The Fallible Study Bible

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Matthew10:5–15

The Ministry of the Twelve

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Matthew 10:5–15 — The Ministry of the Twelve. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.

5

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go onto the road of the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Toutous tous dōdeka ho Iēsous apesteilen autois legōn parangeilas mē apelthēte Eis hodon ethnōn kai mē eiselthēte eis polin Samaritōn

Word by word20 · parsed
ΤούτουςToutousTheseG3778
√ οὗτος — the he (she or it), iDemonstrative PronounAccusative Masculine Plural
τοὺςtousG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Plural
δώδεκαdōdekatwelveG1427
√ δώδεκα — two and ten, iAdjectiveAccusative Masculine Plural
ὁhoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ἸησοῦςIēsousJesusG2424
√ Ἰησοῦς — Jesus (iNounNominative Masculine Singular
ἀπέστειλενapesteilensent outG649
√ ἀποστέλλω — set apart, iVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
ἀποστέλλω: to set apart, send on commission The aorist fixes a single decisive act. Gill stresses that he “sends them forth from him by pairs, that they might be assisting to one another, and bear a joint testimony”; Pulpit ties the verb to John 17:18, where the Son's own being sent becomes the pattern of theirs. The Twelve have standing only as sent, and the whole chapter hangs from that one indicative.
αὐτοῖςautoisG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
λέγωνlegōnwith [the following]G3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
παραγγείλαςparangeilasinstructionsG3853
√ παραγγέλλω — to transmit a message, iVerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
παραγγέλλω: to transmit an order Aorist participle, subordinate to the sending. The word belongs to command, not advice; Gill: “he gave them strict orders, which he expected them to comply with.”
μὴmēDo notG3361
√ μή — (adverb) not, (conjunction) lestAdverb
Negative particle governing the aorist subjunctive.
ἀπέλθητεapelthētegoG565
√ ἀπέρχομαι — to go off (iVerbAorist Subjunctive Active2nd Person Plural
ΕἰςEisontoG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
ὁδὸνhodonthe roadG3598
√ ὁδός — a roadNounAccusative Feminine Singular
ὁδός: a road, a way Accusative of direction. The prohibition is about the route the feet take, which is why the feet reappear at the end of the unit (v. 14) as the thing to be shaken clean.
ἐθνῶνethnōnof the GentilesG1484
√ ἔθνος — a race (as of the same habit), iNounGenitive Neuter Plural
ἔθνος: a race, nation, Gentiles Genitive plural. Ellicott holds the limitation together with Matthew 8:11 by three observations: it was “confined to the mission on which they were now sent,” it recognised “the priority of Israel in God's dealing with mankind,” and the disciples were as yet unfitted for a wider work.
καὶkai[or]G2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
μὴmēenterG3361
√ μή — (adverb) not, (conjunction) lestAdverb
εἰσέλθητεeiselthēte. . .G1525
√ εἰσέρχομαι — to enter (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Subjunctive Active2nd Person Plural
εἰςeis. . .G1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
πόλινpolinany townG4172
√ πόλις — a town (properly, with walls, of greater or less size)NounAccusative Feminine Singular
ΣαμαριτῶνSamaritōnof [the] SamaritansG4541
√ Σαμαρείτης — a Samarite, iNounGenitive Masculine Plural
Σαμαρείτης: a Samaritan JFB places them exactly: “Gentiles by blood,” yet holding a version of Israel's religion, and so “intermediate between them and the Gentiles.” Barnes, Poole and Cambridge fill in the history (2 Kings 17:24; Ezra 4:2-3; the Gerizim temple). The order of the prohibition therefore runs outward in concentric rings, and Acts 1:8 later runs the same rings in reverse.
6

Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

poreuesthe de mallon pros ta ta apolōlota probata oikou Israēl

Word by word10 · parsed
πορεύεσθεporeuestheGoG4198
√ πορεύομαι — to traverse, iVerbPresent Imperative Middle or Passive2nd Person Plural
δὲdeG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
μᾶλλονmallonratherG3123
√ μᾶλλον — (adverbially) more (in a greater degree)) or ratherAdverb
Comparative adverb: rather, in preference.
πρὸςprostoG4314
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
τὰtatheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Plural
τὰtaG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Plural
ἀπολωλόταapolōlotalostG622
√ ἀπόλλυμι — to destroy fully (reflexively, to perish, or lose), literally or figurativelyVerbPerfect Participle ActiveAccusative Neuter Plural
ἀπόλλυμι: to destroy fully, to perish or be lost The perfect participle is the same verb Luke 19:10 uses of what the Son of Man came to seek and save, and the same root behind the lost sheep of Luke 15:4-7, which Pulpit explicitly names as having its basis here. Gill distinguishes two senses at once: all the nation, wandering in error, and within it the elect “for whose sake particularly the apostles were sent.”
πρόβαταprobatasheepG4263
√ πρόβατον — something that walks forward (a quadruped), iNounAccusative Neuter Plural
πρόβατον: a sheep The image is not neutral. It presumes a shepherd, and Matthew 9:36 has just said they were “as sheep having no shepherd.” Benson makes the link explicit back to that verse; JFB makes it forward to Jeremiah 50:6 and Ezekiel 34:2-6, where the shepherds themselves are the cause of the scattering.
οἴκουoikouG3624
√ οἶκος — a dwelling (more or less extensive, literal or figurative)NounGenitive Masculine Singular
οἶκος: a dwelling, a household Gill argues that here “the house of Israel” means the whole nation then living in Judea, not the ten tribes as distinct from Judah; Poole takes the narrower view, that Israel here means the two tribes. The brief preserves both readings and does not settle between them.
ἸσραήλIsraēlof IsraelG2474
√ Ἰσραήλ — Israel (iNounGenitive Masculine Singular
7

As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de poreuomenoi kēryssete legontes hoti hē basileia tōn ouranōn Ēngiken

Word by word10 · parsed
δὲdeAsG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
Continuative conjunction, joining the mission's route to its message.
πορευόμενοιporeuomenoiyou goG4198
√ πορεύομαι — to traverse, iVerbPresent Participle Middle or PassiveNominative Masculine Plural
κηρύσσετεkēryssetepreachG2784
√ κηρύσσω — to herald (as a public crier), especially divine truth (the gospel)VerbPresent Imperative Active2nd Person Plural
κηρύσσω: to herald, to cry as a public crier Present imperative: keep heralding, everywhere, as you travel. Poole compares Isaiah 58:1, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet,” and insists the apostles were not bound to these exact words but that “all the words they used were to have this tendency.” Benson passes on Doddridge's guess that the proclamation was made aloud in the streets, as Jonah's was in Nineveh.
λέγοντεςlegontesthis messageG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Plural
ὅτιhotiG3754
√ ὅτι — demonstrative, that (sometimes redundant)Conjunction
ἡhēTheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Feminine Singular
βασιλείαbasileiakingdomG932
√ βασιλεία — properly, royalty, iNounNominative Feminine Singular
βασιλεία: royalty, rule, kingdom The noun is abstract before it is territorial: kingship exercised, not a territory occupied. That is why the only verb it takes here is one of approach rather than of establishment, and why Benson can insist that the apostles “did not yet fully understand its nature, that it was not to be a temporal, but a spiritual kingdom.” Geneva calls this single line “the sum of the gospel, or preaching of the apostles,” and Henry parses the phrase clause by clause: “They preached, to establish the faith; the kingdom, to animate the hope; of heaven, to inspire the love of heavenly things, and the contempt of earthly.”
τῶνtōnofG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Plural
οὐρανῶνouranōnheavenG3772
√ οὐρανός — the skyNounGenitive Masculine Plural
ἬγγικενĒngikenis nearG1448
√ ἐγγίζω — to make near, iVerbPerfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
ἐγγίζω: to make near, to approach The perfect tense is the whole theological weight of the sentence. Gill notes that the formula is word for word what John the Baptist and Jesus himself preached (Matthew 3:2; 4:17), which “shows the entire harmony, and strict agreement, there were between them.” Benson's caution is worth keeping: they proclaimed the approach, not yet the full arrival, and they did not themselves yet understand that the kingdom was spiritual.
8

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

therapeuete asthenountas egeirete nekrous katharizete leprous ekballete daimonia dōrean elabete dōrean dote

