Preface: Acts 6 is a very short chapter. The Apostles decide that they are spending too much time doing perfunctory things (like serving tables), which interferes with their ability to study and teach. So they appoint 7 deacons (one of those deacons being Philip, who will be featured prominently in Acts 8).

In the second half of Acts 6, Stephen, one of the chosen deacons, has the ability to do signs and wonders before the people. While evangelizing, a number of Jews stand up to debate with him publically. Since they found themselves losing the debate, they haul Stephen before the Sanhedrin on trumped up charges. This narrative is continued in Acts 7.

Bible Summary: The disciples chose seven men to distribute food. Some from the synagogue disputed with Stephen. They took him before the council.

The “Key” & Main Points of Chapter 6 (a chart); from Slide Player; accessed June 30, 2022.

This should be the most extensive examination of Acts 6 available, where you will be able to examine in depth every word of the original text.

Brief Overview: (taken from Light of the Word; accessed April 22, 2022).

Time and Place as per Modern Literal Version 2020:

Autumn 36 AD. Temple at Jerusalem. Pontius Pilate deposed. [Kukis note: I have no idea what the MLV means by Pilate deposed.]

Outline of Chapter 6:

Preface

Introduction

         vv.     1–7           Selection of the First Seven Deacons

         vv.     8–15         Stephen, One of the Deacons, Is Arrested

Chapter Summary

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Preface               Preface

         Preface               Brief Overview

         Preface               The “Key” & Main Points of Chapter 6 (a chart)

         Preface               Quotations

         Introduction         Titles and/or Brief Descriptions of Acts 6 (by Various Commentators)

         Introduction         Brief, but insightful observations of Acts 6 (various commentators)

         Introduction         Fundamental Questions About Acts 6

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Prequel to Acts 6

         Introduction         The Principals of Acts 6

         Introduction         The Places of Acts 6

         Introduction         By the Numbers

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Acts 6

         Introduction         Outlines and Summaries of Acts 6 (Various Commentators)

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Acts 6 from the Summarized Bible

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Big Picture (Acts 4–9)

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         Changes—additions and subtractions

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         Summary            A Set of Summary Doctrines and Commentary

         Summary            Why Acts 6 is in the Word of God

         Summary            What We Learn from Acts 6

         Summary            Jesus Christ in Acts 6

         Summary 

         Summary 

         Addendum          Footnote for Acts 6:1 (The Christian Community Bible)

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 6:1–4

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 6:5–8

         Addendum          Footnote for Acts 6:8 (The Christian Community Bible)

         Addendum          Families of Manuscripts

         Addendum          2 Major Manuscript Families (a graphic)

         Addendum          Two Canonicity Charts (two graphics)

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 6:9–15

         Addendum          Josephus’ History of this Time Period

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         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Acts 6

         Addendum 

         Addendum          Doctrinal Teachers Who Have Taught Acts 6

         Addendum          Word Cloud from the Kukis Paraphrase of Acts 6

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of Acts 6

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An Introduction to Acts 6

I ntroduction: Acts 6 helps us to realize that the nascent church did not find its footing or its specific doctrines right from the beginning. The primary responsibility for the early church was to evangelize the people of Jerusalem (and elsewhere) using the existing Word of God, which was the Old Testament. If we are at about a.d. 30 at this point in time (perhaps as late as a.d. 32 or even 36), the church is still in beginning stages and the Apostles all appear to be in one place—Jerusalem.

Previously, we have read the words, and they were all with one accord. That is going to change with this chapter. They will have some strong differences at the beginning of this chapter, but those differences will be solved in a different way than you might think. Instead of gathering and debating the issue at hand, they gather and elect specific men—not Apostles—to handle the task about which they are arguing.

The second part of this chapter looks at Stephen, one of the men chosen as a deacon. It will turn out that Stephen has a very deep knowledge of the Word of God (which will become more clear in the chapter which follows). This understanding of Bible doctrine is one of the qualifications for choosing a deacon (v. 3).

This chapter confirms what has occurred in past chapters. The ability to perform a miracle will not convince all people. Stephen, in v. 8, clearly performs great signs and wonders; yet his message will be rejected by people who see these signs and wonders themselves (vv. 11–14).

There is a clear purpose for signs and wonders in the ministry of Jesus and in the early church; but if someone is stuck in negative volition, the miracles will not change them. The signs will not change their minds, even when presented with logical arguments that they themselves cannot defeat (v. 10).

Stephen will be hauled in before the Sanhedrin in this chapter, and false witnesses will have been called against him. The result of that trial, and Stephen’s response, are all found in the very lengthy Acts 7 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). There really ought not to be two separate chapters, Acts 6 and Acts 7. This chapter 6 is really an introduction followed by a fantastic sermon. Even though Acts 7 is a lengthy 60 verses, it should have been 15 verses longer (the length of Acts 6).

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Several times in the book of Acts, we read, And the church was of one mind and one accord. With Acts 6:1, that begins to change.

Selection of the First Seven Deacons

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       I will use the Westcott-Hort Greek text as the basis for my English translation. I use that test primarily because e-sword has a nice module by Rob Wolfram which has the interlinear English text, Strong’s #’s, and the Greek morphology. The e-sword tab is IWH+P. I do not use their English text for my translation. Also, throughout, I take in consideration alternate readings.

As a young Christian, I was quite interested in the alternative readings. After many decades of study, I have found that, as with the Hebrew text, disputed readings rarely have any affect on the interpretation of a text (apart from perhaps a half-dozen fairly well-known alternate readings, like the end of the book of Mark).

I will compare the Greek text to English translations of the Latin and Syriac (= Aramaic) texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation and George Lamsa’s translation from the Syriac. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.).

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

The Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls are irrelevant, as they preceded the writing of the New Testament by over 200 years.

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Ancient texts:

Westcott-Hort Text (Greek)    And in the days these a continued increasing of the disciples. There became a grumbling of the Hellenists face to face with the Hebrews, that were being overlooked in the service, the daily (ration) the widows of them.

Complete Apostles’ Bible      Now in those days, as the disciples were increasing in number, there arose a complaint from the Greek speaking Jews against the Aramaic speaking Jews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution.

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) And in those days, the number of the disciples increasing, there arose a murmuring of the Greeks against the Hebrews, for that their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

Holy Aramaic Scriptures        And in those days, when The Talmiyde {The Disciples/The Students} were increasing, The Yawnaye Talmiyde {The Greek Disciples} were complaining about The Ebraye {The Hebrews}; that their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

James Murdock’s Syriac NT And in those days, when the disciples had become numerous, the Grecian disciples murmured against the Hebrew, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration to the needy.

Original Aramaic NT              And in those days when the disciples had multiplied, the Hellenist disciples complained against the Hebrews*, that their widows were disregarded in the daily ministry.

Significant differences: 

English Translations:          I have included translations which I disagree with and footnotes that I do not necessarily agree with. If I believe that the author is too far from the truth, I may even address that at the footnote. However, nearly all of the correct commentary will be found following the Greek text box and the translation of each phrase.

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was increasing, protests were made by the Greek Jews against the Hebrews, because their widows were not taken care of in the distribution of food every day.

Bible in Worldwide English     At that time more and more people joined the disciples. Then there was trouble about a certain matter. The Jews who spoke the Greek language complained against the other Jews. They said that each day when the food was being divided, their women whose husbands were dead did not get their part.

Easy English                          The believers choose seven men

At that time, more and more people became disciples of Jesus. Among the believers, some were Jews who spoke the Greek language. Others were Jews who spoke the Aramaic language. The Jews who spoke Greek had a problem with the other Jews. They said, ‘The widows in our group do not receive the right help. Each day, when you give out the food and money, our widows receive less than they should get.’

