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Acts 17:18 – NASB vs. HCSB vs. ESV
Acts 17:18 NASB And also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him. Some were saying, “What would this idle babbler wish to say?” Others, “He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,”–because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.
Acts 17:18 HCSB Then also, some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers argued with him. Some said, “What is this pseudo-intellectual trying to say?” Others replied, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign deities”–because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.
Acts 17:18 ESV Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”–because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.
The word translated as “idle babbler” (NASB) and “babbler” (ESV) is literally, “a seed picker.” It can mean someone who just talks a lot, or flatters, and “babbler” would fit that description. However, another meaning is someone who spouts off various unrelated bits of knowledge. The HCSB’s “pseudo-intellectual” is exactly what the context suggests.
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