Acts 17:18 Meaning and Explanation
“Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Epicurean and Stoic philosophers engage Paul; some dismiss him as a babbler, others think he announces foreign gods, because he preaches Jesus and the resurrection.
What Does Acts 17:18 Mean?
Athens' two leading schools take notice. Epicureans held that the gods, if any, were remote and unconcerned, and that a modest, untroubled life was the highest good; Stoics taught reason, duty, and self-mastery. Some hear Paul and sneer -- "babbler," a picker-up of intellectual scraps; others, catching the words Jesus and resurrection, take him for a herald of strange gods.
The gospel sounds odd to every settled philosophy, because it stakes everything not on a theory but on an event: a man risen from the dead. Mockery is often the first hearing truth receives, and Paul stands in good company under it. He neither trims the message for sophisticated ears nor abandons the conversation -- he keeps saying the strange, saving thing.
Acts 17:18 in the Original Language
spermologos (σπερμολόγος), 'babbler' -- literally a seed-picker, one who scavenges scraps of ideas.
Frequently Asked Questions About Acts 17:18
What does Acts 17:18 mean?
Epicurean and Stoic philosophers engage Paul; some dismiss him as a babbler, others think he announces foreign gods, because he preaches Jesus and the resurrection.