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  More and more people were becoming followers of Jesus. But during this same time, the Greek-speaking followers began to complain against the other Jewish followers. They said that their widows were not getting their share of what the followers received every day.

God’s Word™                         At that time, as the number of disciples grew, Greek-speaking Jews complained about the Hebrew-speaking Jews. The Greek-speaking Jews claimed that the widows among them were neglected every day when food and other assistance was distributed.

Good News Bible (TEV)         Some time later, as the number of disciples kept growing, there was a quarrel between the Greek-speaking Jews and the native Jews. The Greek-speaking Jews claimed that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of funds.

J. B. Phillips                           The first deacons are chosen

About this time, when the number of disciples was continually increasing, the Greeks complained that in the daily distribution of food the Hebrew widows were being given preferential treatment.

The Message                         The Word of God Prospered

During this time, as the disciples were increasing in numbers by leaps and bounds, hard feelings developed among the Greek-speaking believers—“Hellenists”—toward the Hebrew-speaking believers because their widows were being discriminated against in the daily food lines.

NIRV                                      Seven Leaders Are Chosen

In those days the number of believers was growing. The Greek Jews complained about the non-Greek Jews. They said that the widows of the Greek Jews were not being taken care of. They weren’t getting their fair share of food each day.

New Life Version                    Church Leaders Are Chosen

In those days the group of followers was getting larger. Greek-speaking Jews in the group complained against the Jews living in the country around Jerusalem. The Greek-speaking Jews said that their women whose husbands had died were not taken care of when the food was given out each day.

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Casual English Bible              ACTS 6

WHEN THE CHURCH STARTED GRUMBLING

SOUP KITCHEN: FIRST NON-PREACHING MINISTRY

In time, the number of believers [1] in Jerusalem started growing again. Greek-speaking believers who had moved to the Jewish homeland [2] said their needy widows weren’t getting a fair share of the free food, compared to what the local Hebrew-speaking widows were getting.

¹6:1More literally, the believers were called “disciples.” Not to be confused with the original 12 disciples of Jesus.

²6:1The literal term for “Greek-speaking believers” is “Hellenists.” That refers to people who spoke Greek as their first language. Greek was the international language of the day, much as English is widely used throughout the world today. For most Jerusalem locals, their main language was either Hebrew or Aramaic. Bible experts estimate that only about 10 to 20 percent of the Jews living in Jerusalem were Hellenist Jews who had moved there. Jews from other countries often moved to the Jewish homeland for the same reasons many Jews do that today.

Contemporary English V.       A lot of people were now becoming followers of the Lord. But some of the ones who spoke Greek started complaining about the ones who spoke Aramaic. They complained that the Greek-speaking widows were not given their share when the food supplies were handed out each day.

The Living Bible                     But with the believers multiplying rapidly, there were rumblings of discontent. Those who spoke only Greek complained that their widows were being discriminated against, that they were not being given as much food in the daily distribution as the widows who spoke Hebrew. So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. A portion of v. 2 is included for context.

New Berkeley Version           .

New Living Translation           Seven Men Chosen to Serve

But as the believers^[a] rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.

[a] Greek disciples; also in 6:2, 7.

The Passion Translation        During those days the number of Jesus’ followers kept multiplying greatly. But a complaint was brought against those who spoke Aramaic by the Greek-speaking Jews, who felt their widows were being overlooked during the daily distribution of food.

Plain English Version             The Christians picked 7 men to be church workers

At that time, a lot of people believed in Jesus and started to follow him. Some of them talked in the Greek language, and some of them talked in the Jewish language, called Hebrew. The Christians that talked Greek complained about the Christians that talked Hebrew. They said that the people that looked after the widows didn’t give enough food or money to the widows that talked Greek.

UnfoldingWord Simplified T.  During that time, many more people were becoming believers. The non-native Jews began to complain about the native born Israelites, because the widows among them were not receiving their fair share of food every day.

Williams’ New Testament      In those days, as the number of the disciples was increasing, complaint was made by the Greek-speaking Jews against the native Jews that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Now, back in those days when the disciples were increasing, the Greek-speaking Jews started grumbling about the Hebrew-speaking Jews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution.

Beck’s American Translation .

Breakthrough Version            In these days, as the students were increasing, grumbling came from the Greek-speaking Jews to the Hebrew-speaking Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving.

Common English Bible           Selection of seven to serve

About that time, while the number of disciples continued to increase, a complaint arose. Greek-speaking disciples accused the Aramaic-speaking disciples because their widows were being overlooked in the daily food service.

Len Gane Paraphrase           At that time, when the number of the disciples was growing rapidly, there arose a complaint by the Greeks against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily charitable aid.

A. Campbell's Living Oracles Now, in these days, the number of the disciples being multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Hellenists that is, Jews who used the Greek language against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministrations.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       At this time, as the number of the disciples increased, complaints were brought against those who spoke Hebrew by those who spoke Greek; their widows, they said, were neglected in the daily administration of relief.[1]

[1] ‘Those who spoke Greek’; that is, Jews who had been brought up outside Palestine, and Gentiles who had become proselytes to the Jewish religion, and afterwards Christian.

NT for Everyone                     Problems of Family Living

Around that time, as the number of disciples increased, the ‘Hellenists’ raised a dispute with the ‘Hebrews’ because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.

20^th Century New Testament About this time, when the number of the disciples was constantly increasing, complaints were made by the Jews of foreign birth against the native Jews, that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Conservapedia Translation    Back then, while the number of disciples grew at an incredible rate, some Grecians muttered about the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected by their activities.

Ferrar-Fenton Bible                The Election of Deacons.

But about this time, when the number of the disciples kept increasing, a complaint came from the Hellenists (or Grecian Jews) against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the distribution of relief.

Free Bible Version                 At this time, when the number of believers was increasing rapidly, the Greek-speaking believers started arguing with the Aramaic-speaking believers*. They complained that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           In those days as the number of the disciples grew, there arose a grudge among the Greeks against the Hebrews, because their widows were despised in the daily ministration.

International Standard V        Seven Men are Chosen to Help the Apostles

In those days, as the number of the disciples was growing larger and larger, a complaint was made by the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food.

Montgomery NT                     Now in these days while the number of the disciples was multiplying, the Grecian Jews began to murmur against the Hebrews, because their widows were habitually overlooked in the distribution of alms.

UnfoldingWord Literal Text    Now in these days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, a complaint by the Grecian Jews began against the Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.

Urim-Thummim Version         And in those days, when the number of the disciples increased, there arose a secret debate among the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were overlooked in the daily administration.

Weymouth New Testament    About this time, as the number of disciples was increasing, complaints were made by the Greek-speaking Jews against the Hebrews because their widows were habitually overlooked in the daily ministration.

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)     The choosing of the seven

• In those days, as the number of disciples grew, the so-called Hellenists complained against the so-called Hebrews, because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.

Extensive footnote for Acts 6:1 placed in Addendum.

9:29

The Heritage Bible                 And in those days, the disciples multiplying, there was a grumbling of the Greeks¹ against the Hebrews because their widows were overlooked in the daily ministry.

¹ 6:1 Greeks, Hellenists, (Greek Jews).

New American Bible (2011)   The Need for Assistants.

