And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:
the saying.
Acts 15:22 Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren:
Genesis 41:37 And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.
Proverbs 15:1,23 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger…
Stephen.
Acts 6:3,8,10 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business…
Acts 7:1-60 Then said the high priest, Are these things so? …
Acts 8:1,2 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles…
Philip.
Acts 8:5-13,26-40 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them…
Acts 21:8 And the next day we that were of Paul's company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him.
Nicolas.
Revelation 2:6,15 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate…
a proselyte.
Acts 13:1 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit,
Stephen is highlighted as a man of exceptional spiritual character, filled with faith and the Holy Spirit. This description sets the stage for his later role as the first Christian martyr (Acts 7). His faith and spiritual fullness are reminiscent of the qualities seen in leaders throughout Scripture, such as Moses and David, who were also chosen for their deep relationship with God.
as well as Philip,
Philip later becomes an evangelist, known for his role in spreading the Gospel to Samaria and his encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8). His selection here foreshadows his significant contributions to the early church's mission and the spread of Christianity beyond Jewish boundaries.
Prochorus,
Little is known about Prochorus, but tradition holds that he may have been a companion of John the Apostle and possibly the author of the Gospel of John. His inclusion signifies the diverse backgrounds and potential future roles of these early church leaders.
Nicanor,
Nicanor's name is Greek, suggesting that he, like the others, was likely a Hellenistic Jew. This reflects the church's inclusivity and the importance of addressing the needs of Greek-speaking Jewish Christians, which was a central issue leading to the appointment of these seven men.
Timon,
Timon, like the others, was chosen to help bridge the cultural and linguistic divide within the early church. His role underscores the importance of service and administration in the church's mission, ensuring that practical needs were met alongside spiritual growth.
Parmenas,
Parmenas is another of the seven chosen to serve. His selection highlights the church's emphasis on character and reputation, as these men were chosen for their ability to manage the church's resources wisely and fairly.
and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.
Nicolas is noted as a proselyte from Antioch, indicating he was a Gentile who converted to Judaism before becoming a Christian. This detail emphasizes the early church's diversity and the breaking down of ethnic and religious barriers, aligning with the broader biblical theme of the Gospel being for all nations. Antioch later becomes a significant center for early Christianity, further highlighting Nicolas's importance in the church's expansion.
• The church had just faced tension over food distribution (Acts 6:1). Rather than fracture, everyone embraced the apostles’ Spirit-led plan.
• Unity is a mark of God’s people—“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!” (Psalm 133:1).
• Such agreement echoes earlier scenes: “All the believers were one in heart and mind” (Acts 4:32).
• When God gives direction, consensus follows; “God is not a God of disorder but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33).
• Stephen tops the list because spiritual character mattered more than administrative skill (Acts 6:3).
• “Full of faith” points to active trust in Christ, soon seen when he preaches boldly and sees Jesus standing at God’s right hand (Acts 7:55).
• “Full of the Holy Spirit” recalls Barnabas, “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith” (Acts 11:24), and reminds us that service flows from spiritual fullness, not mere talent (Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:22-23).
• Another Spirit-empowered servant; later called “the evangelist” (Acts 21:8).
• He brings the gospel to Samaria (Acts 8:5-8) and to an Ethiopian official (Acts 8:26-40), fulfilling Jesus’ mandate to reach “Samaria and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
• His life shows that faithful service in “small” tasks positions believers for broader mission.
• Though Scripture gives no further details, his inclusion confirms that God notices every servant (Hebrews 6:10).
• His Greek name—like all seven—indicates sensitivity to the needs of Hellenistic believers mentioned in Acts 6:1.
• Unknown to history, yet forever recorded in God’s Word (Revelation 20:12).
• Reminds us that ministry impact isn’t measured by fame but by faithfulness (1 Corinthians 4:2).
• Selected by the congregation, affirmed by the apostles (Acts 6:6).
• Illustrates the biblical pattern of shared leadership: the body discerns, the elders commission (Acts 13:2-3).
• Possibly served widows beyond Jerusalem as persecution scattered believers (Acts 8:1).
• Shows that the call to serve God’s people endures despite changing circumstances (2 Timothy 4:2).
• Unique as a Gentile proselyte, reflecting the gospel’s reach to every background (Ephesians 2:13-19).
