Matthew 10

Jesus called his twelve disciples to him. He gave them authority over unclean spirits, so they could drive them out, and power to heal every kind of sickness and disease.

1And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

Note"Unclean spirits" is the ordinary term in the Gospels for what verse 8 calls devils, that is, demons. "Unclean" is not about dirt. It belongs to the vocabulary of ritual purity and marks something as unfit to come near what is holy.

2These are the names of the twelve apostles, the men he sent out: first Simon, who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;

2Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;

Note"Apostle" is a Greek word meaning one who is sent out as an authorized representative, so the word itself is a job description rather than a title. "Peter" is likewise a nickname and not a family name: the Greek petros means rock or stone. "The first, Simon" may mean first in the list or first in standing; the Greek allows either.

3Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, who was also called Thaddaeus;

3Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;

NoteA "publican" was a tax collector, from the Latin publicanus. Such men contracted for the right to collect tolls and duties in a district and made their living from what they took above the quota, and they worked for the occupying power. They were widely regarded as both cheats and collaborators. "Surname" in 1611 English meant an extra name or nickname, not a family name; ancient copies of Matthew differ here between Lebbaeus, Thaddaeus, and the two combined.

4Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who later handed Jesus over to his enemies.

4Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

Note"Simon the Canaanite" has nothing to do with the land of Canaan. The King James is transliterating an Aramaic word, qan'ana, meaning zealous; Luke translates the same label into Greek as "the Zealot." It may describe fierce personal devotion to the law of Moses, or membership in a party committed to armed resistance against Rome. "Iscariot" is most often explained as "man of Kerioth," a town in the south.

5Jesus sent these twelve out with these orders: "Do not take the road to the Gentiles, the people who are not Jews, and do not enter any town of the Samaritans.

5These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:

NoteThe Samaritans were the people of the hill country between Judea and Galilee. They shared much ancestry with the Jews and kept their own version of the five books of Moses, but they worshiped at Mount Gerizim rather than at the temple in Jerusalem, and the two groups had been hostile to each other for centuries. Naming Gentiles and Samaritans together marks out everyone who was not a Jew in the full sense.

6Go instead to the lost sheep of the people of Israel.

6But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Note"The house of Israel" means the Jewish people as a whole, thought of as one extended family descended from Jacob, who was also called Israel. The phrase can be read as "the lost sheep, that is, the house of Israel" or as "the lost sheep among the house of Israel"; the Greek is open to both.

7As you go, announce this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.'

7And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Note"At hand" translates a verb meaning has come near, in time or in space. "The kingdom of heaven" is Matthew's regular phrase where Mark and Luke say "the kingdom of God"; saying heaven was a customary way of referring to God without pronouncing the name.

8Heal the sick, make people with skin disease clean, raise the dead, and drive out demons. You received without paying, so give without charging.

8Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

Note"Leper" covered a range of persistent skin conditions, not only the disease now called leprosy or Hansen's disease. Under the law of Moses such a person was ritually unclean and had to live apart from the community and away from worship until a priest examined him and declared him clean. That is why the verb is "cleanse" rather than "heal": the cure and the restoration to normal life were one thing.

9Do not take any gold or silver or copper coins in your money belts.

9Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,

Note"Brass" in 1611 English covered copper and its alloys. Copper coins were the small change of the day, so gold, silver and copper together simply means money of any value. "Purses" translates a word meaning belts: travelers carried coins in a fold or pouch of the cloth belt around the waist.

10Do not take a travel bag, or a second shirt, or sandals, or a walking stick. A worker has a right to be given his food.

10Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.

Note"Scrip" is an old English word for a traveler's or beggar's bag, used for food and spare belongings. A "coat" is the tunic worn next to the skin, and carrying a second one was normal practice on the road. "Staves" is the plural of staff, a walking stick that also served as a defense against animals. "Meat" in 1611 English meant food of any kind, not flesh in particular. The whole list describes setting out with no provision at all and depending on the hospitality of strangers.