* At that time, as the number of disciples continued to grow, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.^a

* [6:1–7] The Hellenists…the Hebrews: the Hellenists were not necessarily Jews from the diaspora, but were more probably Palestinian Jews who spoke only Greek. The Hebrews were Palestinian Jews who spoke Hebrew or Aramaic and who may also have spoken Greek. Both groups belong to the Jerusalem Jewish Christian community. The conflict between them leads to a restructuring of the community that will better serve the community’s needs. The real purpose of the whole episode, however, is to introduce Stephen as a prominent figure in the community whose long speech and martyrdom will be recounted in Acts 7.

a. [6:1] 2:45; 4:34–35.

New Catholic Bible                 Jerusalem, First Center of Diffusion^[a]

Chapter 6

Institution of the Seven Deacons.^[b] 1 In those days, as the number of disciples grew, the Hellenists made a complaint against the Hebrews,^[c] asserting that their own widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food.

[a] Acts 6:1 The community at Jerusalem lived in the impetus of the Resurrection and of the Spirit. It could not stay by itself and remain sheltered from the threats of religious authorities. Its energy made it go out into the world and tell the good news.

[b] Acts 6:1 The Church decides on the ministers needed in order to maintain her freedom to pray and preach. The “deacons,” all of whom have Greek names, are not limited to an economic function; we also see them in the service of the Gospel, as in the case of Stephen (Acts 6:8) and Philip (Acts 8:6; 21:8), who also baptizes (Acts 8:12-13). The laying on of hands is a sign of the official investiture of those who have been appointed by the choice of the assembly.

[c] Acts 6:1 Hellenists . . . Hebrews: although the Church at this time was composed of Jews, these were of two types: Hellenists and Hebrews. The Hellenists were Greek-speaking Jews born outside Palestine who followed a Grecian philosophy. Hebrews spoke Aramaic and followed Jewish customs.

Revised English Bible–1989   The church moves outwards

DURING this period, when disciples were growing in number, a grievance arose on the part of those who spoke Greek, against those who spoke the language of the Jews; they complained that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution.

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           Around this time, when the number of talmidim was growing, the Greek-speaking Jews began complaining against those who spoke Hebrew that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution.

Holy New Covenant Trans.    More and more people were becoming students of Jesus. But during this same time, the Greek-speaking Jewish students had an argument with the Aramaic-speaking students. They claimed that their widows were not getting their share of the things which the widows received each day.

The Scriptures 2009              And in those days, when the taught ones were increasing, there arose a grumbling against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were overlooked in the daily serving.

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Accurate New Testament       ...in but the days these increasing the students becomes Complaint [of] the men (hellenized) to the hebrews for were overlooked in the service the [one] daily The Widows [of] them...

Alpha & Omega Bible            NOW AT THIS TIME WHILE THE DISCIPLES WERE INCREASING [in number], A COMPLAINT AROSE ON THE PART OF THE HELLENISTIC JEWS AGAINST THE [native] HEBREWS, BECAUSE THEIR WIDOWS WERE BEING OVERLOOKED IN THE DAILY SERVING of food.

Awful Scroll Bible                   Moreover from-within those days, the number of disciples are increasing, there comes to be a grumbling of the Jews in Greece, with regards to the Hebrews, since their widows were off,- from- being -beheld-the-experience from-within the daily ministration.

Concordant Literal Version    Now in these days, the disciples multiplying, there came to be a murmuring of the Hellenists against the Hebrews, that their widows were overlooked in the daily dispensation."

exeGeses companion Bible   THE MINISTRY OF TABLES

And in these days,

as the number of the disciples multiplies,

there becomes a murmuring of the Hellenists

against the Hebrews,

because they overlook the widows

in the daily ministry.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           Now in these yamim of the Messianic talmidim being increased, there was a complaint by the Greekspeaking Yehudim keneged (against) the Sabra Yehudim mitzad (as to) their Greekspeaking Jewish almanot being overlooked in the daily support.

Rotherham’s Emphasized B.          § 11. Murmering among the Disciples: Seven chosen to minister.

Chapter 6.

But ||in these days|| <the disciples |multiplying|> there arose a murmuring of the Grecian Jews against the Hebrews, in that |their widows| were being overlooked in the daily ministry.

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                Choosing of the Seven

Now about this time, when the number of disciples was increasing, a complaint was made by the ^[a]Hellenists (Greek-speaking Jews) against the [^[b]native] Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food.

[a] Jews born outside the Holy Land who spoke the Greek language and had adopted much of the Greek culture.

[b] Native-born Jews who spoke Hebrew and/or Aramaic and lived according to Jewish custom.

An Understandable Version   Now during the days when the disciples were multiplying in number [in Jerusalem. See verse 7], some Greek-[speaking] Jews began to complain to the Hebrews that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution [of food].

The Expanded Bible              Seven Leaders Are Chosen

The number of ·followers [disciples] was ·growing [multiplying]. But during ·this same time [those days], the ·Greek-speaking followers [^L Hellenists; ^C Jewish Christians who spoke primarily Greek and had returned to Israel after living abroad] ·had an argument with [began grumbling/complaining against] the ·other followers [^L Hebrews; ^C Aramaic speaking Jewish Christians born in Israel]. The Greek-speaking widows were ·not getting their share [being neglected/overlooked in the distribution] of the food that was given out every day.

Jonathan Mitchell NT             Now in these days, during a progressive multiplying (= increasing the number) of the disciples (students; learners; apprentices), a discontented muttering of grumbling and complaints occurred (was birthed) from the Hellenists (Greek-speaking Jews, and/or, folks of the Hellenistic culture) aimed toward the Hebrews (the Hebrew-speaking folks, and/or folks living in accord with the Jewish culture) because their widows kept on being overlooked (= neglected and disregarded) in the daily attending service of dispensing hospitality and serving meals.

Syndein/Thieme                     And in those days, when the number of the disciples {'mathetes' in the Greek means pupil- a disciple was a 'student of doctrine'} was multiplied there arose a quarrel of the Hellenists {Greek-speaking Jews} against the Hebrews {followers of the Mosaic Law}, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

{Note: locally in Jerusalem, the church was growing and divisions were there based on backgrounds of the believers. First was economic status - rich versus poor. Next, There were cultural differences - there were followers of Greek culture and followers of the old Jewish ways. Also there were political differences - backers of Herod, the Sadducees, Pharisees, etc. Whoever was passing out the charity - called 'serving tables' - was not caring for those THEY did not like.}

Translation for Translators              The believers neglected the Greek-speaking widows.

Acts 6:1

During that time, many more people were becoming believers. Some of them were from other countries and spoke only the Greek language, but most of them had always lived in Israel and spoke the Hebrew language. Those who spoke Greek began to complain about those who spoke Hebrew. They were saying. “When you Hebrew-speaking believers distribute food or money to widows every day, you are not giving fair amounts to the widows who speak Greek!”

The Voice                               Things were going well, and the number of disciples was growing. But a problem arose. The Greek-speaking believers became frustrated with the Hebrew-speaking believers. The Greeks complained that the Greek-speaking widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.

Bible Translations with a Lot of Footnotes:

Lexham Bible                         The First Seven Deacons Appointed

Now in these days, as [*Here “as ” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“were increasing”)] the disciples were increasing in number , [*The words “in number ” are not in the Greek text but are implied] a complaint arose by the Greek-speaking Jews [Literally “Hellenists”] against the Hebraic Jews [Literally “Hebrews”] because [Or “that”] their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food . [*The words “of food ” are not in the Greek text but are implied].

NET Bible®                             The Appointment of the First Seven Deacons

Now in those¹ days, when the disciples were growing in number,² a complaint arose on the part of the Greek-speaking Jews³ against the native Hebraic Jews,⁴ because their widows⁵ were being overlooked⁶ in the daily distribution of food.⁷

^1tn Grk “these.” The translation uses “those” for stylistic reasons.