• Coming from Antioch—the future hub of Gentile mission (Acts 11:19-26)—he foreshadows the church’s global expansion.
• His selection confirms that in Christ there is “neither Jew nor Greek” (Galatians 3:28).
Acts 6:5 records a Spirit-guided solution to potential division. The whole church embraces the apostles’ proposal, choosing seven men whose lives display faith and the Holy Spirit’s fullness. Stephen and Philip become prominent, while the others remind us that every servant matters. Together they model unity, character-based leadership, and God’s design for diverse believers to work side by side so that the gospel advances without hindrance.
(5) And they chose Stephen.--The seven who were chosen all bear Greek names, and it is a natural, though not a necessary, inference, that they were all of the Hellenistic section of the Church, either because that section had a majority, or because the Hebrews generously voted for giving them special representatives of their own. The order of names may represent the actual order of election, Stephen obtaining the largest number of votes, and so on. The position occupied by the new teacher is so prominent that we should welcome anything that threw light on his previous training. Unhappily we cannot advance beyond the region of uncertain tradition, or, at best, of probable inference. The coincidences, however, which suggest that inference are not without interest. (1) The name of Stephanus was not a common one, and appears in few inscriptions. Like so many of the names in Romans 16, however, it is found in those of the Columbarium, or burial-place, of the household of the Empress Livia. The man bearing it is described as a goldsmith (Aurifaber), and as immunis--i.e., exempted from the religious obligations of his trade-guild. He is a freed-man or libertinus. Circumstances, such as the bequest by Herod the Great of his gold plate to Livia (Jos. Ant. xvi. 5, ? 1; xvii. 8, ? 1), indicate an intimate connection between him and the Imperial Court, and make it probable that the goldsmith Stephanus was a Jew. The business was one in which then, as in later ages, Jews conspicuously excelled, and the exemption just mentioned may well have been, as it were, of the nature of a "conscience-clause" in his favour. The name is found also on a tablet in the museum of the Collegio Romano. (2) It is obvious that the "strangers of Rome"--the Jews from the capital of the empire--were likely to be among the most prominent of the Hellenistae at Jerusalem. It was antecedently probable that the name of one of that body should stand first on the list. (3) When Stephen becomes conspicuous as a teacher, the synagogue which is the most prominent scene of his activity is that of the Libertines, who can be none other than the freed-men or emancipated Jews from Rome. (See Note on Acts 6:9.) (4) Jews from Rome were, we have seen, present on the Day of Pentecost, and some conspicuous converts from among them had been made before Stephen appears on the scene. (See Note on Acts 4:37.) (5) The very appointment of the Seven has, as we have seen, its origin in the customs of the trade-guilds of Rome, such as that to which the goldsmith Stephanus had belonged. Taking all these facts together, there seems sufficient ground to believe that in the proto-martyr of the Church, whose teaching and whose prayers exercised so marvellous an influence in the history of the Church of Christ, we have one of the earliest representatives of Roman Christianity. A tradition accepted by Epiphanius in the fourth century leads to another conclusion. Stephen and Philip were both, it was said, of the number of the Seventy who were sent shortly after the last Feast of Tabernacles in our Lord's ministry into every city and village where He Himself would come. That mission, as has been said in the Note on Luke 10:1, was in its very form, symbolic of the admission of the Gentile nations to the kingdom of God; and it would seem from Luke 9:52; Luke 17:11, as if, at that time, Samaria had been the chief scene of our Lord's ministry, and therefore of that of the Seventy. In a mission of such a nature, it was not unlikely that Hellenistic Jews should be more or less prominent, and the assumption of some previous connection with Samaria gives an adequate explanation both of Philip's choice of that region as the scene of his work as an Evangelist (Acts 8:5) and of the general tendency of St. Stephen's speech; perhaps also of one of the real or apparent inaccuracies which criticism has noted as a proof of ignorance either in the speaker or the writer. (See Note on Acts 7:16.) Admitting the comparative lateness of the tradition mentioned by Epiphanius, it was still antecedently probable that men, who had been brought into prominence by their Lord's special choice, would not be passed over in such an election as that now before us; and if, as suggested in the Note on Luke 10:1, the Seventy were the representatives of the Prophets of the New Testament, then it was natural that men should turn to them when they wanted to find men "full of the Holy Ghost and of wisdom." . . .