Matthew 10

Matthew 10:1

AND selecting twelve of his followers who should continually be with him, and whom he might send out on any message of preaching, &c., Mark iii. 15, (and who should after his death undertake the whole work of preaching, &c.,) he now ordains them to that office, and to that end he gave them power—

a The name of the first was formerly Simon, or Simeon, which signifies hearkening, or obedient, (a name aptly noting his readiness to follow Christ and become his disciple,) but by Christ he is now called Cephas (see John i. 43.) in Syriac, which signifies a stone, such as might be fit in a building to be super-struited upon Christ the corner-stone, and that in the Greek is Petros, in English turned into the appallative Peter, and with him, Andrew his brother, and James and John, two sons of Zebedee, after called Boanerges.

Matthew 10:4

[c] Canaanite] Many Greek copies have Κανανίτης, others Καναναῖος, and Καναῖος. The word comes not from the name of a place, as a πατρονυμικόν, but from קנא and קנאה, zeal; from whence is Κάνναι, (which, with the Greek termination os, is directly Καναῖος, a zealot. The Syriac hath קנניא, Kenonoyo, which seems to be the version of Καναναῖος. The matter is clear, that this Simon, Luke vi. 15, and Acts i. 13, is called Ζηλωτὴς, the Zealot; and Κανονίτης and Ζηλωτὴς are as perfectly the same, as Cephas and Πέτρος, Tabitha and Δόρκας, and the like. Of these zealots, so famous among the Jews, many mentions we have in sacred writ. Phinees is looked on as the first to whom that name was compatible, for his slaying the unclean pair in the very fact, which Mattathias in his dying speech calls his ζηλῶσαι ζῆλον, having zeal, 1 Mac. ii. 54. And after him Elias, in his apprehending the prophets of Baal, and slaying them, 1 Kings xviii. 40; which again Mattathias calls ζηλῶσαι ζῆλον νόμου, having zeal for the law, ver. 58. And such was this Mattathias and his son Judas, &c., which, without any external calling, took upon them to destroy the profaners of the temple, putting in their colours these words, מי כמוך באלים יהוה, that is, “Who is like thee among the gods, O Lord?” or as others read it, באלוהי יהודה, “Who is like thee among the princes of Judah?” From the initial letters whereof, מכבי, they seem to be styled Maccabees, which though literally it do not, yet in effect denotes zealots. But Ferrarius, in his Nomenclat. Syr., translates the very word ζηλωτὴς, σωμμάτων, Maccabeus, writing it with koph, which is not answerable to the Hebrew caph, which others generally use in this word. In after-times, from these beginnings great distempers and flames broke out; a multitude of men, under pretence of being zealous for the law and honour of God, under the name of ζηλωταί, zealots, committing all the riots and bloodiness imaginable. See Josephus. Ἀλώσ. l. 4. c. 11, where he saith of them, that they “killed many of the chief men of the nation,” and still when they did so, “boasted of themselves, ὡς εὐεργέτας καὶ σωτήρας τῆς πόλεως γεγενημένους, that they were become the benefactors and saviours of the people.” Whose insolence meeting with the timidity and baseness of the people’s minds, advanced so far, ὡς ἐπ’ αὐτοῖς εἶναι καὶ τὰς χειροτονίας τῶν ἀρχιερίων, “that they took upon them to choose and ordain the high priests, contemning the rules of birth by which those were to succeed, and constituting ignoble, obscure men in those places, that by that means they might have abetters and partners of their villainies.” These, saith he, c. 12, imposed this name of zealot upon themselves, ὡς ἐπ’ ἀγαθοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασιν, “as if their undertakings were

[d] Iscariot] This title of his may either be taken from his country whence he came, a man of Carioth (according to which it is that the ancient Greek and Latin MS. generally reads ἀπὸ Κορνώτον, a Cariota, “from Carioth,”) or else from the Syriac, which calls a wallet or purse Secariat, and then בְּכִרְיֹטָא, Secariota, or Iscariota may signify, τὸν ἔχοντα γλωσσόκομον, “him that hath the wallet,” which was the office of this Judas.

Matthew 10:8

And wherever ye come, make use of the power which I now give you, with the same frankness and liberality that is used toward you; work all manner of healing merciful miracles wheresoever ye come, to all that beg them from you.

