Acts 6

Hellenists…Hebrews
The words “Hellenists” and “Hebrews” are simply transliterated here from the Greek Ἑλληνιστῶν (Hellēnistōn) and Ἑβραίους (Hebraious). Since the Greek text does not specify whether their differences were religious, linguistic, or cultural, neither does this translation.

pleasing
“Pleasing” translates the adjective ἀρεστός (arestos). The verbal form (ἀρέσκω; areskō) is found in verse 5, translated as “pleased.” It was pleasing both to God and to the congregation of disciples to allow the apostles to excel in their giftedness while the widows were served by people appropriately gifted for that specific ministry.

service
The same Greek root for “serve” is used in verse 2 above. Consistent translation helps to show the different kinds of service for those who are differently gifted—the “serving” (διακονέω; diakoneō) of food and tables is described in verse 2, and here, the apostles must be devoted to the “service” (διακονία; diakonia) of the word.

this word pleased
Refer to the discussion on verse 2 above. The repetition of the terms “word” (λόγος; logos) and “pleased/pleasing” ἀρεστός/ἀρέσκω (arestos/areskō) shows a complete approval of the endeavor on the part of the entire congregation.

great
Luke likes to emphasize the “great” (μέγας; megas) work of the Holy Spirit. The word is translated consistently to show these connections. In Acts 4:33, by the ministry of the Spirit, the apostles were witnessing with “great” power and receiving “great” grace. In Acts 5:5, the Spirit’s execution of Ananias results in “great” fear, as also in verse 11 for Sapphira. Here, Stephen, “full of grace and power” (cf. 4:33), was doing “great” wonders and signs. The work of the Holy Spirit is truly great.

by whom
Most translations render the dative relative pronoun ᾧ (hō) as “with which” here. However, the “Spirit” here is the Holy Spirit (a person), and Stephen is speaking by His power. Thus, “by whom” is better than “with which” here, and is a fully legitimate use of the Greek dative case. The book of Acts constantly emphasizes the work of the Holy Spirit, and His power backing Stephen’s speaking was irrefutable because it was divine, not human.

never ceases
“Never ceases” translates the phrase οὐ παύεται (ou pauetai). The negation of a verb in the present tense (as is the case here) is best conveyed by the translation “never.” Thus, here, these false witnesses are accusing Stephen of never-ending blasphemy.

Jesus the Nazarene
“Jesus the Nazarene” is the most straightforward, literal translation of the phrase Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναζωραῖος (Iēsous ho Nazōraios). This was a common identification for Jesus (Matt 26:71; Luke 18:37; John 18:5, 7; 19:19; Acts 2:22; here; 22:8; 26:9), most often employed by those who were not His disciples. In other words, this was seen merely as a human title, used by those who saw Jesus as just another man, as is the case here. Peter, Jesus Himself, and Paul each used this title to contradict that paradigm and teach that this man was the divine Messiah, the Lord (Acts 2:22; 22:8; 26:9).

Sanhedrin
The word “Sanhedrin” here represents the term συνέδριον (synedrion), which most English translations render as “council” or “court.” While these translations accurately describe what the Sanhedrin was, the term was more specific in the Jewish mind. It referred not just to any court, but the supreme court of the Jews in Jerusalem, before which the most serious cases would be decided. Here, these prominent religious leaders themselves witnessed an angelic glory radiating from Stephen’s face. This would make their execution of him in the next chapter all the more brazen and rebellious.