Acts 17:33

So Paul departed from among them. Acts 17:33

As simple as the sentence is, the translation is lacking in three ways. It says, “And so, Paul went out from their midst.”

The previous verse described the mocking reaction of some of those who heard Paul. Others had said they would hear him again on the matter. With that, it next says, “And so, Paul.”

Some texts omit the word “And” and simply say, “So Paul...” The text used by the KJV and the NKJV includes it, even if they failed to translate it. With that, it next says that he “went out.”

The word translated as “went out” means exactly that, to go or come in or out. Saying Paul departed, as with the KJV and NKJV, gives an incorrect sense of the matter. How long Paul remained at the Areopagus we don’t know. Another speaker may have taken up the center position while Paul retreated from it. What he did was to go out “from their midst,” not depart entirely.

This takes the reader back to verse 22, which said, “Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus.” But he was already at the Areopagus, having arrived there as stated in verse 17:19, “And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus.” Eventually, he was given the opportunity to speak to the forum. At that time, he went into the midst of them.

Now, it is not that Paul departed, but that he has moved out of the place of speaking. He could not have departed from among them because the words of the next verse would then make no sense.

Life application: Translation matters. This short sentence will not change the world if it is incorrectly translated, but it can give the mind an incorrect sense of the flow of movement of the apostle. Here are some variations in the translation of this verse. See how widely different they are and consider how each will affect your thought about what has taken place –

NIV - At that, Paul left the Council.
NLT - That ended Paul’s discussion with them,
BSB - At that, Paul left the Areopagus.
Holman CSB - Then Paul left their presence.
CEV - When Paul left the council meeting,
GWT - With this response, Paul left the court.
Mace New Testament - upon which Paul left the assembly.
ESV - So Paul went out from their midst.
Catholic Public Domain Version - So Paul departed from their midst.
NASB- So Paul went out from among them.
NKJV - So Paul departed from among them.
Weymouth New Testament - So Paul went away from them.
Amplified Bible - So Paul left them.
CSB - So Paul left their presence.
Worsley New Testament - So Paul went out of the assembly.
NET Bible - So Paul left the Areopagus.
CG - And so, Paul went out from their midst.
Haweis New Testament - And so Paul departed from the midst of them.
SLT - And so Paul went forth from the midst of them.
A Faithful Version - And so Paul went out from among them.
Aramaic Bible in Plain English - And so Paulus went out from among them.
ANT - And so Paul departed from among them.
GNT - And so Paul left the meeting.
New Heart English Bible - Thus Paul went out from among them.
Darby - Thus Paul went out of their midst.
BLB - Thus Paul went out from their midst.
Worrell New Testament - Thus Paul went forth out of their midst.

Depending on the source text, the Greek has either seven or eight words in it. Despite that, there are 27 different translations presented here. And this was only from checking 46 Bibles and having provided a personal translation. There are hundreds of versions that were not checked, each with its own nuances and translational preferences. If punctuation and capitalization were considered, there would be even more variations.

Some of these are so off that they are simply paraphrases. Others are incorrect in one way or another. And yet, most convey the sense well enough to be understandable. Don’t limit yourself to a single version of the Bible. Rather, read a version in the morning and one at night. When you finish, grab another and start over again. Take time to consider what you read each day and reflect on the precious word that God has given us. In all things, be sure to thank God for it. What a treasure it is!

Heavenly Father, You have allowed Your creatures to translate Your word. Quite often, we have done a sloppy job of that. And yet, You have allowed it. Help us to be studious and careful about what we accept until we have really checked things out. Be glorified in our study of Your precious word. Amen.