11In whatever town or village you enter, find out who there is worthy, and stay at that person's house until you move on.

11And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.

Note"Worthy" here means a suitable host: someone willing to take the messengers in and hear them. "There abide till ye go thence" means stay in that one house for the whole visit rather than moving on to better lodging if it is offered.

12When you go into the house, greet the people who live there.

12And when ye come into an house, salute it.

Note"Salute" in 1611 English simply means greet. The customary greeting was a wish of peace, shalom, which is why the next verse can speak of that peace resting on the house or coming back.

13If that household is worthy, let your greeting of peace rest on it. If it is not worthy, let your peace come back to you.

13And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.

NoteThe greeting of peace is treated here as a real gift that is handed over, and one that can be withdrawn intact if it is refused.

14If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet as you leave that house or town.

14And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

NoteShaking the dust off the feet was a recognized gesture. Jews returning from Gentile territory were said to shake off its dust so that nothing foreign was carried into the land. Performed on the way out of a Jewish town, it publicly declares that the place has put itself outside, and that the responsibility for the refusal now rests with the townspeople and not with the messengers.

15I tell you the truth: on the day of judgment it will be easier for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

15Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

NoteSodom and Gomorrah were two cities destroyed by fire in Genesis 19, and they had long since become the standard byword for a place wiped out in judgment. "More tolerable" means more bearable, easier to endure.

16Look, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. So be as clever as snakes and as innocent as doves.

16Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

Note"Wise" here translates a word meaning shrewd or prudent, the practical cleverness that keeps you out of a trap. "Harmless" in 1611 English means innocent, with no harm in you, not feeble or ineffective.

17But watch out for people. They will hand you over to the local courts, and they will whip you in their synagogues, the places where Jews gather to worship.

17But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;

Note"The councils" were the local Jewish courts, each a small sanhedrin, which could try cases and impose penalties. "Scourge" means flog with a whip; synagogue discipline included a beating of thirty-nine lashes, one short of the forty allowed by the law of Moses.

18Because of me you will be brought before governors and kings, so that you can speak as a witness to them and to the Gentiles.

18And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.

Note"For a testimony against them" translates a Greek phrase that can equally be rendered "as a witness to them." Whether the trial is an accusation of the judges or an opportunity to speak to them is left open in the original.

19But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to answer or what to say. What you should say will be given to you at that very moment.

19But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.

Note"Take no thought" in 1611 English means do not be anxious, do not fret. It is not an instruction to stop thinking. "In that same hour" means at that very moment, not within the next sixty minutes.

20It will not really be you speaking. The Spirit of your Father will be speaking through you.

20For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.

21Brother will hand over brother to be killed, and a father will hand over his child. Children will turn against their parents and have them put to death.

21And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.

Note"Deliver up" means hand over to the authorities. It is the same verb used of Judas in verse 4 and of the arrests in verse 17.

22Everyone will hate you because of my name. But the person who holds out to the end will be saved.

22And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

Note"Hated of all men" means hated by everyone; "of" carried the sense of "by" in 1611 English. "For my name's sake" means because of your connection to me: in this way of speaking a person's name stands in for the person himself.

23When they treat you cruelly in one town, escape to another. I tell you the truth: you will not have finished going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

23But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.

Note"The Son of man" is the phrase Jesus habitually uses of himself. In ordinary Aramaic it can mean simply "a human being," but it also picks up the figure in Daniel 7:13 who is given authority by God. "Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel" means you will not have finished working your way through them.

24A student is not above his teacher, and a servant is not above his master.

24The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.

Note"Master" here means teacher, the word used of a rabbi and his students. "Lord" in the second half is the household master, and "servant" translates a word meaning a slave, someone owned rather than employed. Two different relationships are being set side by side.

25It is enough for the student to become like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If people have called the head of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call the members of his household so.