Word by word12 · parsed
θεραπεύετεtherapeueteHealG2323
√ θεραπεύω — to wait upon menially, iVerbPresent Imperative Active2nd Person Plural
ἀσθενοῦνταςasthenountasthe sickG770
√ ἀσθενέω — to be feeble (in any sense)VerbPresent Participle ActiveAccusative Masculine Plural
ἐγείρετεegeireteraiseG1453
√ ἐγείρω — to waken (transitively or intransitively), iVerbPresent Imperative Active2nd Person Plural
ἐγείρω: to waken, to raise Present imperative, and the clause whose text is disputed. Gill notes raising the dead “had never been done before the times of Christ, since the days of Elijah and Elisha”; Ellicott thinks its insertion here may reflect later acts such as Acts 9:40 and Acts 20:9-12.
νεκροὺςnekrous[the] deadG3498
√ νεκρός — dead (literally or figurativelyAdjectiveAccusative Masculine Plural
καθαρίζετεkatharizetecleanseG2511
√ καθαρίζω — to cleanse (literally or figuratively)VerbPresent Imperative Active2nd Person Plural
καθαρίζω: to cleanse The verb belongs to Leviticus 13-14, where the leper is not cured but pronounced clean and restored to the camp. Pulpit sees the whole list ordered deliberately: physical ills in partial and final form, then physical and ceremonial pollution, then ills primarily spiritual.
λεπροὺςleprous[the] lepersG3015
√ λεπρός — scaly, iAdjectiveAccusative Masculine Plural
ἐκβάλλετεekballetedrive outG1544
√ ἐκβάλλω — to eject (literally or figuratively)VerbPresent Imperative Active2nd Person Plural
ἐκβάλλω: to eject, cast out The bluntest verb in the list; there is no negotiation with what is cast out.
δαιμόνιαdaimoniademonsG1140
√ δαιμόνιον — a dæmonic beingNounAccusative Neuter Plural
δωρεὰνdōreanFreelyG1432
√ δωρεάν — gratuitously (literally or figuratively)Adverb
δωρεάν: gratuitously, as a free gift The adverb is repeated, and the repetition is the argument: the mode of receiving dictates the mode of giving. JFB calls it “an apple of gold in a setting of silver.” Barnes fences it honestly: this forbids making “a money-making business of it,” but “neither then nor afterward precluded them from receiving a competent support.” Gill finds a rabbinic parallel on teaching the oral law gratis (Maimonides, Talmud Torah 1.7) and says Christ applies to the gospel what the Jews said of their traditions.
ἐλάβετεelabeteyou have receivedG2983
√ λαμβάνω — while G138 (αἱρέομαι) is more violent, to seize or remove))VerbAorist Indicative Active2nd Person Plural
δωρεὰνdōreanfreelyG1432
√ δωρεάν — gratuitously (literally or figuratively)Adverb
δότεdotegiveG1325
√ δίδωμι — to give (used in a very wide application, properly, or by implication, literally or figurativelyVerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Plural
δίδωμι: to give Aorist imperative. Henry draws the pastoral edge: in proclaiming free grace “we must above all avoid the appearance of the spirit of an hireling.”
9

Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Mē ktēsēsthe chryson mēde argyron mēde chalkon eis hymōn tas zōnas

Word by word11 · parsed
ΜὴMē{Do} notG3361
√ μή — (adverb) not, (conjunction) lestAdverb
κτήσησθεktēsēsthetake alongG2932
√ κτάομαι — to get, iVerbAorist Subjunctive Middle2nd Person Plural
κτάομαι: to get, to acquire for oneself Middle voice, aorist subjunctive after μή. The middle is the point: do not procure it for yourselves. Poole records that the precept was temporary, proved so by Christ's own reversal in Luke 22:35-36, “he that hath a purse, let him take it”; Geneva reads the purpose as experience, “that they might feel some taste of God's providence.”
χρυσὸνchryson[any] goldG5557
√ χρυσός — goldNounAccusative Masculine Singular
χρυσός: gold Pulpit notes that as Palestine was a subject province the gold must have been coined at Rome, which kept gold coinage in her own hands. Three metals name the whole monetary order, from imperial gold down to Herod's copper, and the whole of it is refused.
μηδὲmēdeorG3366
√ μηδέ — but not, not evenConjunction
ἄργυρονargyronsilverG696
√ ἄργυρος — silver (the metal, in the articles or coin)NounAccusative Masculine Singular
μηδὲmēdeorG3366
√ μηδέ — but not, not evenConjunction
χαλκὸνchalkoncopperG5475
√ χαλκός — copper (the substance, or some implement or coin made of it)NounAccusative Masculine Singular
εἰςeisinG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
ὑμῶνhymōnyourG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Plural
τὰςtasG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Feminine Plural
ζώναςzōnasbeltsG2223
√ ζώνη — a beltNounAccusative Feminine Plural
ζώνη: a belt A rare noun (Verifier: 7 verses in the Greek New Testament), which is what ties this sentence so tightly to Mark 6:8. The money-belt is the traveller's security; stripping it is stripping the traveller's independence.
10

Take no bag for the road, or second tunic, or sandals, or staff; for the worker is worthy of his provisions.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

mē pēran eis hodon mēde dyo chitōnas mēde hypodēmata mēde rhabdon gar ho ergatēs axios tēs autou trophēs

