Nicanor is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Nicanor was one of the seven men chosen by the early church to serve as deacons, set apart to oversee the daily distribution of food and aid among the believers in Jerusalem. He is named only once in Scripture, in Acts 6:5, where he appears in a list of seven men selected by the apostles and the congregation. The setting was a time of rapid growth in the church, when a dispute arose because the Greek-speaking widows were being neglected in the daily ministration. The apostles, unwilling to leave the ministry of the word in order to serve tables, instructed the disciples to choose seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, to take charge of this work.
Nicanor was among those chosen. The text tells us the saying pleased the whole multitude, and they selected Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas. These seven were set before the apostles, who prayed and laid hands on them. Beyond his inclusion in this list, Scripture records nothing else about Nicanor—no words, no further deeds, no later mention. He is known to us only as a faithful servant entrusted with a practical ministry in the church’s earliest days.
What Scripture does say of him is that he was counted worthy to be set apart for this service, chosen alongside Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost. Though his name appears but once, his selection places him among the first deacons of the church, men appointed to meet a real need with honesty and wisdom.
The Name
Nicanor is a Greek name, Νικάνωρ, built from the Greek word νίκη (nikē), meaning “victory,” and ἀνήρ (anēr), meaning “man.” The name is generally understood to mean something like “victorious man” or “conqueror.” This meaning is well established, since the components of the name are clear and common in Greek. It was a familiar name in the Greek-speaking world, and its sense of victory would have been readily understood by those who heard it.
A Closing Thought
Nicanor’s place in Scripture is small—a single verse, a single mention—yet he was chosen for a task that mattered. The church needed men who would serve faithfully in ordinary, unglamorous work, and Nicanor was one of them. Most of us will never be remembered by name in a great account, but that does not make our service small in God’s eyes. He sees the quiet, faithful labor of those who serve His people, whether or not the world ever takes notice. Like Nicanor, we are called simply to be found trustworthy in the place we are given.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: New
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- Acts 6:5 — 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: