the Week of Proper 22 / Ordinary 27
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The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible
Acts 6:6
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- InternationalParallel Translations
These seven men presented themselves to the cowboys and the cowboys blessed them.
And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them.
And these they stood before the apostles, and after praying, they laid their hands on them.
These they took to the Apostles, who, after prayer, put their hands on them.
whom they set before the apostles; and, having prayed, they laid their hands on them.
whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.
They had them stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
whom they set before the apostles. When they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.
Whom they set before the apostles, and having prayed, they laid their hands upon them.
These men they brought to the Apostles, and, after prayer, they laid their hands upon them.
Whom they set before the Apostles: and when they had praied, they layd their hands on them.
each of whom they made stand before the apostles. And having prayed, they placed their hands on them.
These they set before ye Apostles, and they prayed, and layed their handes vpon them.
these they presented to the apostles: who after prayer gave them imposition of hands.
They brought these men before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them [to dedicate and commission them for this service].
whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands upon them.
These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands upon them.
Which they set before the Apostles and they prayed and layde their hondes on them.
whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.
Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid [their] hands on them.
whom they did set before the apostles, and they, having prayed, laid on them [their] hands.
Then they put these men before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
They stood these men before the apostles, who prayed and placed their hands on them.
These men were brought to the apostles. Then the apostles prayed and placed their hands on the men to show that they had been chosen to do this work.
They presented these men to the emissaries, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.
Which they set before the Apostles: and they prayed, and layed their hands on them.
These men stood before the apostles: who, as they prayed, laid their hands on them.
whom they set before the apostles. When they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.
They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.Acts 1:24; 8:17; 9:17; 13:3; 1 Timothy 4:14; 5:22; 2 Timothy 1:6;">[xr]
And these they set before the apostles: and while praying they laid upon them the hand.
These stood before the legates; and when they had prayed, they laid the hand on them.
These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them.
These men were taken to the missionaries. After praying, the missionaries laid their hands on them.
whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.
They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
Whom they set before the Apostles, and, praying, they laid upon them their hands.
These they set before the apostles: and they praying, imposed hands upon them.
Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.
whom they stood before the apostles. And they prayed and placed their hands on them.
These they set before the apostles: and whe they had prayed, they layde their handes on them.
Then they put these men before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
And they brought these men before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them.
The group presented them to the apostles, who prayed and placed their hands on them.
Thei ordeyneden these bifor the siyt of apostlis, and thei preyeden, and leiden hoondis on hem.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
when: Acts 1:24, Acts 8:17, Acts 9:17, Acts 13:3, 1 Timothy 4:14, 1 Timothy 5:22, 2 Timothy 1:6
Reciprocal: Genesis 48:14 - and laid Numbers 8:10 - General Numbers 27:18 - lay Deuteronomy 34:9 - Moses Luke 23:26 - a Cyrenian Acts 6:3 - whom Acts 19:6 - laid Hebrews 6:2 - laying
Cross-References
Noah, however, found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
And Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
And behold, I will bring floodwaters upon the earth, to destroy every creature under the heavens that has the breath of life. Everything on the earth will perish.
But I will establish My covenant with you, and you will enter the ark-you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you.
So the LORD relented from the calamity He had threatened to bring on His people.
God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?
If only they had such a heart to fear Me and keep all My commandments always, so that it might be well with them and with their children forever.
If only they were wise, they would understand it; they would comprehend their fate.
For the LORD will judge His people and have compassion on His servants when He sees that their strength is gone and no one remains, slave or free.
"I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from following Me and has not carried out My instructions." And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the LORD all that night.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Whom they set before the apostles,.... They did not barely nominate and propose them to them, but they brought them into their presence, and placed them before them, as the persons whom they had chosen, in order to be ordained by them.
