct them, and left them to their stupidity and ignorance:

but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent;
that is, he hath given orders, that the doctrine of repentance, as well as remission of sins, should be preached to all nations, to Gentiles as well as Jews; and that it becomes them to repent of their idolatries, and turn from their idols, and worship the one, only, living and true God: and though for many hundreds of years God had neglected them, and sent no messengers, nor messages to them, to acquaint them with his will, and to show them their follies and mistakes; yet now he had sent his apostles unto them, to lay before them their sins, and call them to repentance; and to stir them up to this, the apostle informs them of the future judgment in the following verse. Repentance being represented as a command, does not suppose it to be in the power of men, or contradict evangelical repentance, being the free grace gift of God, but only shows the need men stand in of it, and how necessary and requisite it is; and when it is said to be a command to all, this does not destroy its being a special blessing of the covenant of grace to some; but points out the sad condition that all men are in as sinners, and that without repentance they must perish: and indeed, all men are obliged to natural repentance for sin, though to all men the grace of evangelical repentance is not given: the Jews ^F1 call repentance (hbwvth twum) , "the command of repentance", though they do not think it obligatory on men, as the other commands of the law. The law gives no encouragement to repentance, and shows no mercy on account of it; it is a branch of the Gospel ministry, and goes along with the doctrine of the remission of sins; and though in the Gospel, strictly taken, there is no command, yet being largely taken for the whole ministry of the word, it includes this, and everything else which Christ has commanded, and was taught by him and his apostles; ( Matthew 28:20 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F1 Tzeror Hammor, fol. 157. 4.

Acts 17:30 In-Context

28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill.

30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.

31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

32 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.”

Cross References

• 1. Acts 14:16; Romans 3:25
• 2. ver 23; 1 Peter 1:14
• 3. Luke 24:47; Titus 2:11,12