CHAPTER VI. _The Hellenistic Jews complain against the Hebrews, that their_ _widows were neglected in the daily ministration_, 1. _To remedy the evil complained of, the apostles appoint seven_ _deacons to superintend the temporal affairs of the Church_, 2-6. _The progress of the word of God in... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 6:2. _IT IS NOT REASON_] ουκ αρεστον εστι, _it is not pleasing,_ _proper_, or _fitting, that we should leave the word of God_, that we should give up ourselves, or confide to others, the doctrine of salvation which God has commanded _us_ to preach unto the people. _AND SERVE TABLES._] Be... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 6:3. _WHEREFORE - LOOK YE OUT AMONG YOU SEVEN MEN_] Choose persons in whom ye can all confide, who will distribute the provisions impartially, and in due time; and let these persons be the objects of the choice both of the Hebrews and Hellenists, that all cause of murmuring and discontent... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 6:4. _WE WILL GIVE OURSELVES CONTINUALLY TO PRAYER_] προσκαρτερησομεν,, We will _steadfastly_ and _invariably_ attend, we will _carefully keep_ our _hearts_ to this work. The word is very emphatic. _To prayer_. - See this defined, Matthew 6:5. Even apostles could not live without prayer;... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 6:5. _STEPHEN, A MAN FULL OF FAITH AND OF THE HOLY GHOST_] A person every way properly fitted for his work; and thus qualified to be the first _martyr_ of the Christian Church. _NICOLAS, A PROSELYTE OF ANTIOCH_] A heathen Greek, who had not only believed in the God of Israel, but had al... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 6:6. _AND WHEN THEY HAD PRAYED_] Instead of και, _and_, the _Codex Bezae_ reads οιτινες, _who_, referring the act of praying to the apostles, which removes a sort of ambiguity. The apostles prayed for these persons, that they might in every respect be qualified for their office, and be m... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 6:7. _THE WORD OF GOD INCREASED_] By such preachers as the apostles and these deacons, no wonder the doctrine of God increased-became widely diffused and generally known; in consequence of which, the number of the disciples must be greatly multiplied: for God will ever bless his own word,... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 6:8. _STEPHEN, FULL OF FAITH AND POWER_] Instead of πιστεως, _faith_, χαριτος, _grace_, is the reading of ABD, several others, the _Syriac_ of Erpen, the _Coptic, Armenian, Vulgate_, and some of the _fathers_. This reading Griesbach has admitted into the text. Some MSS. join both readings... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 6:9. _THE SYNAGOGUE - OF THE LIBERTINES_, c.] That Jews and proselytes from various countries had now come up to Jerusalem to bring offerings, and to attend the feast of pentecost, we have already seen, Acts 2:9. The persons mentioned here were _foreign Jews_, who appear to have had a syn... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 6:10. _THEY THERE NOT ABLE TO RESIST THE WISDOM_, c.] He was _wise_, well exercised and _experienced_, in Divine things and, as appears by his defence, in the following chapter, well versed in the Jewish history. The spirit by which he spake was the Holy Spirit, and its power was irresist... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 6:11. _THEN THEY SUBORNED MEN_] υπεβαλον. They made _underhand_ work; got associated to themselves profligate persons, who for money would swear any thing. _BLASPHEMOUS WORDS AGAINST MOSES, AND_ AGAINST _GOD._] This was the most deadly charge they could bring against him. We have alread... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 6:12. _AND THEY_] The Libertines, c., mentioned before, _stirred up the people_-raised a _mob_ against him, and, to assist and countenance the mob, got the _elders_ and _scribes_ to conduct it, who thus made themselves _one_ with the basest of the people, whom they collected and then, alt... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 6:13. _AGAINST THIS HOLY PLACE_] The _temple_, that it shall be destroyed. _AND THE LAW_] That it _cannot_ give _life_, nor save from _death_. It is very likely that they had heard him speak words to this amount, which were all as true as the spirit from which they proceeded; but they ga... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 6:15. _SAW HIS FACE, AS IT HAD BEEN THE FACE OF AN ANGEL._] Sayings like this are frequent among the Jewish writers, who represent God as distinguishing eminent men by causing a glory to shine from their faces. _Rabbi Gedalia_ said that, "when Moses and Aaron came before Pharaoh, they app... [ Continue Reading ]