Acts 17:23

“For as I passed by, etc.] Or “through”; that is, through the city of Athens: and beheld your devotions; not so much their acts of worship and religion, as the gods which they worshipped; in which sense this word is used in (<530204>2 Thessalonians 2:4) and the altars which were erected to them, and the temples in which they were worshipped; and so the Syriac and Arabic versions render it, “the houses”, and “places of your worship”; and the Ethiopic version, “your images”, or “deities”, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Pausanias f880 speaks in the plural number of altars of gods, that were named unknown, at Athens; and so says Apollonius Tyanaeus to Timasion f881 it…”

“as I passed by and beheld your devotions--rather, "the objects of your devotion," referring, as is plain from the next words, to their works of art consecrated to religion. I found an altar . . . To the--or, "an" unknown god--erected, probably, to commemorate some divine interposition, which they were unable to ascribe to any known deity. That there were such altars, Greek writers attest; and on this the apostle skilfully fastens at the outset, as the text of his discourse, taking it as evidence of that dimness of religious conception which, in virtue of his better light, he was prepared to dissipate. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship--rather, "Whom, therefore, knowing Him not, ye…”

“For as I passed by - Greek: “For I, coming through, and seeing, etc.” And beheld - Diligently contemplated; attentively considered ἀναθεωρῶν anatheōrōn. The worship of an idolatrous people will be an object of intense and painful interest to a Christian. Your devotions - τὰ σεβάσματα ta sebasmata. Our word devotions refers to the “act of worship” - to prayers, praises, etc. The Greek word used here means properly any sacred thing; any object which is worshipped, or which is connected with the place or rites of worship. Thus, it is applied either to the gods themselves, or to the temples, altars, shrines, sacrifices, statues, etc., connected with the worship of the gods. This is its…”

“I found an altar - Some suppose this was set up by Socrates, to express in a covert way his devotion to the only true God, while he derided the plurality of the heathen gods, for which he was condemned to death: and others, that whoever erected this altar, did it in honour to the God of Israel, of whom there was no image, and whose name Jehovah was never made known to the idolatrous Gentiles. Him proclaim I unto you - Thus he fixes the wandering attention of these blind philosophers; proclaiming to them an unknown, and yet not a new God. Acts 17:24”

“devotions: or, gods that ye worship, Rom 1:23-25; Co1 8:5; Th2 2:4 To: Psa 147:20; Joh 17:3, Joh 17:25; Rom 1:20-22, Rom 1:28; Co1 1:21; Co2 4:4-6; Gal 4:8, Gal 4:9; Eph 2:12; Ti1 1:17; Jo1 5:20 ignorantly: Act 17:30; Psa 50:21; Mat 15:9; Joh 4:22, Joh 8:54 Acts 17:24”