Acts 6:1 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Acts 6:1
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.
the he (she or it) · demonstrative pronoun — dative plural feminine
days
ἡμέραιςhēmerais
G2250
day · noun — dative plural feminine
number
πληθυνόντωνplēthunontōn
G4129
to increase (transitively or intransitively) · verb — present active participle, genitive plural masculine
disciples
μαθητῶνmathētōn
G3101
a learner · noun — genitive plural masculine
multiplied
πληθύνωplēthýnō
G4129
to increase (transitively or intransitively)
arose
ἐγένετοegeneto
G1096
to cause to be ("gen"-erate) · verb — second aorist middle deponent indicative, 3rd person singular
murmuring
γογγυσμὸςgongusmos
G1112
a grumbling · noun — nominative singular masculine
Grecians
ἙλληνιστῶνHellēnistōn
G1675
a Hellenist or Greek-speaking Jew · noun — genitive plural masculine, a people or place name
against
πρὸςpros
G4314
a preposition of direction · preposition
Hebrews
Ἑβραίους,Hebraious
G1445
a Hebræan (i.e. Hebrew) or Jew · noun — accusative plural masculine, a people name
because
ὅτιhoti
G3754
demonstrative · conjunction
their
αὐτῶν.autōn
G846
the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — genitive plural masculine
widows
χῆραιchērai
G5503
a widow (as lacking a husband) · noun — nominative plural feminine
neglected
παρεθεωροῦντοparetheōrounto
G3865
to overlook or disregard · verb — imperfect passive indicative, 3rd person plural
in
ἐνen
G1722
"in · preposition
daily
καθημερινῇkathēmerinēa
G2522
quotidian · adjective — dative singular feminine
ministration
διακονίᾳdiakonia
G1248
attendance (as a servant · noun — dative singular feminine
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Acts 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
Acts 4:35 And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
James 5:9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.
Acts 2:47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
Acts 6:7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obed…
Acts 9:39 Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and…
Matthew 23:13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neit…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Acts 6:1-7
Having seen the church's struggles with her enemies, and triumphed with her in her victories, we now come to take a view of the administration of her affairs at home; and here we have,
I. An unhappy disagreement among some of the church-members, which might have been of ill consequence, but was prudently accommodated and taken up in time (Act 6:1): When the number of the disciples (for so Christians were at first called, learners of Christ) was multiplied to many thousands in Jerusalem, there arose a murmuring.
1. It does our hearts good to find that the number of the disciples is multiplied, as, no doubt, it vexed the priests and Sadducees to the heart to see it. The opposition that the pre…
A murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews - Those who are here termed Grecians, Ηλληνισται, or Hellenists, were Jews who sojourned now at Jerusalem, but lived in countries where the Greek language was spoken, and probably in general knew no other. They are distinguished here from those called Hebrews, by which we are to understand native Jews, who spoke what was then termed the Hebrew language, a sort of Chaldaio-Syriac.
It has been remarked that Greek words ending in ιστης imply inferiority. Ἑλληνες, Hellenes, was distinguished from Ἑλληνισται: the former implies pure Greeks, native Greeks, who spoke the Greek tongue in its purity; and the latter, Jews or others sojourning among the…
And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied,.... From an hundred and twenty to three thousand more, from thence to five thousand more, and after that a multitude of men and women were added, and still they were increasing; see Acts 1:15 Acts 2:41. This increase of the disciples agrees with what Maimonides says (z), before observed, that
"in the days of Gamaliel, , "the heretics were multiplied in Israel".''
The word "disciples" was a common name to all Christians, to all that believed in Christ, and was the name they went by, before they were called Christians, Acts 11:26
there arose a murmuring of the Grecians, or Hellenists, against the Hebrews; by the Hebrews are…
The Church Fathers
There was a complaint of the Greeks against the Hebrews. The cause of the complaint was that the Hebrews preferred their widows, as supposedly more learned, in the ministry over the widows of the Greeks.
And they who believed from the ninth mountain, which was deserted, and had in it creeping things and wild beasts which destroy men, were the following: they who had the stains as servants, who discharged their duty ill, and who plundered widows and orphans of their livelihood.
