Bible Strands
Acts 17:27
God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul addresses Athenian philosophers on the Areopagus, explaining how God determined the times and boundaries of nations so they would seek Him.
The words — The text uses ζητεῖν (zētein, to seek) and ψηλαφήσειαν (psēlaphēseian, they would touch) to describe humanity’s potential pursuit of God.
The thread — The verse’s claim that God is not far from humanity aligns with the nearness emphasized in Jeremiah 23:23 and Deuteronomy 4:7, while echoing the universal provision described in Acts 14:17.
Why it lands — The passage states that God arranged human history and geography with the purpose that people would seek and find Him, while affirming His immediate presence. It requires readers to acknowledge that divine pursuit is intentional and that God’s proximity is a present reality rather than a distant concept.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 23:23 “Am I only a God nearby,” declares the LORD, “and not a God far away?”
- Deuteronomy 4:7 For what nation is great enough to have a god as near to them as the LORD our God is to us whenever we call on Him?
- Acts 14:17 Yet He has not left Himself without testimony to His goodness: He gives you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.”
- Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse.
- Psalms 19:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
- Acts 15:17 so that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the Lord who does these things
- Romans 2:4 Or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?
- Psalms 139:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
- 1 Kings 8:27 But will God indeed dwell upon the earth? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built.