Acts 6:6

6 hos statuerunt ante conspectum apostolorum et orantes inposuerunt eis manus

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.''

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FOOTNOTES:

F6 Juchasin, fol. 60. 1.

Acts 6:6 In-Context

4 nos vero orationi et ministerio verbi instantes erimus

5 et placuit sermo coram omni multitudine et elegerunt Stephanum virum plenum fide et Spiritu Sancto et Philippum et Prochorum et Nicanorem et Timonem et Parmenam et Nicolaum advenam Antiochenum

6 hos statuerunt ante conspectum apostolorum et orantes inposuerunt eis manus

7 et verbum Dei crescebat et multiplicabatur numerus discipulorum in Hierusalem valde multa etiam turba sacerdotum oboediebat fidei

8 Stephanus autem plenus gratia et fortitudine faciebat prodigia et signa magna in populo