The Meaning of Acts 6:11 Explained

Acts 6:11

KJV: Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God.

YLT: then they suborned men, saying -- 'We have heard him speaking evil sayings in regard to Moses and God.'

Darby: Then they suborned men, saying, We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.

ASV: Then they suborned men, who said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then  they suborned  men,  which said,  We have heard  him  speak  blasphemous  words  against  Moses,  and  [against] God. 

What does Acts 6:11 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Failing to prove Stephen wrong by intellectual argumentation, his adversaries falsely accused him of defying Moses and God (cf. Matthew 26:61; Matthew 26:65). At this time the Jews defined blasphemy as any defiant sin. [1]

Context Summary

Acts 6:1-15 - Meeting Murmuring Within And Persecution Without
The Grecians here mentioned were Jews who had lived abroad and spoke Greek. There were as yet no Gentiles in the Church. It was regarded as an annex to Judaism, and people had to become Jews before they were admitted to its privileges.
What a glimpse is here afforded of the simplicity and fervor of the primitive Church! The daily ministration of relief; the choice of godly men to attend to secular details; the prime importance of prayer and the ministry of the Word; the recognition by the Apostles of the rights of the people-all is so spiritual and so worthy of the era of the Holy Spirit. Alas, that so fair a dawn should ever have been overcast!
The Church must dedicate to God those whom she has chosen under the guidance of His Spirit. Stephen on the one hand, and Saul on the other, were the leaders of their respective parties. We see traces of the latter in the references to them of Cilicia, Acts 6:9. Stephen's enemies prevailed over him by brute force, but he was conqueror through the blood of the Lamb and the word of his testimony. [source]

Chapter Summary: Acts 6

1  The apostles, desirous to have the poor cared for,
2  as also careful themselves to dispense the word of God, the food of the soul,
3  recommend,
5  and with the church's consent ordain seven chosen men to the office of deaconship
7  The word of God prevails,
8  Stephen, full of faith and the Holy Spirit, confuting those with whom he disputed,
12  is brought before the council,
13  and falsely accused of blasphemy against the law and the temple

Greek Commentary for Acts 6:11

Then they suborned men [τοτε υπεβαλον ανδρας]
Second aorist active indicative of υποβαλλω — hupoballō old verb, but here only in the N.T., to put under like a carpet, to bring men under one‘s control by suggestion or by money. One recalls the plight of Caiaphas in the trial of Jesus when he sought false witnesses. Subornaverunt. They put these men forward in an underhand way for fraud. [source]
Blasphemous words against Moses and God [βλασπημα εις Μωυσην και τον τεον]
The punishment for blasphemy was stoning to death. See note on Matthew 12:31 for discussion of the word βλασπημια βλασπημεω βλασπημος — blasphēmiaβλαπτω — blasphēmeōπημη — blasphēmos all in the N.T. from βλαχ — blaptō to harm, and πημη — phēmē speech, harmful speech, or blax stupid, and phēmē But the charge against Stephen was untrue. Please note that Moses is here placed before God and practically on a par with God in the matter of blasphemy. The purpose of this charge is to stir the prejudices of the people in the matter of Jewish rights and privileges. It is the Pharisees who are conducting this attack on Stephen while the Sadducees had led them against Peter and John. The position of Stephen is critical in the extreme for the Sadducees will not help him as Gamaliel did the apostles. [source]
Suborned [ὑπέβαλον]
Only here in New Testament. The verb originally means to put under, as carpets under one's feet; hence, to put one person in place of another; to substitute, as another's child for one's own; to employ a secret agent in one's place, and to instigate or secretly instruct him. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Acts 6:11

