Acts 17:21

All the Athenians. Rather, “all Athenians.” This verse is a parenthesis to explain those that precede. The restless inquisitiveness of the Athenian mind was proverbial. In words almost identical with those Luke here uses, Demosthenes formerly reproached his fellow citizens for idling away their time in the agora, asking for news of Philip of Macedon’s movements or of the actions of their own envoys, when they should have been devoting their efforts to preparation for war (First Philippic 10-13 [43]).

Strangers. That is, resident foreigners, of whom there were a great many in Athens. The intellectual life of the city attracted a very mixed group — young Romans sent to finish their education, artists, sight-seers, philosophers, and curiosity seekers from every province in the empire, and even beyond.

Spent their time. More literally, “were having leisure for.” The tense of the Greek verb implies that this was their constant state of mind. If all one’s time is spent in a certain occupation, there is no leisure for anything else. The Athenians could find time for the pursuit of novelty, but for little else besides.

Some new thing. Literally, “some newer thing,” or, as we would say, the “very latest news.” This propensity of the Athenian populace is confirmed by statements of classical authors. Thucydides represents Cleon as complaining of his countrymen that they were in the habit of playing the part of ‘“spectators of words and hearers of deeds’” (History iii. 38.4; Loeb ed., Thucydides, vol. 2, p. 63). Reference has already been made to a like charge laid by Demosthenes.