And when they had prayed; for these seven men set before them, that they might appear to be richly qualified for this office, and might honourably and faithfully discharge it, to the peace of themselves, the advantage of the church, and the glory of God:
they laid their hands on them; that is, they ordained them, they installed them into their office, and invested them with it, using the rite or ceremony of laying on of hands, which was used by the apostles for the conferring of gifts, and in benedictions, and at the ordination of officers; and seems to be borrowed from the Jews, who used, it at the creation of doctors among them, and at the promotion of them to that dignity; and which they call סמיכה, or ordination by imposition of hands; though that rite was not looked upon to be essentially necessary: for so they say f,
"ordination or promotion to doctorship is not necessarily done, ביד, "by the hand", as Moses did to Joshua, but even
בדיבור, "by word" only; it was enough to say, I ordain thee, or be thou ordained or promoted.''
f Juchasin, fol. 60. 1.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
And when they had prayed - Invoking in this manner the blessing of God to attend them in the discharge of the duties of their office.
They laid their hands ... - Among the Jews it was customary to lay hands on the head of a person who was set apart to any particular office, Numbers 27:18; Compare Acts 8:19. This was done, not to impart any power or ability, but to “designate” that they received their authority or commission from those who thus laid their hands on them, as the act of laying hands on the sick by the Saviour was an act signifying that the power of healing came from him, Matthew 9:18; compare Mark 16:18. In such cases the laying on of the hands conveyed of itself no healing power, but was a sign or token that the power came from the Lord Jesus. Ordination has been uniformly performed in this way. See 1 Timothy 5:22. Though the seven deacons had been chosen by the church to this work, yet they derived their immediate commission and authority from the apostles.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
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 made successful in it. And, when they had done this, they laid their hands upon them, and by this rite appointed them to their office. So then, it plainly appears that the choice of the Church was not sufficient: nor did the Church think it sufficient; but, as they knew their own members best, the apostles directed them, Acts 6:3, to choose those persons whom they deemed best qualified, according to the criterion laid down by the apostles themselves, that they should be of honest report, and full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom. Let us examine the process of this business:
1. There was an evident necessity that there should be more helpers in this blessed work
2. The apostles called the disciples together, that they might consider of this necessity and provide for it, Acts 6:3.
3. They directed the disciples to choose out from among themselves such persons as they judged the most proper for the work.
4. They gave them the criterion by which their choice should be directed; not any man, not every man, not their nearest relative, or best beloved friend; but such as were of honest report, whose public character was known to be unblemished; and men who were full of the Holy Ghost, the influence of which would keep all right within, and direct their hearts into all truth; and men who were known to be men of prudence and economy, for not every good and pious man may be proper for such a work.
5. Seven persons being chosen by the disciples, according to this criterion, are presented to the apostles for their approbation and confirmation.
6. The apostles, receiving them from the hands of the Church, consecrated them to God by prayer, imploring his blessing on them and their labour.
7. When this was done, they laid their hands upon them in the presence of the disciples, and thus appointed them to this sacred and important work; for it is evident they did not get their commission merely to serve tables, but to proclaim, in connection with and under the direction of the apostles, the word of life.
Let no man say that any of the things here enumerated was unnecessary, and let no Church pretend or affect to do without them.
1. No preacher or minister should be provided till there is a place for him to labour in, and necessity for his labour.
2. Let none be imposed upon the Church of Christ who is not of that Church, well known and fully approved by that branch of it with which he was connected.
3. Let none be sent to publish salvation from sin, and the necessity of a holy life, whose moral character cannot bear the strictest scrutiny among his neighbours and acquaintance.
4. Let none, however moral, or well reported of, be sent to convert souls, who has not the most solid reason to believe that he is moved thereto by the Holy Ghost.
5. Let those who have the power to appoint see that the person be a man of wisdom, i.e. sound understanding-for a witling or a blockhead, however upright, will never make a Christian minister; and that he be a man of prudence, knowing how to direct his own concerns, and those of the Church of God, with discretion.
6. Let no private person, nor number of private members in a Church, presume to authorize such a person, though in every way qualified to preach the Gospel; for even the one hundred and twenty primitive disciples did not arrogate this to themselves.
7. Let the person be brought to those to whom God has given authority in the Church, and let them, after most solemnly invoking God, lay their hands upon him, according to the primitive and apostolic plan, and thus devote him to the work of the ministry.
8. Let such a one from that moment consider himself the property of God and his Church, and devote all his time, talents, and powers, to convert sinners, and build up believers in their most holy faith.
9. And let the Church of God consider such a person as legitimately and divinely sent, and receive him as the ambassador of Christ.
