Acts 17:27 — ExegesisTAB

The verse continues the purpose statement begun in the previous context with the infinitive zetein {ζητεῖν | zē-teîn} functioning as an infinitive of purpose, expressing the intended goal “to seek.” Its object, ton theon {τὸν θεὸν | tón the-ón}, uses the article with “God” to underscore the one true God in contrast to the many deities of Athens. The particle cluster ei ara ge {εἰ ἄρα γε | eí á-ra ge} introduces a nuanced conditional or purposive clause, conveying a sense of hopeful possibility: “if perhaps indeed.” This is followed by two aorist active optatives, pselapheseian {ψηλαφήσειαν | psē-la-phḗ-sei-an} and heuroien {εὕροιεν | heú-roi-en}, which together depict people “groping” and “finding,” with the optative mood highlighting possibility rather than certainty. The repeated combination kai ge {καί γε | kaí ge} marks a rhetorical shift: while human seeking is tentative, the statement introduced by ou makran {οὐ μακρὰν | ou ma-krán} is emphatic and categorical, denying that God is distant. The prepositional phrase apo henos hekastou hemon {ἀπὸ ἑνὸς ἑκάστου ἡμῶν | apò he-nós he-kás-tou hē-môn} stresses the universal and individual scope of God’s nearness, and the participle hyparchonta {ὑπάρχοντα | hy-pár-chon-ta} functions predicatively, “being” or “as One who is,” linking God’s existence with His relational proximity to every person. In English, the optative forms are conveyed by “might” and “perhaps,” the particle cluster is rendered with natural conditional language, and the final participial phrase is turned into a finite clause (“He is not far from each one of us”) to preserve clarity and flow while retaining the verse’s contrast between uncertain human searching and assured divine nearness.