independentparticipialrelativecausecontentphrase modifierdashed = verbless / suspended
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The appointment of the Seven: daily distribution and the word of God 6:1–7
v. 1 — the murmuring: the Hellenists' widows overlooked
1
Ἐν δὲ ταῖς ἡμέραις ταύταις πληθυνόντων τῶν μαθητῶνparticipial — temporal frame + genitive absolute — growth as the setting of the first internal crisis; leans on ἐγένετο
ἐγένετο γογγυσμὸς τῶν Ἑλληνιστῶν πρὸς τοὺς Ἑβραίους,independent — γογγυσμός — the wilderness murmuring word (Exod 16 LXX); Hellenists read as Greek-speaking Jewish believers
ὅτι παρεθεωροῦντο ἐν τῇ διακονίᾳ τῇ καθημερινῇ αἱ χῆραι αὐτῶν.cause — παρεθεωροῦντο — NT hapax; progressive imperfect, an ongoing neglect, not one incident
vv. 2–4 — the Twelve's speech: not tables but the word
2
προσκαλεσάμενοι δὲ οἱ δώδεκα τὸ πλῆθος τῶν μαθητῶνparticipial — preposed attendant circumstance — the whole assembly convened; leans on εἶπαν
εἶπαν·independent — the speech-frame for vv. 2b–4
Οὐκ ἀρεστόν ἐστιν ἡμᾶς καταλείψαντας τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ διακονεῖν τραπέζαις·content — the principle — καταλείψαντας is abandonment; both word and tables are διακονία (vv. 1, 4)
3
ἐπισκέψασθε δέ, ἀδελφοί, ἄνδρας ἐξ ὑμῶν μαρτυρουμένους ἑπτά,content — the directive — μαρτυρουμένους, community attestation the first criterion; seven echoing Israel's elders
πλήρεις πνεύματος καὶ σοφίας,phrase modifier — the second criterion — Spirit and wisdom together (Deut 34:9); proved of Stephen at v. 10
οὓς καταστήσομεν ἐπὶ τῆς χρείας ταύτης·relative — the congregation chooses, the apostles appoint — χρεία left deliberately untitled
4
ἡμεῖς δὲ τῇ προσευχῇ καὶ τῇ διακονίᾳ τοῦ λόγου προσκαρτερήσομεν.content — emphatic ἡμεῖς — the apostolic reservation; προσκαρτερέω as at 1:14; 2:42
vv. 5–6 — the Seven chosen and commissioned
5
καὶ ἤρεσεν ὁ λόγος ἐνώπιον παντὸς τοῦ πλήθους,independent — ἤρεσεν echoes ἀρεστόν (v. 2) — the community ratifies the fittingness
καὶ ἐξελέξαντο Στέφανον,independent — middle ἐξελέξαντο — the congregation's own choice; Stephen heads the list
ἄνδρα πλήρη πίστεως καὶ πνεύματος ἁγίου,phrase modifier — verbless apposition — the v. 3 criteria personally certified, with faith added
καὶ Φίλιππονphrase modifier — coordinate object — the evangelist of Acts 8, Samaria and the Ethiopian
καὶ Πρόχορονphrase modifier — coordinate object — otherwise unknown; all seven bear Greek names
καὶ Νικάνοραphrase modifier — coordinate object
καὶ Τίμωναphrase modifier — coordinate object
καὶ Παρμενᾶνphrase modifier — coordinate object
καὶ Νικόλαον προσήλυτον Ἀντιοχέα·phrase modifier — the one proselyte — his Antioch anticipates the Gentile-mission base (11:19–26)
6
οὓς ἔστησαν ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀποστόλων,independent — connective relative οὕς — the formal presentation for appointment (v. 3)
καὶ προσευξάμενοιparticipial — preposed — the commissioning grounded in prayer (v. 4); leans on ἐπέθηκαν
ἐπέθηκαν αὐτοῖς τὰς χεῖρας.independent — the laying on of hands — Acts' commissioning gesture (13:3; cf. 1 Tim 4:14)
v. 7 — the growth summary: even priests obey
7
Καὶ ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ηὔξανεν,independent — progressive imperfect — the word personified as growing (exact parallel 12:24)
καὶ ἐπληθύνετο ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῶν μαθητῶν ἐν Ἰερουσαλὴμ σφόδρα,independent — πληθύνω resumes v. 1 — the crisis resolved into more growth
πολύς τε ὄχλος τῶν ἱερέων ὑπήκουον τῇ πίστει.independent — the climactic third — priests, the erstwhile opposition (4:1; 5:17); plural ὑπήκουον ad sensum
Stephen's signs, the framed charges, and the angel-face 6:8–15
vv. 8–10 — Stephen's signs and the irresistible wisdom
8
Στέφανος δὲ πλήρης χάριτος καὶ δυνάμεως ἐποίει τέρατα καὶ σημεῖα μεγάλα ἐν τῷ λαῷ.independent — the ministry summary — πλήρης now 'of grace and power'; iterative imperfect ἐποίει
9
ἀνέστησαν δέ τινες τῶν ἐκ τῆς συναγωγῆς τῆς λεγομένης Λιβερτίνωνindependent — the opposition — Λιβερτῖνοι, descendants of freed slaves of the diaspora
καὶ Κυρηναίων καὶ Ἀλεξανδρέων καὶ τῶν ἀπὸ Κιλικίας καὶ Ἀσίαςphrase modifier — the membership roll — one synagogue or several is debated; taken here as one
