Acts 6:3

6:3 But carefully select from among you, brothers, ¹  seven ²  men who are well-attested, ³  full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge ⁴  of this necessary task. ⁵ 

Acts 6:5

6:5 The ⁶  proposal pleased the entire group, so ⁷  they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, with ⁸  Philip, ⁹  Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a Gentile convert to Judaism ¹⁰  from Antioch. ¹¹ 

Acts 6:10

6:10 Yet ¹²  they were not able to resist ¹³  the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.

Acts 6:15

6:15 All ¹⁴  who were sitting in the council ¹⁵  looked intently at Stephen ¹⁶  and saw his face was like the face of an angel. ¹⁷ 

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¹ tn It is not clear from a historical standpoint (but it is unlikely) that women would have been involved in the selection process too. For this reason the translation “brothers” has been retained, rather than “brothers and sisters” (used in contexts where both male and female believers are clearly addressed).

² sn Seven. Jewish town councils often had seven members (Josephus, Ant. 4.18.14 [4.214]).

³ tn Or “are of good reputation” (BDAG 618 s.v. μαρτυρέω 2.b).

⁴ tn The translation “put in charge” is given by BDAG 492 s.v. καθίστημι 2.

⁵ tn Grk “of this need”; translated “necessary work” or “needed task” by L&N 42.22.

⁶ tn Grk “And the.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

⁷ tn The translation “so” has been used to indicate the logical sequence in English.

⁸ tn “With” is smoother English style for an addition like this. Because of differences between Greek and English style, καί (kai), which occurs between each name in the list, has not been translated except preceding the last element.

⁹ sn Philip. Note how many of the names in this list are Greek. This suggests that Hellenists were chosen to solve the problem they had been so sensitive about fixing (cf. 6:1).

¹⁰ tn Or “a proselyte.”

¹¹ map For location see JP1-F2; JP2-F2; JP3-F2; JP4-F2.

¹² tn Grk “and.” The context, however, indicates that the conjunction carries an adversative force.

¹³ sn They were not able to resist. This represents another fulfillment of Luke 12:11-12; 21:15.

¹⁴ tn Grk “And all.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

¹⁵ tn Or “Sanhedrin” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

¹⁶ tn Grk “at him”; the referent (Stephen) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁷ sn His face was like the face of an angel. This narrative description of Stephen’s face adds to the mood of the passage. He had the appearance of a supernatural, heavenly messenger.