Matthew 10:9

Make no provision of money, much or little.

[e] purses] The word ζώνη, that literally signifies a girdle, both in Greek and Latin authors, signifies also a purse, either because that was wont to be sewed or fastened to the girdle, or because the girdle being a loose thing, like a scarf, tied about the middle, they used to wrap up their money within it; and so the gold and silver and brass (for such were the Roman asses and quadrantes) in their zones, are three sorts of coins made of those three metals, the brass being coins of the least value for the least commodities, or for common uses and exchange, as gold and silver for higher purposes; and so under the prohibition of all these is forbidden all greater or lesser provision of money to be carried out with them. These they are forbidden κτήσασθαι, to possess, that is, to acquire, or any way to provide for themselves against this journey; for so the word signifies to get, to purchase, Acts xxii. 28, and not only to possess. Κτάομαι, acquiro, saith the old Glossary, Κτησάμενος, adeptus, indeptus; and accordingly in Demosthenes it is set opposite to φυλάττειν, to keep, Olynth. 2. So in Musonius. Ἦὅσα κτήσασθαι δύσκολα, “those things that are acquired with difficulty” are distinguished from φυλάξαι μὴ ῥάδια, “such as are hard to keep.” This making provision of money for their journey, as they that go on their own business are wont to do, is forbidden the apostles, who, going on Christ’s errand, are to expect and confide to be provided for by him, and so also for victuals, which sure is meant here by πήραν, the scrip, which was usual for travellers, or any to carry victuals in. Thus 2 Kings iv. 42, that which we read ears of corn in the husk, the Greek read παλάθας ἐν τῇ πήρᾳ αὐτοῦ, ears in his scrip or sachel, thus rendering the Hebrew עָקֵל, which some taking for a vestment, rendered it there a husk, as the garment of the corn, but surely not rightly, for that was sufficiently said in the ears of corn precedent. The Hebrew עָקֵל is directly our English sachel;

α Περὶ σκεύων, αρ. Stobm. p. 489.

Matthew 10:10

Nor of victuals, nor clothes to carry with you, nor of any thing for your defence by the way. For taking so much pains for the benefit of others, ye may very reasonably expect to be entertained for all necessaries by them who profit by you.

Matthew 10:11

Whensoever therefore you come into a town or village, enquire what pious person there is dwelling there, and there fasten your station, and eat and drink what they set before you, Luke x. 7, and go not from that house to any other while you stay in the town.

Matthew 10:12

say, Peace (that is, all kind of prosperity) be to this house!

Matthew 10:13

And if those of the house be qualified to receive it, your blessing shall rest upon it; but if not, your blessing shall return upon you, and they shall

Matthew 10:15

I assure you the punishment or destruction that will light upon that city shall be such, that the destruction of Sodom shall appear to have been more tolerable than that. See note [c] on chap. iii.

‘and therefore, though ye may be allowed to be as prudent and wary as may be to preserve yourselves, because they among whom you go are ravenous as wolves, yet ye must most strictly preserve your mildness and meekness.

Matthew 10:16

[f] be ye] One idiom of the sacred writers may be here taken notice of, who by words imperative, having the form of precept, do ofttimes mean no more than either prediction of what will befall, or else permission of what may lawfully be done by them. So here in the next, the 17th verse, Προσίχετε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, Take heed of the men, is no command of caution or prudential behaviour toward the Jewish sanhedrin, nor was it so understood by the apostles, who many times did avowedly profess Christ before them, when it brought the utmost peril upon them; and that they should be so used by them is here foretold in the latter part of the verse, they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues, that is, ye shall be delivered up and scourged by them, and so that is all that is meant by προσίχετε ἀπὸ τῶν, a prediction that their greatest danger is from them. So Matt. xxiii. 32, καὶ ὑμεῖς πληρώσατε, and do ye fill up the measure of your fathers, a prediction what they would, no kind of command what they should do. So ch. xxiv. 16, Let them that are in Judæa flee unto the mountains; let him that is on the housetop not descend, &c.; and ver. 20, Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter; all in form of precept, yet none but the first of them is so much as an admonition (and that only of counsel, prudentially what was best for them); all the rest are but so many forms of predictions of the sudden and horrible dangers that should overtake all that continued in Judæa, when that day of vengeance came. So Luke xxi. 19, Ἐν τῇ ὑπομονῇ ὑμῶν κτήσασθε τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν, In your patience or perseverance possess ye your souls, or lives; possess ye, that is, There is no such way to keep or preserve your lives, as persevering, faithful adherence to Christ. So ver. 28, When these things