^2tn Grk “were multiplying.”

^3tn Grk “the Hellenists,” but this descriptive term is largely unknown to the modern English reader. The translation “Greek-speaking Jews” attempts to convey something of who these were, but it was more than a matter of language spoken; it involved a degree of adoption of Greek culture as well.

^sn The Greek-speaking Jews were the Hellenists, Jews who to a greater or lesser extent had adopted Greek thought, customs, and lifestyle, as well as the Greek language. The city of Alexandria in Egypt was a focal point for them, but they were scattered throughout the Roman Empire.

^4tn Grk “against the Hebrews,” but as with “Hellenists” this needs further explanation for the modern reader.

^5sn The care of widows is a major biblical theme: Deut 10:18; 16:11, 14; 24:17, 19-21; 26:12-13; 27:19; Isa 1:17-23; Jer 7:6; Mal 3:5.

^6tn Or “neglected.”

^7tn Grk “in the daily serving.”

^sn The daily distribution of food. The early church saw it as a responsibility to meet the basic needs of people in their group.

The Spoken English NT         The Believers Choose Seven Managers for the Food Distribution Work
Around that time,^a as the number of followers was growing, a grievance arose. The Greek-speaking Jews complained to the Hebrew speakers that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution.

^a.Lit. “And in these days.”

Wilbur Pickering’s New T.     Enter deacons
Now in those days, as the disciples were multiplying, a complaint arose from the Hellenists against the Hebrews, because their widows1 were being overlooked in the daily distribution.

(1) Wait a minute! Where did all those foreign widows come from? (There must have been a fair number, to have caused the problem.) Would a widow have traveled alone from Asia to Jerusalem to attend the Passover? Had their husbands died in Jerusalem? I would imagine more probably the latter, since time was passing and there were many thousands of believers; people would be dying, getting married, etc. as usual.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Analytical-Literal Translation  And in these days, the disciples increasing [in number], there came to be a complaint from the Greek-speaking Jews towards the Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily service [fig., distribution of food].

Benjamin Brodie’s trans.       Now during these days when the number of student-disciples was increasing, a complaint arose from the Hellenists [Jews from Greece] against the Hebrews [Jews from Israel], that their widows were being neglected during the daily distribution .

Context Group Version          Now in these days, when the number of the apprentices was multiplying, there arose a murmuring of the Grecian Judeans against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily service.

English Standard Version      Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.

Far Above All Translation       And in those days as the disciples increased in number, a complaint came from the Greek speakers against the Hebrew speakers, that their widows had been overlooked in the daily ministering to their needs.

Green’s Literal Translation    But in those days, the disciples having multiplied, a murmuring of the Hellenists toward the Hebrews occurred, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving.

Literal New Testament           BUT IN THOSE DAYS MULTIPLYING THE DISCIPLES THERE AROSE A MURMURING OF THE HELLENISTS AGAINST THE HEBREWS, BECAUSE WERE OVERLOOKED IN THE MINISTRATION DAILY WIDOWS. THEIR [I just cut and paste; this may be a typo on their part.]

Modern English Version         The Seven Helpers

Now in those days, as the disciples were multiplied, there was murmuring among the Hellenists against the Hebrews, because their widows were overlooked in the daily distribution.

Modern Literal Version 2020  {Autumn 36 AD. Temple at Jerusalem. Pontius Pilate deposed.}

Now in these days, while the disciples are multiplying, a murmuring came* out from the Grecian Jews aimed toward the Hebrews, because their widows were being left-unattended in the daily service.

New European Version          Administrative problems

Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a murmuring amongst the Greek speaking Jews against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.

New Matthew Bible                In those days, as the number of the disciples grew, there arose a grudge among the Greeks against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.

Niobi Study Bible                   Seven (Anointed Brethren) Chosen to Serve

And in those days when(n) the number of the disciples was multiplied, there(n) arose a murmuring of the Grecians(n) against the Hebrews(n), because their(n) widows were neglected in the daily(n) ministration.

Revised Geneva Translation  And in those days, as the number of the disciples grew, there arose murmuring of the Hellenists toward the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily ministry.

Webster’s Translation           And 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.

World English Bible                Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, a complaint arose from the Hellenists against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily service.

The gist of this passage:     There is a dispute in the church when it comes to taking care of the widows in the congregation.

Translation: In these days, the disciples [of Jesus] continued increasing.

From the very beginning, from the giving of the Holy Spirit, the Christian church has grown. It continues to grow even today, although the rate of growth changes.

In previous passages, we are given some numbers; here, we are simply told that the number of disciples is increasing.

Translation: [However,] there developed a complaint from the Hellenists [Greek-speaking converts] with the Hebrews,...

You may recall that, in previous chapters, everyone is gathered and they are all in one accord. This time, that is not the case. We have some disagreements taking place.

The Hellenists—those who spoke Greek and were converted—were probably a mixture of Jew and gentile (but most of them—possibly all of them—were Jewish). Most sources indicate that these are all Jews, but who have been completely Hellenized (that is, they have taken on the Greek language and culture).

Translation: ...that their widows were being overlooked in the daily relief aid.

A reasonable question arises here: where did all of these widows come from? This tells us that the church grew massively, day-by-day, month-by-month. The widows referred to did not necessarily begin as a believing couple and the husband died. Nor is the persecution, at this point, great enough to account for many husbands being killed by the Romans or Jews. The simple explanation is, many women, who were already widows, believed in Jesus Christ.

In the ancient world, in almost any circumstances, widowed women had a tough go of it. There were even more factors at work against them with God’s warning discipline coming down on Jerusalem (the early church functioned almost entirely out of Jerusalem). Many efforts continued in order to help support those believers living in Jerusalem. We have the distribution of foods here; and later, there will be a large offering gathered up by churches throughout the Roman empire specifically for the church in Jerusalem.

The problem which arose was, one group of believers seemed to be receiving different treatment from another group.

Acts 6:1 In these days, the disciples [of Jesus] continued increasing. [However,] there developed a complaint from the Hellenists [Greek-speaking converts] with the Hebrews, that their widows were being overlooked in the daily relief aid. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

On several occasions, in previous chapters, we have read that all of the early church was of one mind and of one accord. That is not the case here.

The particular group of believers believed that those in their sub-group were being discriminated against.

Acts 6:1 During that time, the disciples of Jesus continued to increase in numbers. However, partially as a result of this increase, there was a complaint leveled by the Greek-speaking converts (some of these being Hellenist Jews) against the Jewish believers, that the Hellenist widows were being overlooked in the daily rations and aid. (Kukis paraphrase)

——————————

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Westcott-Hort Text (Greek)    And having called, the twelve, the many of the disciples, they said, “Not pleasing is [this situation] to us, forsaking the Word of God to serve tables. But visit, brothers, men from you [all], being well reported of, seven [of them], full of a Spirit (Holy) and wisdom, whom we will place on the task this [one]. And we to the prayer and the ministering of the Word we will persevere.”

Complete Apostles Bible        Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, "It is not pleasing to us that we should forsake the word of God to serve tables.

Therefore, brothers, select seven men from among you, of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint for this need.

But we will faithfully engage in prayer and in the ministry of the word."

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) Then the twelve, calling together the multitude of the disciples, said: It is not reason that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.

Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.

But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.

Holy Aramaic Scriptures        And The Twelve Shlikhe {Sent Ones} called for all The Kensha {The Assembly} of The Talmiyde {The Disciples/The Students}, and said unto them, “It isn't fitting that we should leave The Miltha d’Alaha {The Word of God} and should be serving tables.

