The Meaning of Acts 1:17 Explained

Acts 1:17

KJV: For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.

YLT: because he was numbered among us, and did receive the share in this ministration,

Darby: for he was numbered amongst us, and had received a part in this service.

ASV: For he was numbered among us, and received his portion in this ministry.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For  he was  numbered  with  us,  and  had obtained  part  of this  ministry. 

What does Acts 1:17 Mean?

Context Summary

Acts 1:15-26 - Filling A Vacant Place
It may be that the Apostles were acting upon Christ's directions, when they proceeded to the election of a successor to Judas. There was awe in Peter's voice, as he describes the traitor as the guide of the arresting band, although he had been numbered with the Apostles and had obtained part in their ministry. It was as though Peter felt that it might have been himself. He and the rest had stood at the brink of the precipice over which Judas had flung himself.
Evidently there were favored and humble men who, though they did not belong to the brotherhood, had been allowed to company with the Apostles, and had been witnesses of the marvelous story as it had been unrolled before their eyes. They were thus able to give their testimony first-hand. What an honor had been theirs! And now one of them was summoned to take the place of Judas. His qualification was his ability to bear witness to the Resurrection, Acts 1:22. That was the salient point in the primitive evangel. But cannot we all bear witness to it? What but the resurrection of Jesus can account for the hot springs of religious fervor that arise in our wintry hearts! [source]

Chapter Summary: Acts 1

1  Christ, preparing his apostles to the beholding of his ascension,
4  gathers them together unto the Mount of Olives,
6  commands them to expect in Jerusalem the sending down of the Holy Spirit,
9  and ascends into heaven in their sight
10  After his ascension they are warned by two angels to depart, and to set their minds upon his second coming
12  They accordingly return, and, giving themselves to prayer,
23  choose Matthias apostle in the place of Judas

Greek Commentary for Acts 1:17

Was numbered [κατηριτμενος ην]
Periphrastic past perfect passive indicative of καταριτμεω — katarithmeō old verb, but here only in the N.T. (perfective use of κατα — kata). [source]
Received his portion [ελαχεν τον κληρον]
Second aorist active indicative of λαγχανω — lagchanō old verb, to obtain by lot as in Luke 1:9; John 19:24, especially by divine appointment as here and 2 Peter 2:1. Κληρος — Klēros also means lot, an object used in casting lots (Acts 1:26), or what is obtained by lot as here and Acts 8:21, of eternal salvation (Acts 26:18; Colossians 1:12), of persons chosen by divine appointment (1 Peter 5:3). From this latter usage the Latin cleros, clericus, our clergy, one chosen by divine lot. So Peter says that Judas “obtained by lot the lot of this ministry” (διακονιας — diakonias) which he had when he betrayed Jesus. The Master chose him and gave him his opportunity. [source]
Numbered [κατηριθμημένος]
Only here in New Testament [source]
With [σύν]
The best texts read ἐν , among. So Rev. [source]
Obtained [ἔλαχε]
Strictly, “received by lot. ” Rev., better, received. Compare Luke 1:9. In classical Greek, of receiving public magistracies. [source]
Part [τὸν κλῆρον]
The A. V. does not give the force of the article, the lot which was his. So Rev., “his portion:” lit., lot. [source]
Ministry []
See on minister, Matthew 20:26. Compare bishopric, Acts 1:20. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Acts 1:17