[g] harmless] For the notion of the word ἀκίραιος, the origination of it must be considered from κεραίξειν, to butt, or strike, or wound with the horns; from hence, saith ‘Eustathius, comes ἀκίραιος, and consequently (saith he) it signifies, ἁπλοῦς καὶ πραΰθυμος, καὶ μὴ τινα κεραίζων, simple and mildly disposed, and not butting or using of horns against any body. So 4 again, τὸ κεραίζεσθαι, φθορὰν ἁπλῶς καὶ βλόβην δηλοῖ, παρὰ τὰ κίρατα, ὅθεν φασίν, ὁ ἄθυμος καὶ ἀόργητος, ἀκίραιος λέγεται, ὥσπερ μηδέντα κεραίζων, ὁ ἔστι βλάπτων, the word so derived signifies wrathless, angerless, as one that useth no horns, hurts nobody; and this notion perfectly agrees with the nature of the dove, which, say the naturalists, hath no gall, is never angry, nor hurts any, and so in all reason is to be resolved the meaning of it in this place. So 5 Cæsarius, μηδενὶ βροτῶν κακῶς ἀνταμειβόμενοι, “not retributing evil to any man,” φασὶ γὰρ ἄκακον τὴν περιστερὰν, καὶ μηδ’ ἔχειν χολοδόχον, “for the dove hath no malice in it, hurts nothing, having not the organ of choler in it.”

Matthew 10:17

Your greatest danger will be from the men, as they are called, 1 Pet. ii. 4, those you wot of, of the Jewish sanhedrin and consistories; for you shall be accused and brought before them, who, if your offences be not conceived capital, shall scourge you (according to Deut. xxv. 2.) in their assemblies.

Matthew 10:18

But if they desire to have you punished capitally, they will remove you from thence to the Roman governors, requiring you to be put to death (as it was with Christ, John xviii. 30.); and this carrying you from the Jewish to the heathen, from one tribunal to another, will be a means to proclaim and testify the gospel to Gentiles as well as Jews.

‘make no provision beforehand what answers ye shall give, ye shall at the time be directed what answers to make. And how suspicious soever ye may be of your own abilities, yet this need not trouble you, for God will enable you to speak that which is most fit and proper to be spoken by you; and sure they that have God to enable and direct them, need not fear they shall want answers.

Matthew 10:21

And one Christian (at least such as pretend to be so) shall accuse and deliver up another to the persecutors, and forgetting all natural affection, the nearest kindred shall mischief one another, and cause

⁴ mild, meek, wrathless. ⁵ the men, τῶν ἀνόρ. ⁶ consistories, συνιδρία. ⁷ assemblies: see note [d] on chap. vi. and note [b] on James ii. ⁸ to them, αὐτοῖς.

Matthew 10:22

And the Jews, wheresoever you come, shall persecute you for preaching of Christ; but there is a fatal day approaching for these Jews, and they that in despite of all these persecutions, ver. 18-22, shall stick fast to their Christian profession, they shall, beside their crown in another world, have a remarkable deliverance here out of that destruction which universally lighteth upon all others. when they thus persecute you in one city, you may flee to another; and be assured from me, that by that time you have gone through all the cities of the Jews, ver. 6, this fatal day shall come upon your persecutors: see note [h].

[h] endureth to the end] To endure to the end doth here clearly signify a persevering, constant adherence to Christ, in despite of all the persecutions that shall befall them for the name of Christ. And for an encouragement to that, is here added the promise, that this shall be the most probable course, in the event, to escape not only eternal wrath, but even present destruction here. This will appear by the context, which runs thus: The apostles are appointed to go preach first to the Jews peculiarly, and not to any others, till they have done with them, ver. 5; they are foretold what usage they shall meet with among them, scourging and killing, ver. 17; and as a means to escape the sharpness of this ill usage among them, is their flying from one city to another, ver. 23, which will save or deliver them for the time; and before they shall have

c In Iliad β’. p. 476. l. 3. d Iliad χ’. p. 1353. l. 15. e Dial. iv. ἀποκρ. 191.