Now then, brothers, examine and choose seven men from you concerning whom is a good Testimony, and who are full of The Rukha d’MarYa {The Spirit of The Lord-YHWH}, and Wisdom. And establish them concerning this matter.

And we will be constantly in Prayer, and in The Ministry of The Word.”

James Murdock’s Syriac NT And the twelve legates convoked the whole company of the disciples, and said to them: It is not proper, that we should neglect the word of God, and serve tables.

Therefore brethren, search out, and elect from among you, seven men of whom there is good testimony, men full of the Spirit of the Lord, and of wisdom; that we may place them over this business:

and we will continue in prayer, and in the ministration of the word.

Original Aramaic NT              And the twelve Apostles called the whole assembly of the disciples and they said to them, "It is not acceptable for us to forsake the word of God and to serve tables."

"Search therefore, my brothers, and choose seven men among you upon whom is the testimony and who are full of The Spirit of THE LORD JEHOVAH and wisdom, and we shall appoint them over this matter."

"And we shall continue in prayer, and in the Ministry of the word."

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             And the Apostles sent for all the disciples and said, It is not right for us to give up preaching the word of God in order to make distribution of food. 

Take then from among you seven men of good name, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, to whom we may give control of this business. 

Then we will give all our time to prayer and the teaching of the word.

Bible in Worldwide English     Then the twelve apostles called all of the disciples together. They said, It is not right for us to stop preaching Gods word to divide the food. So then, brothers, you choose seven men who you know are good men. Choose men who are full of the Holy Spirit and are wise. We will give them the work to divide the food. But we ourselves will keep on talking with God and telling his word.

Easy English                          The 12 apostles heard about the problem. They told all the believers to meet together with them. The apostles said, ‘Our work is to teach people God's message about Jesus. We do not have time to give out the food and money to people as well. So, friends, please choose seven men from among you. You must know that each of them is full of the Holy Spirit. They must also be very wise. We will ask these seven men to do this work for us. Then we will have more time to pray. We will also have more time to teach people God's message.’

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  The twelve apostles called the whole group of followers together. The apostles said to them, "It would not be right for us to give up our work of teaching God's word in order to be in charge of getting food to people. So, brothers and sisters, choose seven of your men who have a good reputation. They must be full of wisdom and the Spirit. We will give them this work to do. Then we can use all our time to pray and to teach the word of God."

God’s Word™                         The twelve apostles called all the disciples together and told them, "It's not right for us to give up God's word in order to distribute food. So, brothers and sisters, choose seven men whom the people know are spiritually wise. We will put them in charge of this problem. However, we will devote ourselves to praying and to serving in ways that are related to the word."

Good News Bible (TEV)         So the twelve apostles called the whole group of believers together and said, "It is not right for us to neglect the preaching of God's word in order to handle finances. So then, friends, choose seven men among you who are known to be full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, and we will put them in charge of this matter. We ourselves, then, will give our full time to prayer and the work of preaching."

J. B. Phillips                           The twelve summoned the whole body of the disciples together and said, “It is not right that we should have to neglect preaching the Word of God in order to look after the accounts. You, our brothers, must look round and pick out from your number seven men of good reputation who are both practical and spiritually-minded and we will put them in charge of this matter. Then we shall devote ourselves whole-heartedly to prayer and the ministry of the Word.”

The Message                         So the Twelve called a meeting of the disciples. They said, “It wouldn’t be right for us to abandon our responsibilities for preaching and teaching the Word of God to help with the care of the poor. So, friends, choose seven men from among you whom everyone trusts, men full of the Holy Spirit and good sense, and we’ll assign them this task. Meanwhile, we’ll stick to our assigned tasks of prayer and speaking God’s Word.”

NIRV                                      So the 12 apostles gathered all the believers together. They said, “It wouldn’t be right for us to give up teaching God’s word. And we’d have to stop teaching to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven of your men. They must be known as men who are wise and full of the Holy Spirit. We will turn this important work over to them. Then we can give our attention to prayer and to teaching God’s word.”

New Life Version                    So the twelve missionaries called a meeting of the many followers and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the Word of God to hand out food. Brothers, choose from among you seven men who are respected and who are full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. We will have them take care of this work. Then we will use all of our time to pray and to teach the Word of God.”

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Casual English Bible              The Twelve called a meeting of the entire group. They said, “The 12 of us need to spend our time teaching you what Jesus taught us. We shouldn’t spend our time serving food, which is work other people could do. So here’s what we’re asking, friends. We want you to pick seven men. They should be well-respected, wise, and full of God’s Spirit. We’ll give them the job of running this ministry program for the needy. This way, we can spend more time praying and more time teaching you what Jesus taught us.”

Contemporary English V.       The twelve apostles called the whole group of followers together and said, "We should not give up preaching God's message in order to serve at tables. My friends, choose seven men who are respected and wise and filled with God's Spirit. We will put them in charge of these things. We can spend our time praying and serving God by preaching."

Goodspeed New Testament  So the Twelve called in the whole body of disciples and said to them, "It is not desirable that we should give up preaching the word of God to keep accounts.

You, brothers, must pick out from your number seven men of good standing, who are wise and full of the Spirit, and we will put them in charge of this matter, while we devote ourselves to prayer and to delivering the message."

The Living Bible                     “We should spend our time preaching, not administering a feeding program,” they said. “Now look around among yourselves, dear brothers, and select seven men, wise and full of the Holy Spirit, who are well thought of by everyone; and we will put them in charge of this business. Then we can spend our time in prayer, preaching, and teaching.” A portion of v. 2 was placed with the previous passage for context.

New Berkeley Version           .

New Living Translation           So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.”

The Passion Translation        The twelve apostles called a meeting of all the believers and told them, “It is not advantageous for us to be pulled away from the word of God to wait on tables.  We want you to carefully select from among yourselves seven godly men. Make sure they are honorable, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, and we will give them the responsibility of this crucial ministry of serving.  That will enable us to give our full attention to prayer and preaching the word of God.”

UnfoldingWord Simplified T.  So, after the twelve apostles had heard what they were saying, they summoned all the other believers in Jerusalem to meet together. Then the apostles said to them, "We would not be doing right if we stopped preaching and teaching God's message in order to distribute food to people! So, fellow believers, carefully choose seven men from among you, men whom you know that the Spirit of God directs and who are very wise. Then we will instruct them to do this work. As for us, we will keep on using our time to pray and to preach and teach the message about Jesus."

Plain English Version             So Jesus’s 12 special workers called all the other Christians to a meeting. They said, “We 12 men have been giving out the money and food, but now that job is too big for us. We haven’t got the time to do that job and then teach people God’s word properly. We have to keep on teaching people God’s word, so somebody else has to give out the money and food. So, friends, you pick 7 of your own men to do that job. They can give the money and food to the widows. You have to pick men that other people say are good men. They have to be men that God’s Holy Spirit controls properly, and they have to be men that always think properly. We will let those men take over that work. They will give money and food to the widows, while we will keep on praying and teaching God’s word.”

Radiant New Testament        So the 12 apostles gathered all the disciples together. They said, “It wouldn’t be right for us to give up teaching God’s word in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are wise and filled with the Holy Spirit. We’ll turn this important work over to them. Then we can devote our efforts to prayer and to teaching God’s word.”

William's New Testament       So the Twelve called together the whole body of the disciples, and said, "It is not desirable that we should leave off preaching the word of God to wait on tables. So, brothers, you must select from your number seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit, and of good practical sense, and we will assign them to this business, while we will go on devoting ourselves to prayer and the word of God."

