Shǐtúxíngzhuàn 17:25

25 Yĕ búyòng rén shǒu fúshì , hǎoxiàng quē shǎo shénme , zìjǐ dǎo jiāng shēngmìng qìxī , wànwù , cìgĕi wàn rén .

Shǐtúxíngzhuàn 17:25 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 17:25

Neither is worshipped with men's hands
Or "served" with them; or "ministered unto" by them, as the Syriac version renders it: and the sense is, that men by worshipping God do not give anything to him, that can be of any use or service to him; he, being God all sufficient, stands in need of nothing; for external worship is not here intended by worshipping with men's hands, in distinction from, and opposition to, internal worship, or to the worship of God with the heart; but that whether it be with the one or with the other, or both, nothing is given to God, as adding any thing to his essential glory and happiness:

as though he needed anything;
for he does not, he is "El Shaddai", God all sufficient; nor can anything be given to him, he has not; or otherwise all perfection would not be in him: but that he cannot be indigent of anything, appears from hence,

seeing he giveth to all life and breath;
or "the breath of life", as the Ethiopic version renders it; this God breathed into man at first, and he became a living soul; and every animate creature, everyone that has life and breath, have them from God; he gives them to them, and continues them:

and all things;
that are enjoyed by them, and are necessary for their subsistence, and for the comfort of life, and for both their use and profit, and for their delight and pleasure; wherefore he that gives them all things, cannot want anything himself, nor receive anything at their hands. This clause is left out in the Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions.

Shǐtúxíngzhuàn 17:25 In-Context

23 Wǒ yóuxíng de shíhou , guānkàn nǐmen suǒ jìngbaì de , yùjiàn yī zuò tán , shàngmian xiĕ zhe wèi shí zhī shén . nǐmen suǒ bù rènshi ér jìngbaì de , wǒ xiànzaì gàosu nǐmen .
24 Chuàngzào yǔ zhòu hé qízhōng wànwù de shén , jì shì tiāndì de zhǔ , jiù bù zhù rén shǒu suǒ zào de diàn .
25 Yĕ búyòng rén shǒu fúshì , hǎoxiàng quē shǎo shénme , zìjǐ dǎo jiāng shēngmìng qìxī , wànwù , cìgĕi wàn rén .
26 Tā cóng yī bĕn zào chū wàn zú de rén , ( bĕn yǒu gǔ juǎn zuò xiĕ/xuè maì/mò ) , zhù zaì quán dì shàng , bìngqiĕ yùxiān déng zhún tāmende nián xiàn , hé suǒ zhù de jiāng jiè .
27 Yào jiào tāmen xúnqiú shén , huòzhĕ kĕyǐ chuǎimó ér dé , qíshí tā lí wǒmen gèrén bù yuǎn .
Public Domain