Matthew 10:24

How reasonable it is for you to expect this ill usage among men, ye may judge by what ye see already, and shall more largely hereafter discern to befall me: the disciple cannot in reason expect to be better used than his master, nor the servant than his lord.

[i] not above] This is a proverb, or known saying among the Hebrews; Aben Ezra, on Hosea i. 2, sets it down in Hebrew, thus, דִּי לַעֲבֹד לְהִיוֹת כִּי־בוֹ. It is enough, or sufficient, for the servant to be as his master, that is, he hath no reason to expect any better portion, hath all reason to be content with that. Many other such proverbial speeches there are, falling from Christ, (as purposely making use of what was good among them, their customs, their proverbs, their forms of prayer and benediction.) So that of Matt. vii. 2, In the measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again. For so in that part of the Gemara called sanhedrim we find כְּמֹדֶה שָׁאָרֵם מֵדֶר בָּהּ מוֹדְדִים לוֹ, “In the measure that a man meteth, they shall mete to him in that.” See note [b] ch. xix., and note [b] 2 Thess. iii., and note [a] Rom. ii.

Matthew 10:25

The most that a disciple or servant can aspire to, is to come to his master’s perfection, Luke vi. 40. And if they have called me Beelzebub, how much reason have you to expect that they shall deal with you as with the wickedest apostates in the world, revile you proportionably in your places and orders!

Matthew 10:26

Be ye therefore courageous, not terrified by any thing that can befall you; this fear or foresight of the danger must not make you conceal any thing that I have taught you. See Mark iv. 22.

Matthew 10:27

And therefore what I say now in parables to you, do ye courageously publish to all; and what I more privately impart to you as my disciples, and not to the multitude, chap. v. 1, do you stand on the top of the houses and proclaim from the battlements to the people in the streets as publicly as ye can.

[k] hear in the ear] This phrase of hearing in the ear will be best explained by referring to the custom of the Jews mentioned by the rabbins, who affirm that the masters among the Jews were wont to have their interpreters, who (as the ὑποφῆται of the oracles) did receive the dictates of the masters, whispered in the ear, and then publicly propose them to all; the masters dictating softly, but the interpreters delivering them aloud. Of this Elias Levita speaks in his Thisbi on the word תִּרְגֵּם, and saith that the interpreter is mentioned Exod. iv. 16, he shall be to thee as a mouth, (where the Targum reads לְתוֹרַגְמָן, the word which is among the Chaldees the title of an interpreter,) and adds that every psalm that is inscribed מַשְׂכִּיל, was received from a master, and dictated by an interpreter; so it was an ensign of a master to have an interpreter. In the Excerpta Gemaræ tract. de Sanhed., c. 1. §. 7, Dixerunt Jehudæ interpreti Resh Lachish, adsta illi in concione, adstitit, et se inclinavit juxta illum, et iste nihil ei dictavit: “Judah, the interpreter of Resh Lachish, stood by him in the assembly, and bowed himself to

Matthew 10:28

And never be afraid of any man, armed with the most power or malice; for the utmost he can do is to kill your bodies, but your souls he cannot touch. And what an improvidence would it be in you, if to escape those terrors ye should neglect your duty, and so incur that far greater danger from God, who hath employed you, whose punishments are far more terrible, casting unprofitable servants’ bodies and souls, into eternal misery and torments.

Matthew 10:29

Besides, consider that all the power of men escape.

[l] a farthing] For ἀσσάριον the Hebrew reads טבע קטון, a little piece of money; the Syriac reads אכר, asor, the Greek word so changed by them. The Arabic have phals, which they use to express the least piece of money that is; and accordingly for λεπτά δύο, Mark xii. 42, they read phalsain the dual from that. For the value of the coin, according to the use of the word asoro in the Syriac, f Jesu Bar Ali saith, that there are such diversities of opinions, that it is hard to determine any thing in it.

f Eocl. Hist. L 2. c. 23. g Syro-Arab. Lex.

Matthew 10:30

God hath the knowledge and care and overruling of all the least things that belong to you or shall befall you.