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          As a result, the 12 called all the disciples to them and said:

‘The thought of our having to abandon the word of God to serve tables is displeasing to us.

‘So brothers, find seven qualified males among you who are filled with wisdom and the Breath [of God], and we’ll appoint them to handle these needs, 4so we can continue in our prayers and in serving the word.’

Beck’s American Translation .

Breakthrough Version            After the Twelve called for the large number of the students, they said, "It is not a thing satisfying us, leaving God's message to be serving tables. Brothers, keep an eye on seven men from you who are witnessed by you to be full of the Spirit and insight, whom we will put in charge over this need. But we will stay close to the prayer and the serving of the message."

Common English Bible           The Twelve called a meeting of all the disciples and said, “It isn’t right for us to set aside proclamation of God’s word in order to serve tables. Brothers and sisters, carefully choose seven well-respected men from among you. They must be well-respected and endowed by the Spirit with exceptional wisdom. We will put them in charge of this concern. As for us, we will devote ourselves to prayer and the service of proclaiming the word.”

Len Gane Paraphrase           Then the twelve called the group of the disciples and said, "It is not fitting that we should leave the Word of God and serve tables.

"Therefore brothers, look among you for seven men with a honest testimony, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we can appoint over this matter.

"But we will give ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word."

A. Campbell's Living Oracles And the twelve, having called the multitude of the disciples together, said, It is by no means agreeable, that we should leave the word of God to attend tables; therefore, brethren, look out from among yourselves seven men of an attested character, full of spirit and wisdom, whom we may set over this business; we will constantly attend to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       So the twelve called together the general body of the disciples, and said, It is too much that we should have to forgo preaching God’s word, and bestow our care upon tables. Come then, brethren, you must find among you seven men who are well spoken of, full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom, for us to put in charge of this business, while we devote ourselves to prayer, and to the ministry of preaching.

NT for Everyone                     So the Twelve called the whole crowd of disciples together.

‘Listen,’ they said. ‘It wouldn’t be right for us to leave the word of God to wait on tables. So, brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among yourselves who are well spoken of and filled with the spirit and wisdom. We will put them in charge of what needs to be done in this matter. We will continue to pay attention to prayer and to the ministry of the word.’

20^th Century New Testament The Twelve, therefore, called together the general body of the disciples and said to them: "It is not well for us to see to the distribution at the tables and neglect God's Message. Therefore, Brothers, look for seven men of reputation among yourselves, wise and spiritually-minded men, and we will appoint them to attend to this matter; While we, for our part, will devote ourselves to Prayer, and to the delivery of the Message."

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Berean Study Bible                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.  Therefore, brothers, select from among you seven men confirmed to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will appoint this responsibility to them and devote ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word.” 

Conservapedia Translation    So the twelve called the throngs of disciples in and said, "it is not reasonable to abandon God's word and serve tables."

"So, brothers, find among yourselves seven men who are known to be honest, full of the Divine Guide and his wisdom, who we can put in charge of this."

"But we will continue to pray assiduously and do the ministry of the Lord's word."

Revised Ferrar-Fenton Bible  The twelve then convened the body of the disciples, and said, "It is not desirable that we should have to neglect the Divine teaching, in order to attend to mere money matters; therefore, brothers, choose from among yourselves seven men of attested character, full of spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint to look after this business. But we will ourselves constantly attend to prayer, and to the office of teaching."

Free Bible Version                 The twelve apostles called all the believers together, and told them, “It’s not appropriate for us to give up spreading the word of God so we can wait at tables. Brothers, choose from among you seven trustworthy men full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will hand this responsibility over to them. We ourselves will give our full attention to prayer and the ministry of spreading the word.”

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples together and said: it is not meet (worthy) that we should leave the word of God and serve at the tables. Wherefore brethren look you out among you seven men of honest report and full of the holy ghost and wisdom, which we may appoint to this needful business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministration of the word.

International Standard V        So the Twelve called the whole group of disciples together and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect messages from [Lit. neglect the word of] God in order to wait on tables. Therefore, brothers, appoint seven men among you who have a good reputation, who are full of the Spirit and wisdom, and we will put them in charge of this work. Then we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

Montgomery NT                     Then the Twelve called the general body of the disciples together, and said to them. "It is not fitting for us to leave off preaching the Word of God, and minister at tables.

"So, brothers, find from among your own number seven men of good reputation who are full of the Spirit and of wisdom, and we will appoint them over this business.

"But we will give ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word."

NIV, ©2011                             .

Riverside New Testament      Then the twelve called the body of disciples together and said, "We do not wish to leave the message of God and wait on tables. Therefore, brethren, pick out seven men from among you, men of reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, and we will appoint them to look after this need. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the service of the message."

Urim-Thummim Version         Then the 12 called the association of the disciples to them and said, it is not fitting that we should leave the Word of Elohim to serve tables. Therefore brethren, pick out from among yourselves 7 men of honest report, full of the Sacred Spirit and wisdom, who we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the administration of the Word.

Weymouth New Testament    So the Twelve called together the general body of the disciples and said, "It does not seem fitting that we Apostles should neglect the delivery of God's Message and minister at tables. Therefore, brethren, pick out from among yourselves seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, and we will appoint them to undertake this duty. But, as for us, we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the delivery of the Message."

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)  So the Twelve summoned the whole body of disciples together and said, “It is not right that we should neglect the word of God to serve at tables. So, friends, choose from among yourselves seven respected men full of Spirit and wis dom, that we may appoint them to this task. As for us, we shall give ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word.”

18:17-26

2:42; 20:24; 21:19

The Heritage Bible                          And the twelve having called the multitude of the disciples to them, said, It is absolutely not appropriate for us to leave behind the word of God to serve tables.

Therefore, brothers, look for seven men of you, witnesses full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may place over this need.

And we will be in constant readiness in prayer and the ministry of the word.

New American Bible (2011)   * So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table.* Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task, whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

* [6:2–4] The essential function of the Twelve is the “service of the word,” including development of the kerygma by formulation of the teachings of Jesus.

* [6:2] To serve at table: some commentators think that it is not the serving of food that is described here but rather the keeping of the accounts that recorded the distribution of food to the needy members of the community. In any case, after Stephen and the others are chosen, they are never presented carrying out the task for which they were appointed (Acts 6:2–3). Rather, two of their number, Stephen and Philip, are presented as preachers of the Christian message. They, the Hellenist counterpart of the Twelve, are active in the ministry of the word.

New Catholic Bible                 And so the Twelve called together the entire community of disciples and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables. Therefore, brethren, we direct you to select from among you seven^[d] men of good reputation, men filled with the Spirit and with wisdom, to whom we may assign this task. We will then be able to devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

[d] Twelve . . . seven: the Twelve are representative of the twelve tribes of Israel; the Seven represent the Gentiles dwelling in Canaan (see Acts 13:19; Deut 7:1).

New Jerusalem Bible             So the Twelve called a full meeting of the disciples and addressed them, 'It would not be right for us to neglect the word of God so as to give out food; you, brothers, must select from among yourselves seven men of good reputation, filled with the Spirit and with wisdom, to whom we can hand over this duty. We ourselves will continue to devote ourselves to prayer and to the service of the word.'

NRSV (Anglicized Cath. Ed.) And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait at tables. [Or keep accounts] Therefore, friends, [Gk brothers] select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.’

