John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 6:1-15
Stephen and the Seven1-7. The Hebrew-speaking Jews, who were in a majority in the Church of Jerusalem, were inclined to despise and neglect the minority who spoke Greek. In particular, the Greek-speaking widows received less food than their Hebrew-speaking sisters. This led to complaints, and the impartiality of the Apostles was called in question. The Apostles, finding the distribution of charity too great a burden for them, summoned a meeting of the Church, and called upon the brethren to... read more
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Acts 6:2-4
The 12 apostles wisely delegated responsibility for this ministry to other qualified men in the congregation so it would not distract them from their primary duties. This is the only reference to the Twelve in Acts (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:5), though Luke referred to the Eleven earlier (Acts 2:14). Serving tables probably involved the organization and administration of ministry to the widows rather than simply serving as waiters or dispensers (cf. Matthew 21:12; Luke 19:23). [Note: Longenecker, p.... read more