Matthew 10:31

This is full ground of all confidence and courage to you; your lives are dearly valued by God, and will not by him be negligently or prodigally wasted. ‘shall courageously preach my doctrine when the preaching of it is persecuted, and when any particular duty taught by me, and required by me to be performed by all Christians, is so opposed by the world, that the practising it then may bring the utmost hazard upon him, shall then constantly adhere to that precept, and so confess and honour me, how dear soever it cost him, I will be sure to own, and honour, and stick to him, declare those performances of his to his honour, before my Father in heaven, from whom he shall have the acclamation and reward of a good servant. renounce the faith of Christ or obedience to him in time of danger, he must expect to be renounced by me before my—

Matthew 10:34

Do not deceive yourselves with an imagination, as if the effect or design of my coming into the world were to secure unto the Christian profession a perpetual enjoyment of worldly quiet and prosperity upon earth, when all the malice of wicked men and devils are set against it; but rather reckon beforehand of persecution as your portion, and expect that your perseverance and constancy in this profession may and very often will bring great outward calamities upon you for a season, even unto the killing of some of you.

Matthew 10:35

The far more general effect of my doctrine will be (or upon the publishing my doctrine will ensue) all manner of contention, quarrels, and variance betwixt the dearest and nearest friends, either about acknowledging the truth of it, or adhering to it in time of danger.

Matthew 10:36

And the nearer men are to others in kindred, &c., the more bitter will their hatred be against them (as against blasphemers, &c.) upon their receiving my doctrine, especially when it comes to be persecuted.

Matthew 10:37

And he that prefers the advantages which he can and is like to receive from his parents, or any that are dearest to him, before those he expects from me, or that values their kindness or good opinion more than mine, is no fit person for my service, no way qualified to be a disciple for me; for it is certain all such worldly interests will ever be soliciting against me.

Matthew 10:38

Nay, I must plainly tell you, that he that doth not provide for the utmost that can come, that is not content to suffer death itself (and therein to do what I do before him) rather than do any thing contrary to Christian duty, is not competently qualified to be a disciple of mine.

Matthew 10:39

This comfort meanwhile ye have, that as he that useth any way of compliance with the persecutors, and so escapes their malice, and saves his life, shall gain little by this, but be involved in the destruction which awaits them; so on the other side, he that shall hazard the utmost, that he may stick close to me, shall be likely to fare best even in this world. For thus I foretell you it will be: some, to comply with the persecuting Jews, and to escape their persecutions, will renounce Christianity, and feign themselves zealous Jews; and so when the destruction falls upon the Jews, as it certainly shall most heavily, they shall be involved in that destruction, and that is all they shall get by that compliance and pusillanimity: whereas at the same time they that comply not, and so venture all that the Jews’ malice can do against them, shall by the destruction of their persecutors be rescued from that danger, and live to see a peaceable profession of Christianity, or, if they do not, have the loss of a short temporary life rewarded with an eternal.

Matthew 10:40

And therefore, both to arm you against this great error, and to satisfy one objection more which will be apt to rise in your hearts, (viz. that if Christian doctrine will be so persecuted, you have reason to expect that it will be looked on strangely by all others, and that nobody will dare to receive you into their houses,) I now tell you, that how great soever your persecutions are, and how dangerous a thing soever to profess to be a follower of Christ, yet shall no man have reason to fear the entertaining of you; for the same protection that waits over you, ver. 39, and the same reward that attends you, ver. 32, shall also await those that are thus kind as to receive you: it shall be as if they had entertained not only angels,

Matthew 10:41

He that entertaineth (see note [c] on 1 Tim. i.) a prophet in the name of him that sent him, (one prophet coming in the name of another prophet, as Elizaeus in the name of Elias, and the apostles in the name of Christ,) or in that one consideration, because he is a prophet, or he that doth support and enable a prophet to do his work that sent him, he shall receive the same reward that he should, if himself had been sent to prophesy, (gain thereby an interest in his work, and so in the reward due to it,) yea, the same that he should have had if he had received him that sent him, even Christ, and God which sent Christ: see ver. 40. And so likewise he that entertains any holy man sent by another to plant holiness among men, shall receive the benediction, Gen. xxx. 27, that attends the having a righteous man in one’s house, or that of Lot’s entertaining the angels, the messengers of God, or of Rahab’s receiving the spies; that is, shall himself be delivered by that means, when others are destroyed.

In this notion, because he is a disciple of Christ, (as Mark ix. 41, in my name, because you are Christ’s,) verily—

CHAP. XI.

AND it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.