14:23

appointed: Here the Scriptures show that traveling overseers, Paul and Barnabas, appointed the elders. They did so by offering prayer with fasting, showing that they viewed making these appointments as a weighty matter. Titus and apparently Timothy are also described as taking part in appointing men as “elders” in the congregations. (Tit 1:5; 1Ti 5:22) The Greek word used here for “appointed,” khei·ro·to·neʹo, has the literal meaning “to extend (stretch out; lift up) the hand.” Based on this meaning, some have understood that the elders were elected by the congregation through a show of hands. But this Greek word is also used in a more general sense, without reference to how the appointing was done. First-century Jewish historian Josephus confirms this meaning of the term in his Antiquities of the Jews, Book 6, chaps. 4 and 13 (Loeb 6:54 and 6:312), where he uses the same Greek verb to describe God’s appointment of Saul as king. In that case, a show of hands by the congregation of Israel did not vote King Saul into office. Rather, the Scriptures state that the prophet Samuel poured oil on Saul’s head and said: “Has not Jehovah anointed you as a leader?” This showed that Saul was appointed by Jehovah God. (1Sa 10:1) Also, according to the Greek grammatical structure of Ac 14:23, the apostles Paul and Barnabas, not the assembly or congregation, did the appointing (Lit., “stretching out of the hands”). In other situations, when qualified men were appointed to responsible positions in the first-century congregation, the apostles and other authorized men would literally lay their hands on them, a gesture that symbolized confirmation, approval, or appointment.​—Compare study note on Ac 6:6.

elders: Lit., “older men.” In the Bible, the Greek term pre·sbyʹte·ros refers primarily to those who hold a position of authority and responsibility in a community or a nation, although the term sometimes refers to physically older men. (See study note on Mt 16:21.) Just as older, mature men shared the responsibility of leadership and administration in communities of the ancient nation of Israel, so spiritually mature men served in the Christian congregations in the first century C.E. (1Ti 3:1-7; Tit 1:5-9) Although Paul and Barnabas were “sent out by the holy spirit” on this missionary journey, they still prayed and fasted when making appointments. Then they “entrusted [these elders] to Jehovah.” (Ac 13:1-4; 14:23) In addition to Paul and Barnabas, Titus and apparently also Timothy are described as taking part in appointing men as “elders” in the congregations. (Tit 1:5; 1Ti 5:22) There is no record of congregations independently making such appointments. The first-century congregations apparently had a number of elders who served together as a “body of elders.”​—1Ti 4:14; Php 1:1.

they entrusted them to Jehovah: The Greek verb rendered “entrusted” is also used at Ac 20:32, where Paul says to the elders from Ephesus: “I entrust you to God,” and at Lu 23:46 to render Jesus’ words: “Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit.” This is a quote from Ps 31:5, where the Septuagint (30:6, LXX) uses the same Greek word for “entrust” and where the divine name appears in the immediate context of the original Hebrew text. The concept of entrusting oneself to Jehovah is expressed several times in the Hebrew Scriptures.​—Ps 22:8; 37:5; Pr 16:3; see App. C3 introduction; Ac 14:23.