συζητοῦντες τῷ Στεφάνῳ·participial — the participle of hostile engagement — diaspora Jews against a fellow Hellenist
10
καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυον ἀντιστῆναι τῇ σοφίᾳ καὶ τῷ πνεύματιindependent — the v. 3 criteria proved in combat — Luke 21:15 fulfilled
ᾧ ἐλάλει.relative — dative ᾧ — wisdom and Spirit as the instrument of his speech
vv. 11–12 — the suborned charge and the arrest
11
τότε ὑπέβαλον ἄνδρας λέγοντας ὅτιindependent — ὑπέβαλον — suborning, NT hapax; recitative ὅτι introducing the planted words
Ἀκηκόαμεν αὐτοῦ λαλοῦντος ῥήματα βλάσφημα εἰς Μωϋσῆν καὶ τὸν θεόν.content — the planted testimony — perfect Ἀκηκόαμεν, a standing claim; blasphemy the capital charge
12
συνεκίνησάν τε τὸν λαὸν καὶ τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους καὶ τοὺς γραμματεῖς,independent — the people now turned — the first time Jerusalem's λαός joins the opposition
καὶ ἐπιστάντεςparticipial — preposed — the sudden descent; leans on συνήρπασαν
συνήρπασαν αὐτὸνindependent — συναρπάζω — violent arrest
καὶ ἤγαγον εἰς τὸ συνέδριον,independent — before the same council that tried Jesus and the apostles (4:15; 5:27)
vv. 13–14 — the false witnesses: temple, law, and the Nazarene
13
ἔστησάν τε μάρτυρας ψευδεῖς λέγοντας·independent — μάρτυρες ψευδεῖς — as at Jesus' trial (Mark 14:56–57)
Ὁ ἄνθρωπος οὗτος οὐ παύεται λαλῶν ῥήματα κατὰ τοῦ τόπου τοῦ ἁγίου τούτου καὶ τοῦ νόμου·content — the double charge — temple ('this holy place') and Torah; contemptuous οὗτος
14
ἀκηκόαμεν γὰρ αὐτοῦ λέγοντος ὅτιcause — the grounds inside the testimony — the same perfect ἀκηκόαμεν as v. 11; recitative ὅτι
Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναζωραῖος οὗτος καταλύσει τὸν τόπον τοῦτονcontent — speech within speech — the alleged saying, a distortion (cf. Mark 14:58; John 2:19)
καὶ ἀλλάξει τὰ ἔθηcontent — the second limb — the Mosaic ἔθη, the whole received way of life
ἃ παρέδωκεν ἡμῖν Μωϋσῆς.relative — the chapter's deepest line — Moses invoked inside fabricated testimony
v. 15 — the angel-face
15
καὶ ἀτενίσαντες εἰς αὐτὸνparticipial — preposed — Luke's ἀτενίζω of the fixed gaze; leans on εἶδον
ἅπαντες οἱ καθεζόμενοι ἐν τῷ συνεδρίῳ εἶδον τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ὡσεὶ πρόσωπον ἀγγέλου.independent — the proleptic vindication — Moses' shining face (Exod 34:29) before the speech about Moses
Analysis. Acts 6 is two panels of Lukan narrative, and the layout shows both. In vv. 1–7 the mainline runs flush left in coordinate aorists and imperfects — a complaint arose, the Twelve said, the proposal pleased, they chose, they set, they laid on hands — with Luke's preposed circumstantial participles and the opening genitive absolute leaning forward, anchor-less, on the verbs below them (πληθυνόντων τῶν μαθητῶν, προσκαλεσάμενοι, προσευξάμενοι, ἐπιστάντες, ἀτενίσαντες). The Twelve's speech hangs blue under εἶπαν across three verses (vv. 2b–4), its inner qualifications (πλήρεις πνεύματος καὶ σοφίας, οὓς καταστήσομεν) nesting one level deeper; the seven-name roster of v. 5 is laid out as coordinate verbless mod lines under ἐξελέξαντο, with Stephen's full-of-faith commendation apposed beneath his name; and v. 7 closes the panel as three flat coordinate growth lines, the priests' obedience the climactic third. In vv. 8–15 the charge-building runs the same flush-left way, but the depths map the testimony: the suborned men's charge is a cnt under λέγοντας (recitative ὅτι folded into the frame), the false witnesses' charge likewise, and v. 14's γάρ-grounds nests a quotation within the quotation — the alleged saying of 'Jesus the Nazarene' hangs two levels inside the witnesses' own speech, with the Moses-relative one deeper still, so the chapter's deepest line sits inside fabricated testimony. Cruxes taken: Ἑλληνισταί are read as Greek-speaking Jewish believers over against the Ἑβραῖοι; the ὅτι of v. 1 is causal, those of vv. 11 and 14 recitative; the Freedmen-genitives of v. 9 are taken as one synagogue's membership roll, not several synagogues; οὓς at v. 6 is the connective relative ('these they set'), with the congregation presenting and the apostles praying and laying on hands; and πολύς ὄχλος with plural ὑπήκουον (v. 7) is construed ad sensum.