Acts 27:15 Face the wind [αντοπταλμειν τωι ανεμωι]
Dative case with the vivid infinitive of αντοπταλμεω — antophthalmeō from αντοπταλμος — antophthalmos looking in the eye, or eye to eye Eyes were painted on the prows of vessels. The ship could not face the wind enough to get to Phoenix. Modern sailors talk of sailing into the eye of the wind. We were not able to look the wind in the eye. Koiné{[28928]}š verb used by Polybius. Some MSS. have it in Acts 6:11, but only here in N.T. In Wisdom of Sol. 12:14 it is used of a prince who cannot look God in the face. Clement of Rome 34 uses it of an idle workman not able to look his employer in the face (Milligan and Moulton‘s Vocabulary). We gave way (επιδοντες — epidontes). Second aorist active participle of επιδιδωμι — epididōmi giving way to the wind. Were driven Imperfect passive of περω — pherō “we were being borne along.” We “scudded before the gale” (Page). “The suddenness of the hurricane gave no time to furl the great mainsail” (Furneaux). [source]
Acts 7:2 Hearken [ακουσατε]
First aorist (ingressive) active imperative, Give me your attention now. The God of glory (ο τεος της δοχης — Ho theos tēs doxēs). The God characterized by glory (genitive case, genus or kind) as seen in the Shekinah, the visible radiance of God. Jesus is also called “the Glory”=the Shekinah in James 2:1. Cf. Exodus 25:22; Exodus 40:34; Leviticus 9:6; Hebrews 9:5. By these words Stephen refutes the charge of blasphemy against God in Acts 6:11. Appeared First aorist passive indicative of οραω — horaō See Luke 23:43. Before there was temple or tabernacle and away over in Mesopotamia (Ur of the Chaldees, Genesis 11:31), even before (prin ē with the infinitive) he dwelt in Haran (Charran or Carrae not far from Edessa, where Crassus met death after his defeat by the Parthians b.c. 53). [source]
Acts 7:2 The God of glory [ο τεος της δοχης]
The God characterized by glory (genitive case, genus or kind) as seen in the Shekinah, the visible radiance of God. Jesus is also called “the Glory”=the Shekinah in James 2:1. Cf. Exodus 25:22; Exodus 40:34; Leviticus 9:6; Hebrews 9:5. By these words Stephen refutes the charge of blasphemy against God in Acts 6:11. [source]
Acts 7:35 With the hand [συν χειρι]
So the correct text. The Pharisees had accused Stephen of blaspheming “against Moses and God” (Acts 6:11). Stephen here answers that slander by showing how Moses led the people out of Egypt in co-operation (συν — sun) with the hand of the Angel of Jehovah. [source]
Acts 7:57 Rushed upon him with one accord [ωρμησαν ομοτυμαδον επ αυτον]
Ingressive aorist active indicative of ορμαω — hormaō to rush impetuously as the hogs did down the cliff when the demons entered them (Luke 8:33). No vote was taken by the Sanhedrin. No scruple was raised about not having the right to put him to death (John 8:31). It may have taken place after Pilate‘s recall and before his successor came or Pilate, if there, just connived at such an incident that did not concern Rome. At any rate it was mob violence like modern lynching that took the law into the hands of the Sanhedrin without further formalities. Out of the city (εκ της πολεως — ek tēs poleōs). To keep from defiling the place with blood. But they sought to kill Paul as soon as they got him out of the temple area (Acts 21:30.). Stoned Imperfect active indicative of λιτοβολεω — lithoboleō began to stone, from λιτοβολος — lithobolos The witnesses (οι μαρτυρες — hoi martureōs). The false testifiers against Stephen suborned by the Pharisees (Acts 6:11, Acts 6:13). These witnesses had the privilege of casting the first stones (Deuteronomy 13:10; Deuteronomy 17:7) against the first witness for Christ with death (martyr in our modern sense of the word). At the feet of a young man named Saul Beside Gamaliel, as the Pharisaic leader in the Sanhedrin, was probably on hand to hear the accusations against Stephen by the Pharisees. But, if so, he does not raise his voice against this mob violence. Saul does not seem to be aware that he is going contrary to the views of his master, though pupils often go further than their teachers. [source]
Acts 7:57 Stoned [ελιτοβολουν]
Imperfect active indicative of λιτοβολεω — lithoboleō began to stone, from λιτοβολος — lithobolos The witnesses (οι μαρτυρες — hoi martureōs). The false testifiers against Stephen suborned by the Pharisees (Acts 6:11, Acts 6:13). These witnesses had the privilege of casting the first stones (Deuteronomy 13:10; Deuteronomy 17:7) against the first witness for Christ with death (martyr in our modern sense of the word). At the feet of a young man named Saul Beside Gamaliel, as the Pharisaic leader in the Sanhedrin, was probably on hand to hear the accusations against Stephen by the Pharisees. But, if so, he does not raise his voice against this mob violence. Saul does not seem to be aware that he is going contrary to the views of his master, though pupils often go further than their teachers. [source]
Acts 7:57 The witnesses [οι μαρτυρες]
The false testifiers against Stephen suborned by the Pharisees (Acts 6:11, Acts 6:13). These witnesses had the privilege of casting the first stones (Deuteronomy 13:10; Deuteronomy 17:7) against the first witness for Christ with death (martyr in our modern sense of the word). [source]

What do the individual words in Acts 6:11 mean?

Then they suborned men saying - We have heard him speaking words blasphemous against Moses and - God
Τότε ὑπέβαλον ἄνδρας λέγοντας ὅτι Ἀκηκόαμεν αὐτοῦ λαλοῦντος ῥήματα βλάσφημα εἰς Μωϋσῆν καὶ τὸν Θεόν

ὑπέβαλον  they  suborned 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: ὑποβάλλω  
Sense: to throw or put under.
ἄνδρας  men 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: ἀνήρ  
Sense: with reference to sex.
λέγοντας  saying 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
ὅτι  - 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
Ἀκηκόαμεν  We  have  heard 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Indicative Active, 1st Person Plural
Root: ἀκουστός 
Sense: to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf.
λαλοῦντος  speaking 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: ἀπολαλέω 
Sense: to utter a voice or emit a sound.
ῥήματα  words 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Plural
Root: ῥῆμα  
Sense: that which is or has been uttered by the living voice, thing spoken, word.
βλάσφημα  blasphemous 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Neuter Plural
Root: βλάσφημος  
Sense: speaking evil, slanderous, reproachful, railing, abusive.
εἰς  against 
Parse: Preposition
Root: εἰς  
Sense: into, unto, to, towards, for, among.
Μωϋσῆν  Moses 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: Μωσεύς 
Sense: the legislator of the Jewish people and in a certain sense the founder of the Jewish religion.
τὸν  - 
Parse: Article, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Θεόν  God 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.