Acts 6

As the disciples multiply, the widows of the Greek-speaking Jews are overlooked in the daily service and grumbling arises. The twelve, keeping to the word, have seven men set over the need — the first of them Stephen. The word grows and even priests believe. Men of the synagogue of the Freedmen dispute with Stephen, lose, and set up false witnesses to drag him to the council, where those seated see in his face the face of an angel.

Ἐν δὲ ταῖς ἡμέραις ταύταις πληθυνόντων τῶν μαθητῶν ἐγένετο γογγυσμὸς τῶν Ἑλληνιστῶν πρὸς τοὺς Ἑβραίους ὅτι παρεθεωροῦντο ἐν τῇ διακονίᾳ τῇ καθημερινῇ αἱ χῆραι αὐτῶν.

Now in these days, as the disciples were multiplying, there arose a grumbling of the Greek-speaking Jews against the Hebrew-speaking Jews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily service.

Why this rendering

Acts.6.1 Observation

Syntactic observation

γογγυσμός, grumbling, is the word of John 7:12 (the crowd's murmuring) and of wilderness Israel against Moses (LXX Ex 16:7-9; Num 17:5) — the first church's first discord is written with the wilderness word. Ἑλληνιστής against Ἑβραῖος — two names Acts uses here for the first time (Ἑλληνιστής occurs in the New Testament only in Acts: 6:1, 9:29, 11:20), and both are Jews. The divide is not of nation but of tongue — hence Greek-speaking and Hebrew-speaking. διακονία, service, is the axis of the paragraph — v.1 the daily service, v.2 to serve tables (διακονέω), v.4 the service of the word. The twelve do not drop service; they divide its object (tables against the word). παρεθεωροῦντο, were being overlooked, is unique in the New Testament.

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Adopted

“Greek-speaking Jews” against “Hebrew-speaking Jews”

Basis Ἑλληνιστής is not Ἕλλην, a Greek (John 12:20). Hellenists reads as a faction and Greeks names the wrong nation; the rendering says what the word says — those who speak the language.

“Hellenists” against “Hebrews”

Basis The traditional rendering.

Rejected Hellenists is a coinage the reader must have explained; the base text names people by the language they speak.

Lost in translation

One word, Ἑλληνιστής, becomes three, Greek-speaking Jews — a name has become a gloss.

this edition — none of the nine carries it (measured)

προσκαλεσάμενοι δὲ οἱ δώδεκα τὸ πλῆθος τῶν μαθητῶν εἶπαν· Οὐκ ἀρεστόν ἐστιν ἡμᾶς καταλείψαντας τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ διακονεῖν τραπέζαις·

And the twelve, having called the multitude of the disciples, said, “It is not pleasing that we should leave the word of God to serve tables.

ἐπισκέψασθε ⸀δέ, ἀδελφοί, ἄνδρας ἐξ ὑμῶν μαρτυρουμένους ἑπτὰ πλήρεις ⸀πνεύματος καὶ σοφίας, οὓς ⸀καταστήσομεν ἐπὶ τῆς χρείας ταύτης·

But, brothers, look out from among you seven men well attested, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will set over this need;

Why this rendering

Acts.6.3 Observation

Syntactic observation

ἐπισκέψασθε, look out, is the verb ἐπισκέπτομαι of Luke 1:68, 78 and 7:16 — God looked upon his people. The verb with which God looked upon his people is the verb with which the people look out seven men. This edition fixed those places as looked upon; here the object is men to be chosen, so look out fits the place. καταστήσομεν, we will set over, is the verb (καθίστημι) of Matt 24:45 and Luke 12:42, set over his household. The Seven becomes the text's own name for them (21:8, one of the seven) — nowhere does the base text give them the title deacon (διάκονος). A title the text does not have is not supplied.

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Adopted

“look out” · “set over” — without a title

Basis The base text has no deacon. The Seven is their name (21:8).

ἡμεῖς δὲ τῇ προσευχῇ καὶ τῇ διακονίᾳ τοῦ λόγου προσκαρτερήσομεν.

and we will persist in prayer and in the service of the word.”

καὶ ἤρεσεν ὁ λόγος ἐνώπιον παντὸς τοῦ πλήθους, καὶ ἐξελέξαντο Στέφανον, ἄνδρα ⸀πλήρης πίστεως καὶ πνεύματος ἁγίου, καὶ Φίλιππον καὶ Πρόχορον καὶ Νικάνορα καὶ Τίμωνα καὶ Παρμενᾶν καὶ Νικόλαον προσήλυτον Ἀντιοχέα,

And the word was pleasing before all the multitude, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip and Prochorus and Nicanor and Timon and Parmenas and Nicolaus, a convert from Antioch,

first here Philippi Φίλιππος Philippos

οὓς ἔστησαν ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀποστόλων, καὶ προσευξάμενοι ἐπέθηκαν αὐτοῖς τὰς χεῖρας.

whom they set before the apostles; and having prayed, they laid their hands on them.