Luke 1:9 His lot was [ελαχε]
Literally, he obtained the lot. Second aorist active indicative of λαγχανω — lagchanō to obtain by lot, a very old verb from Homer on. It is used either with the genitive as here, or the accusative as in Acts 1:17; 2 Peter 1:1. Papyri show examples with the accusative. It was only once in a lifetime that a priest obtained the lot of going The fortunate lot was “a white stone” to which Revelation 2:17 may refer. [source]
John 19:24 Let us not rend it [μη σχισωμεν αυτον]
Μη — Mē with first aorist active volitive subjunctive of σχιζω — schizō to split. It was too valuable to ruin. Cast lots Second aorist active volitive subjunctive of λαγχανω — lagchanō The usual meaning is to obtain by lot (Luke 1:9; Acts 1:17). Field (Ot. Norv. 72) holds that no example has been found where it means “cast lots” as here, but Thayer cites Isocrates, p. 144b and Diod. 4, 63. John here quotes with the usual formula Psalm 22:18 (lxx verbatim) and finds a fulfilment here. The enemies of the Lord‘s Anointed treated him as already dead (Westcott) and so cast lots (ελαβον κληρον — elabon klēron the common phrase as in Matthew 27:35). [source]
Acts 1:26 He was numbered [συνκατεπσηπιστη]
To the Jews the lot did not suggest gambling, but “the O.T. method of learning the will of Jehovah” (Furneaux). The two nominations made a decision necessary and they appealed to God in this way. This double compound συνκαταπσηπιζω — sunkatapsēphizō occurs here alone in the N.T. and elsewhere only in Plutarch (Them. 21) in the middle voice for condemning with others. Συνπσηπιζω — Sunpsēphizō occurs in the middle voice in Acts 19:19 for counting up money and also in Aristophanes. Πσηπιζω — Psēphizō with δαπανην — dapanēn occurs in Luke 14:28 for counting the cost and in Revelation 13:18 for “counting” the number of the beast. The ancients used pebbles (πσηποι — psēphoi) in voting, black for condemning, white (Revelation 2:17) in acquitting. Here it is used in much the same sense as καταριτμεω — katarithmeō in Acts 1:17. [source]
2 Timothy 3:1 Perilous times [καιροὶ χαλεποί]
Only here and Matthew 8:28. Lit. hard times: schwere Zeiten. Καιρός denotes a definite, specific season. See on Matthew 12:1; see on Acts 1:17. [source]
1 Peter 5:3 The charge allotted to you [κληρικος]
“The charges,” “the lots” or “the allotments.” See it in Acts 1:17, Acts 1:25 in this sense. The old word meant a die (Matthew 27:25), a portion (Colossians 1:12; 1 Peter 1:4), here the charges assigned (cf. Acts 17:4). From the adjective τυποι γινομενοι — klērikos come our cleric, clerical, clerk. Wycliff translated it here “neither as having lordship in the clergie.”Making yourselves ensamples (γινομαι — tupoi ginomenoi). Present active participle of τυποι — ginomai and predicate nominative υπογραμμος — tupoi (types, models) for which phrase see 1 Thessalonians 1:7. Continually becoming. See 1 Peter 2:21 for του ποιμνιου — hupogrammos (writing-copy).To the flock Objective genitive. [source]
2 Peter 1:1 To them that have obtained [τοῖς λαχοῦσιν]
Lit., obtained by lot. So Luke 1:9; John 19:24. In the sense which it has here it is used by Peter (Acts 1:17) of Judas, who had obtained part of this ministry. In this sense it occurs only in that passage and here. [source]
2 Peter 1:1 Servant and apostle [δουλος και αποστολος]
Like Romans 1:1; Titus 1:1.To them that have obtained (τοις λαχουσιν — tois lachousin). Dative plural articular participle second aorist active of λαγχανω — lagchanō old verb, to obtain by lot (Luke 1:9), here with the accusative (πιστιν — pistin) as in Acts 1:17.Like precious Late compound adjective Associative-instrumental case after ισοτιμον — isotimon Equal to τηι ημων — tēi hēmōn (the faith of us).In the righteousness Definite because of the preposition εν — en and the following genitive even though anarthrous. The O.T. sense of δικαιοσυνη — dikaiosunē applied to God (Romans 1:17) and here to Christ.Of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ (του τεου ημων και σωτηρος Ιησου Χριστου — tou theou hēmōn kai sōtēros Iēsou Christou). So the one article (του — tou) with τεου — theou and σωτηρος — sōtēros requires precisely as with του κυριου ημων και σωτηρος Ιησου Χριστου — tou kuriou hēmōn kai sōtēros Iēsou Christou (of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ), one person, not two, in 2 Peter 1:11 as in 2 Peter 2:20; 2 Peter 3:2, 2 Peter 3:18. So in 1 Peter 1:3 we have ο τεος και πατηρ — ho theos kai patēr (the God and Father), one person, not two. The grammar is uniform and inevitable (Robertson, Grammar, p. 786), as even Schmiedel (Winer-Schmiedel, Grammatik, p. 158) admits: “Grammar demands that one person be meant.” Moulton (Prol., p. 84) cites papyri examples of like usage of τεος — theos for the Roman emperors. See the same idiom in Titus 2:13. The use of τεος — theos by Peter as a predicate with Jesus Christ no more disproves the Petrine authorship of this Epistle than a like use in John 1:1 disproves the Johannine authorship of the Fourth Gospel and the same use in Titus 2:13 disproves the genuineness of Titus. Peter had heard Thomas call Jesus God (John 20:28) and he himself had called him the Son of God (Matthew 16:16). [source]
2 Peter 1:1 To them that have obtained [τοις λαχουσιν]
Dative plural articular participle second aorist active of λαγχανω — lagchanō old verb, to obtain by lot (Luke 1:9), here with the accusative (πιστιν — pistin) as in Acts 1:17. [source]

What do the individual words in Acts 1:17 mean?

for numbered he was with us and was allotted - a share of the ministry this
ὅτι κατηριθμημένος ἦν ἐν ἡμῖν καὶ ἔλαχεν τὸν κλῆρον τῆς διακονίας ταύτης

κατηριθμημένος  numbered 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Participle Middle or Passive, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: καταριθμέω  
Sense: to number with.
ἦν  he  was 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: εἰμί  
Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present.
ἡμῖν  us 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative 1st Person Plural
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
ἔλαχεν  was  allotted 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λαγχάνω  
Sense: to obtain by lot.
τὸν  - 
Parse: Article, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
κλῆρον  a  share 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: κλῆρος  
Sense: an object used in casting or drawing lots, which was either a pebble, or a potsherd, or a bit of wood.
τῆς  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
διακονίας  ministry 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: διακονία 
Sense: service, ministering, esp.
ταύτης  this 
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: οὗτος  
Sense: this.