Revised English Bible–1989   The Twelve called the whole company of disciples together and said, “It would not be fitting for us to neglect the word of God in order to assist in the distribution. Therefore, friends, pick seven men of good repute from your number, men full of the Spirit and of wisdom, and we will appoint them for this duty; then we can devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           So the Twelve called a general meeting of the talmidim and said, “It isn’t appropriate that we should neglect the Word of God in order to serve tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among yourselves who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will appoint them to be in charge of this important matter, but we ourselves will give our full attention to praying and to serving the Word.”

Hebraic Roots Bible               And having called near the assembly of the disciples, the twelve said, It is not good that we should neglect the Word of YAHWEH and serve tables. Examine therefore my brothers and pick seven men among you that have a good witness and who are full of the Spirit of YAHWEH and wisdom, and we will set them over this issue. But we shall continue steadfast in prayer and the service of the Word!

Holy New Covenant Trans.    The twelve delegates called the whole community of students together. They said to them, "It is wrong for us to quit teaching God’s message to serve tables instead. So, brothers, pick out seven of your own men. They must be known to be full of wisdom and full of the Spirit. We will confirm them to be over this work. Then we will use all of our time to pray and to teach the message of God."

The Scriptures 2009              So the twelve summoned the group of the taught ones and said, “It is not pleasing for us to leave the Word of Elohim and serve tables. 

“Therefore, brothers, seek out from among you seven men who are known to be filled with the Set-apart Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint for this duty, but we shall give ourselves continually to prayer and to serving the Word.”

Tree of Life Version                So the Twelve called together the whole group of the disciples and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. So, brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the service of the Word.”

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Accurate New Testament       ...Calling but The twelve [Men] the crowd [of] the students say not Pleasing is us leaving the word [of] the god to serve [to] tables watch! (carefully) but Brothers men from you* being testified seven full [of] spirit and [of] wisdom whom* [We] will appoint on the need this We but [to] the prayer and [to] the service [of] the word will devote...

Alpha & Omega Bible            SO THE TWELVE SUMMONED THE MULTITUDE OF THE DISCIPLES AND SAID, “IT IS NOT DESIRABLE FOR US TO NEGLECT THE WORD OF THEOS (The Alpha & Omega) IN ORDER TO SERVE TABLES.

“THEREFORE, BRETHREN, SELECT FROM AMONG YOU SEVEN MEN OF GOOD REPUTATION, FULL OF THE SPIRIT AND OF WISDOM, WHOM WE MAY PUT IN CHARGE OF THIS TASK.

“BUT WE WILL DEVOTE OURSELVES TO PRAYER AND TO THE SERVICE OF THE WORD.”

Awful Scroll Bible                   And the twelve, calling- the assemblage of disciples -to, said, "It is not agreeable for us, accordingly-forsaking the Word of God, to serve tables.

"Therefore brothers, be looking-over out of yous, seven men being honorably testified, filled of the Awful Breath and wisdom, whom we will set-down over this-same need.

(")But we will steadfast-by to wishing-with-regards-to, and to the ministry of the Word."

Concordant Literal Version    Now the twelve, calling the multitude of the disciples to them, say, "It is not pleasing for us, leaving the word of God, to be serving at tables."

Now, brethren, pick out seven attested men from among you, full of the spirit and of wisdom, whom we will place over this need."

Yet we shall be persevering in prayer and the dispensation of the word."

exeGeses companion Bible   And the twelve

call the multitude of the disciples to them,

and say, It is not pleasing to leave the word of Elohim,

and minister tables:

so, brothers,

scope out seven men of witness

full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom

to seat over this need:

but we continue in prayer

and to the ministry of the word.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And the Sheneym Asar, having called the multitude of the talmidim together, said, "It is not desirable for us to neglect the dvar Hashem in order to serve tishen.

"But select from among you Achim b'Moshiach, that is, shivah anashim, being of shem tov (good reputation) and full of the Ruach Hakodesh and chochmah, whom we will appoint over this duty; [SHEMOT 18:21; NECHEMYAH 13:13]

"But we will be devoted to tefillah and to the avodas kodesh service of the Dvar of the Besuras HaGeulah."

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. And the Twelveˎ calling near the throng of the disciplesˎ said—

It doth not seem ||right|| that |we|ˎ forsaking the word of Godˎ should be ministering unto tables.

But look out for yourselvesˎ brethren, seven men from among youˎ who can be well-attested, full of Spirit and wisdom,—whom we will appoint over this need;

But ||we|| <unto prayer and unto the ministry of the word> will give constant attention.

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                So the ^[c]Twelve called the disciples together and said, “It is not appropriate for us to neglect [teaching] the word of God in order to serve tables and manage the distribution of food. Therefore, brothers, choose from among you seven men with good reputations [men of godly character and moral integrity], full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. But we will [continue to] devote ourselves [steadfastly] to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

[c] See note Matt 10:2.

Matthew 10:2 In general usage the word “apostle” (Gr apostolos) means “sent one” or “messenger.” In this passage and others in reference to the “twelve,” the word “apostles” is used in a technical sense of the twelve disciples, and later Paul, whom Jesus chose. An apostle was one who witnessed Christ’s resurrection (Acts 1:21, 22; 1 Cor 9:1, 2). They validated their apostleship by performing “signs and wonders and miracles” (2 Cor 12:12), and were the foundation of the church.

An Understandable Version   So, the twelve apostles called the whole group of disciples together and said to them, “It is not right that we should neglect preaching the word of God in order to serve meals [to people]. Brothers, select from among you seven men with good reputations, who are full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we can appoint to take care of this matter. But we will continue earnestly in prayer and the preaching of God's word.”

The Expanded Bible              The ·twelve apostles [Twelve] called the whole group of ·followers [^L disciples] together and said, “It is not right for us to ·stop our work of teaching God’s word [^L leave/abandon the word of God] in order to serve tables. So, ·brothers and sisters [or brothers; ^C uncertain whether women would have been included in that culture], choose seven of your own men who ·are good [have a good reputation], full of the Spirit and full of wisdom. We will ·put [appoint] them in charge of this ·work [responsibility; ^L need]. Then we [apostles] can ·continue [devote ourselves] to pray and to ·teach [^L the ministry/service of] the word of God.”

Jonathan Mitchell NT             So the twelve, after summoning the full multitude of the disciples (students) to themselves, said to them, "It is not acceptable (satisfactory; approvable) [for] us to be constantly serving [food] at tables (also: = supervising the distribution of supplies), thus neglecting (or: completely abandoning; leaving down) the Word of God (or: the Word which is God; the Word coming from God)!

"Thus, brothers (= fellow believers and member of the community), look about carefully upon and inspect so as to select from your [ranks] seven adult men [who are] constantly being attested and certified by witnesses [to be] full of Breath-effect (or: [the] Spirit; Attitude) and of wisdom, whom we will proceed situating (setting or placing down) upon this need.

"Yet we ourselves will continue enduring strongly focused on and loyally persist in the thought, speaking and action aimed at having goodness, ease and well-being (or: with prayer) and the attending service of the Word (and: the dispensing pertaining to the Idea and from the Message which originates in the Logos)."

P. Kretzmann Commentary    Then 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.

Wherefore, 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.

But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the Word.

Kretzmann’s commentary for Acts 6:1–4 has been placed in the Addendum.

Syndein/Thieme                     Then the twelve {eleven true apostles and the one they 'elected'} called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, "It is not fitting that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables."

{Note: This is an important message to Men with the gift of communication (pastor/teacher today). Their job is to study and teach, study and teach. But the administration (in this case the distribution of funds) HAS to be done fairly, without personal bias.}

Wherefore, brethren, observe carefully among you for seven Noble Men having stability of character, full of the Holy Spirit {habitually filled with the Spirit} and wisdom {application of doctrine to experience}, whom we {the apostles} may appoint over this business.