Καὶ ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ηὔξανεν, καὶ ἐπληθύνετο ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῶν μαθητῶν ἐν Ἰερουσαλὴμ σφόδρα, πολύς τε ὄχλος τῶν ἱερέων ὑπήκουον τῇ πίστει.

And the word of God was growing, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem was multiplying greatly, and a great crowd of the priests was obeying the faith.

first here Jerusalem Ἰερουσαλήμ Ierousalēm

Why this rendering

Acts.6.7 Observation

Syntactic observation

ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ηὔξανεν — the word of God was growing. αὐξάνω is the verb of seed and tree (Luke 13:19, the mustard seed grew; 12:27, the lilies grow), and Acts attaches it to the word — 6:7, 12:24, 19:20, three times and all three in summary sentences. The word grows like a living thing while the number of disciples multiplies (πληθύνω — the same verb as v.1's were multiplying closes the paragraph). ὑπήκουον τῇ πίστει, were obeying the faith, is the verb of Luke 17:6 (it would have obeyed you) with the faith as its object — a phrase ahead of Romans 1:5, the obedience of faith. πολύς τε ὄχλος τῶν ἱερέων — a great crowd of the priests who arrested the apostles (4:1) now believes.

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Adopted

“the word of God was growing”

Basis αὐξάνω = grow, as fixed (Luke 13:19). An abstract like spread or prosper would lose the picture of the seed.

Στέφανος δὲ πλήρης ⸀χάριτος καὶ δυνάμεως ἐποίει τέρατα καὶ σημεῖα μεγάλα ἐν τῷ λαῷ.

Now Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.

ἀνέστησαν δέ τινες τῶν ἐκ τῆς συναγωγῆς τῆς λεγομένης Λιβερτίνων καὶ Κυρηναίων καὶ Ἀλεξανδρέων καὶ τῶν ἀπὸ Κιλικίας καὶ Ἀσίας συζητοῦντες τῷ Στεφάνῳ,

But some of those from the synagogue called that of the Freedmen, and of the Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up disputing with Stephen,

καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυον ἀντιστῆναι τῇ σοφίᾳ καὶ τῷ πνεύματι ᾧ ἐλάλει.

and they were not able to withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.

τότε ὑπέβαλον ἄνδρας λέγοντας ὅτι Ἀκηκόαμεν αὐτοῦ λαλοῦντος ῥήματα βλάσφημα εἰς Μωϋσῆν καὶ τὸν θεόν·

Then they secretly put forward men who said, “We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.”

first here Moses Μωϋσῆς Mōysēs

συνεκίνησάν τε τὸν λαὸν καὶ τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους καὶ τοὺς γραμματεῖς, καὶ ἐπιστάντες συνήρπασαν αὐτὸν καὶ ἤγαγον εἰς τὸ συνέδριον,

And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and coming upon him they seized him and brought him to the council,

ἔστησάν τε μάρτυρας ψευδεῖς λέγοντας· Ὁ ἄνθρωπος οὗτος οὐ παύεται ⸂λαλῶν ῥήματα⸃ κατὰ τοῦ τόπου τοῦ ⸀ἁγίου καὶ τοῦ νόμου,

and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man does not cease speaking words against this holy place and the law;

ἀκηκόαμεν γὰρ αὐτοῦ λέγοντος ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναζωραῖος οὗτος καταλύσει τὸν τόπον τοῦτον καὶ ἀλλάξει τὰ ἔθη ἃ παρέδωκεν ἡμῖν Μωϋσῆς.

for we have heard him saying that this Jesus the Nazorean will destroy this place and will change the customs which Moses handed down to us.”

first here Jesus Ἰησοῦς Iēsous

first here Nazorean Ναζωραῖος Nazōraios

Why this rendering

Acts.6.14 Observation

Syntactic observation

The false witnesses' words take up the false witness of Mark 14:58 (I will destroy this sanctuary made with hands — καταλύσω). The verb is the same — καταλύω, destroy. What was pinned on Jesus at his trial is pinned on Stephen at his, and this time Jesus becomes a third-person subject: this Jesus the Nazorean will destroy this place. Yet the witnesses are called false while their words lie not far from what Jesus did say (Mark 13:2, not one stone that will not be thrown down — καταλυθῇ): the falseness lies less in the content than in the frame, does not cease (v.13). τὰ ἔθη, the customs, is the ἔθος of Luke 1:9 (the custom of the priestly office), 2:42 (the custom of the feast), 22:39 (as was his custom). V.15 ὡσεὶ πρόσωπον ἀγγέλου — Acts writes a face as like (ὡσεί) something only here, and the place summons Moses' shining face (Ex 34:29-35): the man accused of blaspheming Moses is given Moses' face.

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Adopted

“destroy this place” — as fixed at Mark 14:58

Basis Same verb, same charge. Matching the rendering lets the two trials see each other.

καὶ ἀτενίσαντες εἰς αὐτὸν ⸀πάντες οἱ καθεζόμενοι ἐν τῷ συνεδρίῳ εἶδον τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ὡσεὶ πρόσωπον ἀγγέλου.

And gazing fixedly at him, all who sat in the council saw his face as the face of an angel.