25It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

Note"The master of the house" is the householder, the head of the family, and "them of his household" are everyone else under his roof, including slaves. Beelzebub is a name for the ruler of the demons. The oldest copies read Beelzebul; the form Beelzebub in the King James matches the name of a Philistine god in 2 Kings 1, "lord of the flies," which was itself probably a mocking distortion of the god's real title.

26So do not be afraid of them. Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing is hidden that will not be made known.

26Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.

27What I tell you in the dark, say out loud in the daylight. What is whispered in your ear, announce from the housetops.

27What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.

NoteRoofs in that part of the world were flat and were used as living space, so speaking from one meant being heard by the whole street. "What ye hear in the ear" means what is whispered to you privately.

28Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

28And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Note"Hell" here translates Gehenna, the name of a ravine just outside Jerusalem, the Valley of Hinnom, which had a grim history as a place of child sacrifice and later served as a standard image for the place of final punishment. It is a different word from Hades, which means the realm of the dead in general.

29Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing, a coin of almost no value? Yet not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father.

29Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.

NoteA "farthing" was the smallest English coin in 1611. The Greek word is assarion, a small Roman copper coin worth roughly a sixteenth of a day's wage for a laborer. Sparrows were the cheapest food sold in the market. "Without your Father" is literally "apart from your Father"; the Greek does not say apart from his knowledge, his permission or his care, and translators have supplied all three.

30Even the hairs on your head are all counted.

30But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

31So do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.

31Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

32So whoever says openly in front of others that he belongs to me, I will also speak for him in front of my Father in heaven.

32Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

Note"Confess" in 1611 English means to acknowledge openly, to state publicly where you stand, and it carries a courtroom flavor: declaring in front of witnesses whose side you are on. The second half of the sentence pictures the same act performed in the other direction, someone speaking up for you before God.

33But whoever disowns me in front of others, I will also disown him in front of my Father in heaven.

33But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

34Do not think that I came to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

34Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

NoteThe Greek reads literally "I came not to cast peace on the earth, but a sword." The sword stands for violent division, and Luke's version of this saying uses the plain word "division."

35I came to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

35For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

NoteThese three lines quote Micah 7:6, a description of a society in which the most basic family loyalties have collapsed. "Set at variance" in 1611 English means set at odds, put in conflict. The pairings are those of a household where a married son brought his wife into his parents' home, so the daughter-in-law and mother-in-law shared a roof.

36A man's enemies will be the members of his own household.

36And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.

37Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

37He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

38And anyone who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

38And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

NoteA person condemned to crucifixion carried the crossbeam himself to the place of execution, through the streets and in front of the crowd. Crucifixion was a Roman penalty reserved mainly for slaves and rebels and was designed to humiliate as much as to kill. The image is therefore of someone already under sentence of death, walking publicly toward it.

39Whoever holds on to his life will lose it, and whoever gives up his life for my sake will find it.

39He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

Note"Life" here translates psyche, the same word rendered "soul" in verse 28. It means a person's life or very self, so the saying turns on one word used twice with two weights. "Findeth his life" carries the sense of securing it, hanging on to it.

40Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.

40He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

NoteIn Jewish legal usage a man's authorized agent counted, for the business at hand, as the man himself; what was done to the agent was done to the sender. The chain of welcome in this verse works on that principle.

41Whoever welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward. Whoever welcomes a person who does what is right, because that person does what is right, will receive that person's reward.

41He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.

Note"In the name of a prophet" means because he is a prophet, on the ground of what he is. It is not a formula of words. "A prophet's reward" is the reward that belongs to the prophet, shared by the person who took him in.

42And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth: he will certainly not lose his reward."

42And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

Note"These little ones" most likely means the messengers themselves, people of no standing in the eyes of the towns they enter. A cup of cold water, drawn fresh from a well or spring, was the cheapest possible act of hospitality in a hot country. "In the name of a disciple" again means because he is a disciple, and "in no wise" is an emphatic never, by no means.