{Note: Future tense of 'may appoint' indicates this is setting a precedent in the future -will always be this way in the Church Age. The administrators are not chosen by a popular vote, they are appointed by the leader of the local church.}

{The job of the Apostle while that temporary gift existed . . . and the job of the pastor-teacher today is to study and teach doctrine - with prayers thrown in.}

But we {Apostles and Pastors} will give ourselves to prayer, and to the teaching of the Word.

Translation for Translators     The apostles told the other believers to choose men to care for those widows.

Acts 6:2-4

So, after the twelve apostles had heard what they were complaining about, they summoned all the other believers in Jerusalem to meet together. Then the apostles said to those other believers, “We (exc) would not be doing right if we stopped preaching and teaching God’s message about Jesus in order to distribute food [MTY] and money to the widows! So, fellow believers, carefully choose seven men from among you, men whom you know that the Spirit of God controls completely and who are very wise. Then we (exc) will appoint them to do this work, and we (exc) will devote our time to pray and to preach and teach the message about Jesus.”

The Voice                               The twelve convened the entire community of disciples.

The Twelve: We could solve this problem ourselves, but that wouldn’t be right. We need to focus on proclaiming God’s message, not on distributing food. So, friends, find seven respected men from the community of faith. These men should be full of the Holy Spirit and full of wisdom. Whomever you select we will commission to resolve this matter so we can maintain our focus on praying and serving—not meals—but the message.

Bible Translations with Many Footnotes:

Lexham Bible                         So the twelve summoned the community of disciples and [*Here “and ” is supplied because the previous participle (“summoned”) has been translated as a finite verb] said, “It is not desirable that we neglect the word of God to serve tables.

So, brothers, select from among you seven men of good reputation, [Literally “well spoken of”] full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we will put in charge of this need.

But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

NET Bible®                             So the twelve⁸ called⁹ the whole group¹⁰ of the disciples together and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to wait on tables.¹¹ But carefully select from among you, brothers,¹² seven¹³ men who are well-attested,¹⁴ full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge¹⁵ of this necessary task.¹⁶ But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

^8sn The twelve refers to the twelve apostles.

^9tn Grk “calling the whole group…together, said.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενοι (proskalesamenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

^10tn Or “the multitude.”

^11tn Grk “to serve tables.”

^12tn It is not clear from a historical standpoint (but it is unlikely) that women would have been involved in the selection process too. For this reason the translation “brothers” has been retained, rather than “brothers and sisters” (used in contexts where both male and female believers are clearly addressed).

^13sn Seven. Jewish town councils often had seven members (Josephus, Ant. 4.18.14 [4.214]).

^14tn Or “are of good reputation” (BDAG 618 s.v. μαρτυρέω 2.b).

^15tn The translation “put in charge” is given by BDAG 492 s.v. καθίστημι 2.

^16tn Grk “of this need”; translated “necessary work” or “needed task” by L&N 42.22.

Wilbur Pickering’s New T.     So summoning the multitude of the disciples the twelve said: “It is not advantageous that we should forsake the Word of God to serve at tables.

Therefore, brothers, select from among you seven men² of good reputation, full of Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we will appoint over this need.

But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the Word.”³

(2) The term here refers only to males.

(3) Prayer and the ministry of the Word—how many pastors, missionaries, ‘apostles’ and such today would fit that description? Don’t you suppose we ought to start moving back in that direction?

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Analytical-Literal Translation  So the twelve having summoned the congregation of the disciples, said, "It is not desirable [for] us, having left the word of God, to be serving tables.

"Therefore, brothers [and sisters], look for seven men from [among] you_p, being well spoken of, full of [the] Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint over this need [or, necessity].

"But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word."

Benjamin Brodie’s trans.       So, the Twelve, after calling together a large number of student-disciples [disciples are students, apostles are teachers], announced: “It is not acceptable for us [as apostles who teach] to abandon the Word of God [as table waiters] for the purpose of serving meals.

Therefore, brethren, please select from among yourselves seven men who are well spoken of, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we will appoint to take charge over this service.

But we [apostles] will continue to be busily engaged in prayer and ministry of the Word .

Charles Thomson NT             Wherefore the twelve having called together the multitude of the disciples said, It is not proper that we should leave the word of God to attend tables: look out therefore, brethren, from among yourselves seven men of good reputation, full of a holy spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint to this office. And as for us, we will continue in the constant exercise of prayer, and in the ministration of the word.

Context Group Version          And the twelve called the multitude of the apprentices to them, and said, It is not fit that we should forsake the word of God to serve tables. But, brothers, find (pl) seven men of good report from among you (pl), full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will continue steadfastly in prayer, and in the service of the word.

Far Above All Translation       And when the twelve had called the company of disciples, they said, “It is not appropriate that we should abandon the word of God and serve at tables. So, brothers, select seven well-attested men from your company, full of holy spirit and wisdom, for us to appoint in this matter. But we will continue resolutely in prayer and the ministry of the word.”

Literal New Testament           AND HAVING CALLED TO [THEM] THE TWELVE THE MULTITUDE OF THE DISCIPLES, SAID, NOT SEEMLY IT IS [FOR] US, LEAVING THE WORD OF GOD, TO ATTEND TABLES.

LOOK OUT THEREFORE, BRETHREN, MEN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES, BORN WITNESS TO SEVEN, FULL OF [THE] SPIRIT HOLY AND WISDOM, WHOM WE WILL APPOINT OVER THIS BUSINESS;

BUT WE TO PRAYER AND THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD WILL STEADFASTLY CONTINUE.

Literal Standard Version        And in these days, the disciples multiplying, there came a murmuring of the Hellenists at the Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily ministry, and the Twelve, having called near the multitude of the disciples, said, “It is not pleasing that we, having left the word of God, minister at tables; look out, therefore, brothers, seven men of you who are testified well of, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may set over this necessity, and we to prayer, and to the ministry of the word, will give ourselves continually.” V. 1 is included for context.

Modern Literal Version 2020  Now the twelve called the multitude of the disciples and said, It is not pleasing to God for us to have left the word of God to serve tables. Therefore brethren, elect° out-of you° seven men, who are well testified of, full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom, whom we might designate over this need. But we will be persevering in prayer and in the service of the word.

New American Standard        So the twelve summoned the congregation [Lit multitude] of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. 3 Instead, brothers and sisters, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry [Or service] of the word.”

New Matthew Bible                Then the twelve called all of the disciples together and said, It is not right that we should leave the word of God and serve at the tables. Therefore, brethren, choose from among you seven men of good reputation, and full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint to this needful business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.

Webster’s Translation           Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

The gist of this passage:     The Apostles began to realize that they spent so much time in administrative tasks that they could not devote enough time to studying and teaching. Therefore, they suggest that the people choose some deacons to handle these tasks.

Translation: The twelve, having called many of the disciples [together],...

The twelve Apostles (which included Matthias, even though he is not really the 12^th Apostle) called many of the disciples in for a business meeting. There were some things which needed to be discussed.

What appeared to precipitate this meeting was the problem cited in v. 1: During that time, the disciples of Jesus continued to increase in numbers. However, partially as a result of this increase, there was a complaint leveled by the Greek-speaking converts (some of these being Hellenist Jews) against the Jewish believers, that the Hellenist widows were being overlooked in the daily rations and aid. (Kukis paraphrase)

This meeting that is called is not, however, designed to figure out how to make sure no one feels cheated. In a roundabout way, what they discuss may solve that problem.