Greek word - (diakonos G1249)
Quiz - Choose the answer that is closest to what you think DEACON is.
A - someone studying to be a priest
B - a leader in a church
C - a servant
D - a worker in a church
Problem - Transliteration, Misused
KJV Example - "Likewise must the deacons be grave" (1 Timothy 3:8a).
Explanation
The word, deacon, is a transliteration of the Greek word, diakonos. Diakonos is used 30 times in the New Testament, yet only three of these are translated as deacon.
The other times it is translated as servant and minister. Minister is an old word for servant.
Diakonos is a noun that comes from the verb, diakoneo. Diakoneo means to serve.
So diakonos is a servant and a deacon is a servant.
Remember the story of Jesus turning the water into wine? Jesus' mother told the servants to do whatever Jesus told them to do. These servants were diakonos (John 2:5,9).
Diakonos is a good example of how the King James translators were not consistent with their translating. They could have translated this word as servant every time, or as minister every time, or as deacon every time, but they didn't. They translated it three different ways. Remember, in Greek it is one thing, one word.
The big question is why does the King James Version use the word, deacon, these three times?
Here is my answer to that. The King James translators were from the Church of England. Back then being a deacon was the "final step along the course toward ordination to priesthood" (wikipedia.org). It is known that King James instructed his translators to validate the Church of England in this new Bible version (the 1611 KJV). This is one way they did that. They found three verses where diakonos could mean someone preparing for the priesthood and put deacon for diakonos. If they had consistently put deacon every time diakonos appears in the New Testament, it would have been clear that diakonos was not someone trying to become a priest.
The next big question is why do 40 out of 50 Bible versions today still not translate diakonos consistenly? I will let you answer that one yourself.
A true deacon is someone who serves in the church, the person who cleans the toilets and sweeps the sanctuary, the one who drives the bus, the sound man, the light man, and the secretary. The church would get very little done without these servants.
In the Bible, a deacon is a servant.
Modern Synonym - servant
Bible Version Tally (how other versions translate this word) - deacon (40 of 50), servant (4 of 50), minister (1 of 50), helper (3 of 50)
Breakthrough Version - "In a similar way, it is necessary for servants to be respectful" (1 Timothy 3:8a).