A brother heretic emerged in Nicolaus. He was one of the seven deacons who were appointed in the Acts of the Apostles. He affirms that Darkness was seized with a concupiscence-and, indeed, a foul and obscene one-after Light: out of this permixture it is a shame to say what fetid and unclean (combinations arose).
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Deacon — Anglicized form of the Greek word diaconos, meaning a “runner,” “messenger,” “servant.” For a long period a feeling of mutual jealousy had existed between the “Hebrews,” or Jews proper, who spoke the…
Grecians — Hellenists, Greek-Jews; Jews born in a foreign country, and thus did not speak Hebrew (Acts 6:1; 9:29), nor join in the Hebrew services of the Jews in Palestine, but had synagogues of their own in…
Hebrew — A name applied to the Israelites in Scripture only by one who is a foreigner (Gen. 39:14, 17; 41:12, etc.), or by the Israelites when they speak of themselves to foreigners (40:15; Ex. 1:19), or when…
Hebrews — (Acts 6:1) were the Hebrew-speaking Jews, as distinguished from those who spoke Greek. (See GREEKS.)
Hellenist — (Grecian), the term applied in the New Testament to Greek-speaking or “Grecian” Jews. The Hellenists as a body included not only the proselytes of Greek (or foreign) parentage, but also those. Jews…
Nicanor — Conqueror, one of the seven deacons appointed in the apostolic Church (Acts 6:1-6). Nothing further is known of him.
Philip The Evangelist — is first mentioned in the account of the dispute between the Hebrew and Hellenistic disciples in Acts 6. He is one of the deacons appointed to superintend the daily distribution of food and alms, and…
Poor — The Mosaic legislation regarding the poor is specially important. (1.) They had the right of gleaning the fields (Lev. 19:9, 10; Deut. 24:19, 21). (2.) In the sabbatical year they were to have their…
Stephen — One of the seven deacons, who became a preacher of the gospel. He was the first Christian martyr. His personal character and history are recorded in Acts 6. “He fell asleep” with a prayer for his…
Timon — Honouring, one of the seven deacons at Jerusalem (Acts 6:5). Nothing further is known of him.
Widow — Under the Mosaic dispensation no legal provision was made for the maintenance of widows. They were left dependent partly on the affection of relations, more especially of the eldest son, whose…
Acts 6:1-6
1. And in those days, when the number of the disciples grew, there arose a murmuring of the Greeks against the Hebrews, because their widows were despised in the daily ministry. 2. Therefore, when the twelve had called unto them the multitude of the disciples, they said, It doth not please [or it is not good] that we should serve tables, having left the word of God. 3. Therefore, brethren, look out seven men of you, of known honesty, full of the Holy Ghost, and of wisdom, whom we will appoint over this business, 4. And we will give ourselves unto prayer, and to the ministration of the word. 5. The speech pleased the whole multitude; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith an…
The Greek-speaking believers were Jewish Christians who had lived elsewhere in the Greco-Roman world and probably observed some Greek customs. The Hebrew-speaking believers were more traditional Jews, native to Palestine, who spoke Hebrew or Aramaic and refrained from Greek customs. • their widows were being discriminated against: This injustice threatened the growth and development of the church with rumblings of discontent and had to be addressed.
Widows — To be treated with kindness (Ex. 22:22; Deut. 14:29; 16:11, 14; 24:17, 19-21; 26:12; 27:19, etc.). In the New Testament the same tender regard for them is inculcated (Acts 6:1-6; 1 Tim. 5:3-16) and…
Alms · .The early Christians — .The early Christians
Beneficence · 18:5,7-9; — 18:5,7-9;
Deacon · Selected by the people — Selected by the people
Faithfulness · Exhibited in: Situations of trust — Exhibited in: Situations of trust
Hebrew · .And his — .And his
Jews, The · Modern, divided into: Hebrews or pure Jews — Modern, divided into: Hebrews or pure Jews
Widows · Should be: Relieved by the Church — Should be: Relieved by the Church
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
