Acts 6

Acts · Chapter 6

Acts 6:2

1And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.2Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.3Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.4But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.5And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:6Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.7And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.8And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.9Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen.10And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.11Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God.12And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council,13And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:14For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.15And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
2Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.So the Twelve summoned all the disciples and said, “It is unacceptable for us to neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables.And the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not fit that we should forsake the word of God, and serve tables.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Greek words

EnglishGreekSay itStrong'sMeaning
Having called nearπροσκαλεσάμενοιproskalesamenoiG4341
to call to/summon

προσκαλέω (proskaleō) προσ-καλέω, -ῶ [in LXX chiefly for קָרָא ;] to call to. Mid., to call to oneself (see M, Pr., 157): with accusative of person(s), Mat.10:1, Mrk.3:13 6:7, Luk.7:19, Act.5:40, Jas.5:14, al. Metaphorical, of the Divine call: Act.2:39; with inf., Act.16:10 (see Bl., § 69, 4); before εἰς, Act.13:2.† (AS)

thenδὲdeG1161
then

δέ (de) δέ (before vowels δ᾽; on the general neglect of the elision in NT, see WH, App., 146; Tdf., Pr., 96), post-positive conjunctive particle; 1. copulative, but, in the next place, and, now (Abbott, JG, 104): Mat.1:2ff., 2Co.6:15, 16, 2Pe.1:5-7; in repetition for emphasis, Rom.3:21, 22, 9:30, 1Co.2:6, Gal.2:2, Php.2:8; in transition to something new, Mat.1:18, 2:19, Luk.13:1, Jhn.7:14, Act.6:1, Rom.8:28, 1Co.7:1 8:1, al.; in explanatory parenthesis or addition, Jhn.3:19, Rom.5:8, 1Co.1:12, Eph.2:4, 5:32, al.; ὡς δέ, Jhn.2:9; καὶ . . . δέ, but also, Mat.10:18, Luk.1:76, Jhn.6:51, Rom.11:23, al.; …

TwelveδώδεκαdōdekaG1427
twelve

δώδεκα (dōdeka) δώδεκα, οἱ, αἱ, τά indecl. numeral, twelve: Mat.9:20 10:1, al.; οἱ δ., the apostles, Mat.10:5, Mrk.4:10, al.; in Act.19:7 24:11, for Rec. δεκαδύο. (AS)

multitudeπλῆθοςplēthosG4128
multitude

πλῆθος (plēthos) πλῆθος, -ους, τό [in LXX chiefly for רֹב, also for הָמוֹן, etc. ;] 1. a great number, a multitude; (a) of things : ἰχθύων, Luk.5:6, Jhn.21:6; φρυγάνων, Act.28:3; ἁμαρτιίῶν, Jas.5:20, 1Pe.4:8; τ. πλήθει, in multitude, Heb.11:12; (b) of persons: Act.21:22 (WH, R, om.); with genitive, Luk.2:13, Jhn.5:3, Act.5:14; π. πολύ (πολὺ π.), Mrk.3:7-8; id. with genitive, Luk.6:17 23:27, Act.14:1 17:4 …

disciplesμαθητῶνmathētōnG3101
disciple

μαθητής (mathētēs) μαθητής, -οῦ, ὁ (μανθάνω), [in LXX only as seel. (A) in Jer.13:21 20:11 26(46):9 * ;] a disciple: opposite to διδάσκαλος, Mat.10:24, Luk.6:40; Ἰωάννου, Mat.9:14, Luk.7:18, Jhn.3:25; τ. Φαρισσίων, Mat.22:16, Mrk.2:18, Luk.5:33; Μωυσέως, Jhn.9:28; Ἰησοῦ, Luk.6:17 7:11 19:37, Jhn.6:66 7:3 19:38; esp. the twelve, Mat.10:1 11:1, Mrk.7:17, Luk.8:9, Jo 2:2, al.; later, of Christians generally, Act.6:1, 2 7 9:19, al.; τ. κυρίου, Act.9:1. (AS)

they said;εἶπαν·eipanG2036
to say

εἶπον (eipon) εἶπον, 2 aorist of obsolete present ἔπω (cf. Veitch), used as aorist of λέγω, which see (AS)

NotοὐκoukG3756
no

οὐ (ou) οὐ, before a vowel with smooth breathing οὐκ, before one with rough breathing οὐχ (but improperly οὐχ ἰδού, Act.2:7, WH, mg.; cf. WH, Intr., §409; M, Pr., 44, 244), [in LXX for אֵין ,אַיִן ,לֹא ;] neg. particle, not, no, used generally with indic, and for a denial of fact (cf . μή); 1. absol. (accented), οὔ, no: Mat.13:29 Jhn.1:21 21:5; οὒ οὕ, Mat.5:37 Jas.5:12. …

