And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
Parallel translations
- WEB He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings,
- BSB From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands.
- NKJV And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,
- NASB and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation,
- NLT From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
From one man God made all nations and sovereignly set their times and boundaries.
Overview
Paul affirms the unity of the human race in one ancestor, undercutting Athenian ethnic pride. History and the rise and fall of nations are under God's sovereign appointment. This truth grounds both human equality before God and His providential rule over all peoples and times.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Deut 32:7–8Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee.
- Gen 3:20And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
- Mal 2:10Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?
- Rom 5:12–19Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
- 1 Cor 15:22For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
- 1 Cor 15:47The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
- Job 14:5Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;
- Job 12:23He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: he enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again.
- Ps 31:15My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.
- Gen 9:19These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.
- Dan 11:35And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.
- Heb 2:3How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
- Dan 11:27And both these kings’ hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.
- Isa 14:31Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou, whole Palestina, art dissolved: for there shall come from the north a smoke, and none shall be alone in his appointed times.
- Isa 45:21Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.
- Acts 15:18Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.
How Acts 17:26 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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