Acts 6:6

6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

Acts 6:6 in Other Translations

6 Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.

6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.

6 These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them.

6 Then they presented them to the apostles. Praying, the apostles laid on hands and commissioned them for their task.

6 They had them stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

Acts 6:6 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 6:6

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 (hkymo) , or ordination by imposition of hands; though that rite was not looked upon to be essentially necessary: for so they say ^F6,

``ordination or promotion to doctorship is not necessarily done, (dyb) , "by the hand", as Moses did to Joshua, but even (rwbydb) , "by word" only; it was enough to say, I ordain thee, or be thou ordained or promoted.''

---

FOOTNOTES:

F6 Juchasin, fol. 60. 1.

Acts 6:6 In-Context

4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”

5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.

6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

8 Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people.

Cross References

• 1. S Acts 1:24; Acts 8:17; Acts 13:3; 2 Timothy 1:6
• 2. Numbers 8:10; Numbers 27:18; Acts 9:17; Acts 19:6; Acts 28:8; 1 Timothy 4:14; S Mark 5:23