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.''