desirableἀρεστόνarestonG0701
pleasing

ἀρεστός (arestos) ἀρεστός, -ή, -όν (ἀρέσκω), [in LXX for יָשָׁר, etc. ;] pleasing, agreeable (Hdt., Xen., and later writers; see Cremer, 641 f; MM, see word): with dative of person(s), Jhn.8:29, Act.12:3; before ἐνώπιον, with genitive (Bl., § 37, 1; 40, 7), 1Jn.3:22; ἀρεστόν ἐστιν, with accusative and inf (El., § 69, 5; 72, 5), Act.6:2.† (AS)

it is [for]ἐστινestinG1510
you are

εἶ (ei) εἰμί, with various uses and significations, like the English verb to be. I. As substantive verb. 1. Of persons and things, to be, exist: Act.17:28, Jhn.1:1, 8:58, 17:5, al; ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν (for past ptcp.), Rev.1:4, 8, 4:8, 11:17, 16:5 (see Swete, Ap., 5; M, Pr., 228); τὰ (μὴ) ὄντα, Rom.4:17, 1Co.1:28. 2. Of times, events, etc., to be, happen, take place: Mat.24:3, Mrk.14:2, 15:42, Luk.21:23, Jhn.4:6, 23, 5:10, al. …

usἡμᾶςhēmasG3165
me

μέ (me) 1. apostrophe for με. 2. rarely for μοι, (Homer) (ML)

having neglectedκαταλείψανταςkataleipsantasG2641
to leave behind

καταλείπω (kataleipō) κατα-λείπω [in LXX chiefly far שָׁאַר, ni., hi., also for עָזַב, יָתַר, etc. ;] 1 1, to leave behind, leave: with accusative of person(s) (of thing(s)), Mat.4:13, Mrk.12:19, 21, Luk.20:31, Act.24:27 25:14, Heb.11:27; of sailing by a place, Act.21:3; ptcp., καταλιπών, redundant (Dalman, Words, 21 f.), Mat.16:4 21:17; pass., Jhn.8:9, 1Th.3:1; metaphorically, εὐθεῖαν ὁδόν, 2Pe.2:15. 2. to forsake, abandon: Mat.19:5, Mrk.10:7" (LXX) Mrk.14:52, Luk.5:28 15:4, Act.6:2, Eph.5:31" (LXX) . …

wordλόγονlogonG3056
word

λόγος (logos) λόγος, -ου, ὁ (λέγω) [in LXX chiefly for דָּבָר, also for מִלָּה ,אֵמֶר, etc. ;] I. Of that by which the inward thought is expressed, Lat. oratio, sermo, vox, verbum. 1. a word, not in the grammatical sense of a mere name (ἔπος, ὄνομα, ῥῆμα), but a word as embodying a conception or idea: Mat.8:8, Luk.7:7, 1Co.14:9, 19 Heb.12:19, al. …

of GodθεοῦtheouG2316
God

θεός (theos) θεός, -οῦ, ὁ, ἡ (Act.19:37 only; see M, Pr., 60, 244), late voc., θεέ (Mat.27:46; cf. Deu.3:24, al.), [in LXX chiefly for אֱלֹהִים, also for אֵל and other cognate forms, יהוה, etc. ;] a god or deity, God. 1. In polytheistic sense, a god or deity: Act.28:6, 1Co.8:4, 2Th.2:4, al.; pl., Ac. 14:11 19:26, Gal.4:8, al. 2. Of the one true God; …

to attendδιακονεῖνdiakoneinG1247
to serve

διακονέω (diakoneō) διακονέω, ῶ (δίακονος); 1. generally, to minister, serre, wait upon, especially at table, to do one a service, cure for one's needs: absol., Mat.20:28, Mrk.10:45, Luk.10:40 22:26, 27, Jhn.12:2, 1Pe.4:11; ὅσα διηκόνησεν, 2Ti.1:18; with dative of person(s), Mat.4:11 8:15 25:44 27:55, Mrk.1:13, 31 15:41, Luk.4:39 8:3 12:37 17:8, Jhn.12:26, Act.6:2 19:22, Rom.15:25, Phm 13, Heb.6:10. 2. to serve as deacon: 1Ti.3:10, 3:13. 3. C. accusative of thing(s), to minister, supply, supply by ministration: 1Pe.1:12 4:10; pass., 2Co.3:3 8:19, 20.† SYN.: λειτουργέω, which see (Cremer, 179). (AS)

at tables.τραπέζαις.trapezaisG5132
table

τράπεζα (trapeza) τράπεζα, -ης, ἡ [in LXX chiefly for שֻׁלְחָן, also for לֶחֶם, etc. ;] 1. a table, dining-table: Mat.15:27, Mrk.7:28, Luk.16:21 19:23 22:21, 30; of the table of shewbread, Heb.9:2. By meton., of food provided (see DB, iv, 670 a): Act.16:34, Rom.11:9" (LXX) 1Co.10:21; διακονεῖν ταῖς τ., Act.6:2 (cf. Page, in l, but see infr.). 2. A money-changer's table, a bank (Dem., Arist., al.): Mat.21:12, Mrk.11:15, Luk.19:23, Jhn.2:15; so also accusative to Dr. Field (Notes, 113), Act.6:2 (but see supr.).† (AS)

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.