Acts 17:16:19Acts.17.16.W19TAB
πόλιν
polin
“city”
- Transliteration
- PO-lin
- Extended
- POH-lihn
- IPA
- /ˈpo.lin/
Meaning by language
- English
- city
Greek · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Pi | p — as in pet | |
| Omicron | o — as in omit (short) | |
| Lambda | l — as in law | |
| Iota | i — as in machine | |
| Nu | n — as in new |
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The word
Word in context
- word
PO-lin
- sentence
en de tais a-THÊ-nai̯s ek-de-kho-ME-nou au-TUS tou PAU-lou pa-rō-KSY-ne-to to PNEU-ma au-TOU en au-TÔ the-ō-ROUN-tos ka-TEI-dō-lon OU-san tên PO-lin
Exegesis
A second genitive participial construction, theōrountos kateidōlon ousan tēn polin {θεωροῦντος κατείδωλον οὖσαν τὴν πόλιν | theōroûntos kateídōlon oûsan tḗn pólin}, depends on the same implicit genitive subject (Paul) and expresses the circumstance or cause: ‘as he was observing the city being full of idols.’ Here ousan links the object tēn polin with the predicate adjective kateidōlon, characterizing Athens as comprehensively idolatrous. In translation, the genitive absolutes are rendered as temporal clauses (“while Paul was waiting,” “as he observed”) to preserve the flow of narrative and make clear that Paul’s inner provocation arises precisely from his sustained observation of the city’s pervasive idolatry.
In context — Acts 17:16
But while Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he observed that the city was full of idols.
About this coordinate
Acts 17:16:19 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 19 of Acts 17:16, so the Greek word πόλιν (polin) can be cited, linked and studied at exactly this position rather than somewhere in the verse. In the Biblical Knowledge Coordinate System the same position is written Acts.17.16.W19, which extends further down to each syllable (Acts.17.16.W19.S1) and character.