17:27 {That they should seek God} (zetein ton qeon). Infinitive (present active) of purpose again. Seek him, not turn away from him as the nations had done (#Ro 1:18-32). {If haply they might feel after him} (ei ara ge yelafeseian auton). First aorist active (Aeolic form) optative of yelafaw, old verb from yaw, to touch. So used by the Risen Jesus in his challenge to the disciples (#Lu 24:39), by the Apostle John of his personal contact with Jesus (#1Jo 1:1), of the contact with Mount Sinai (#Heb 12:18). Here it pictures the blind groping of the darkened heathen mind after God to "find him" (heuroien, second aorist active optative) whom they had lost. One knows what it is in a darkened room to feel along the walls for the door (#De 28:29; Job 5:14; 12:25; Isa 59:10). Helen Keller, when told of God, said that she knew of him already, groping in the dark after him. The optative here with ei is due to the condition of the fourth class (undetermined, but with vague hope of being determined) with aim also present (Robertson, _Grammar_, p. 1021). Note also ara ge the inferential particle Ara with the delicate intensive particle ge. {Though he is not far from each one of us} (kai ge ou makran apo henos hekastou hemwn huparconta). More exactly with B L (kai ge instead of kaitoi or kaitoi ge), "and yet being not far from each one of us," a direct statement rather than a concessive one. The participle huparconta agrees with auton and the negative ou rather than the usual me with the participle makes an emphatic negative. Note also the intensive particle ge.
17:27 zhtein ton kurion ei ara ge yhlafhseian auton kai euroien kaitoige ou makran apo enos ekastou hmwn uparconta
685 ara ar-ah' probably from 142; properly, prayer (as lifted to Heaven), i.e. (by implication) imprecation:--curse. see GREEK for 142
This verse speaks to God displaying Himself in creation..that even the heathan can see Him in their darkness..(All creation speaks of God)
From the Geneva bible
(p) For as blind men we could not seek out God except by groping, before the true light came and enlightened the world. >
This was a free offer of the gospel to the Greeks. Some like Thomas would poke their fingers in the hole and KNOW others would mock and walk away
IMHO
You can run to the 'Greek' all you want, the verse still destroys your 'total depravity' view. Man is groping for God which a corpse is unable to do.
Regarding the Geneva Bible, it left out the particle (perhaps). A little too close to the truth so the translators flinched