Word by word18 · parsed
μὴmē[Take] noG3361
√ μή — (adverb) not, (conjunction) lestAdverb
πήρανpēranbagG4082
√ πήρα — a wallet or leather pouch for foodNounAccusative Feminine Singular
πήρα: a leather pouch for food Rare (Verifier: 6 verses), and it is precisely this rare word, with ὑπόδημα and ὁδός, that binds this verse to the sending of the Seventy in Luke 10:4. Ellicott presses the poverty: such a basket “was looked on as the necessary equipment even of the poorest traveller, yet the apostles were to go without it.”
εἰςeisforG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
ὁδὸνhodon[the] roadG3598
√ ὁδός — a roadNounAccusative Feminine Singular
μηδὲmēdeorG3366
√ μηδέ — but not, not evenConjunction
δύοdyosecondG1417
√ δύο — "two"AdjectiveAccusative Masculine Plural
χιτῶναςchitōnastunicG5509
√ χιτών — a tunic or shirtNounAccusative Masculine Plural
μηδὲmēdeorG3366
√ μηδέ — but not, not evenConjunction
ὑποδήματαhypodēmatasandalsG5266
√ ὑπόδημα — something bound under the feet, iNounAccusative Neuter Plural
μηδὲmēdeorG3366
√ μηδέ — but not, not evenConjunction
ῥάβδονrhabdonstaffG4464
√ ῥάβδος — a stick or wand (as a cudgel, a cane or a baton of royalty)NounAccusative Feminine Singular
ῥάβδος: a stick, a staff, a rod Poole distinguishes the kinds: the staves forbidden “were either staves for defence, or to bear burdens upon, not merely travellers' staves.”
γὰρgarforG1063
√ γάρ — properly, assigning a reason (used in argument, explanation or intensificationConjunction
ὁhotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ἐργάτηςergatēsworkerG2040
√ ἐργάτης — a toilerNounNominative Masculine Singular
ἐργάτης: a toiler, a workman The word is from field labour, not office. JFB observes that the principle is “universally recognized in secular affairs” and is here “authoritatively applied to the services of the Lord's workmen,” then taken up by Paul in Romans 15:27, 1 Corinthians 9:11, Galatians 6:6, and quoted as Scripture at 1 Timothy 5:18.
ἄξιοςaxios[is] worthyG514
√ ἄξιος — deserving, comparable or suitable (as if drawing praise)AdjectiveNominative Masculine Singular
ἄξιος: deserving, of matching weight The adjective's root idea is of balancing scales, of counterweight. It is the hinge word of this whole unit: the worker is axios of his food (v. 10), the host is axios of the guests (v. 11), the house is axia of the peace (v. 13). One scale weighs the messenger, the next weighs those who meet him.
τῆςtēsofG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Feminine Singular
αὐτοῦautouhisG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
τροφῆςtrophēsprovisionsG5160
√ τροφή — nourishment (literally or figuratively)NounGenitive Feminine Singular
τροφή: nourishment, food Gill draws the practical conclusion against a too-spiritual reading: since they were to take no money and to preach freely, “it clearly follows, that it was the will of Christ, that they should live by the Gospel, upon those to whom they preached.”
11

Whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy there and stay at his house until you move on.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

d’ Eis hēn an polin ē kōmēn eiselthēte exetasate tis estin axios en autē meinate kakei heōs an exelthēte

Word by word19 · parsed
δ’d’G1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ΕἰςEisG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
ἣνhēnWhateverG3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounAccusative Feminine Singular
ἂνan. . .G302
√ ἄν — (what-, where-, wither-, who-)soeverParticle
πόλινpolintownG4172
√ πόλις — a town (properly, with walls, of greater or less size)NounAccusative Feminine Singular
ἢēorG2228
√ ἤ — disjunctive, orConjunction
κώμηνkōmēnvillageG2968
√ κώμη — a hamlet (as if laid down)NounAccusative Feminine Singular
κώμη: a hamlet Unwalled village, paired with the walled town.
εἰσέλθητεeiselthēteyou enterG1525
√ εἰσέρχομαι — to enter (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Subjunctive Active2nd Person Plural
ἐξετάσατεexetasatefind outG1833
√ ἐξετάζω — to test thoroughly (by questions), iVerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Plural
ἐξετάζω: to test thoroughly by questions A genuinely rare verb (Verifier: 3 verses). Matthew alone records this command, as Pulpit notes, though all three Synoptic parallels record the order to stay put. The messengers are to conduct a real enquiry before lodging, which is not caution about comfort but about the report their host's house will attach to the message.
τίςtiswhoG5101
√ τίς — an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what (in direct or indirect questions)Interrogative / Indefinite PronounNominative Masculine Singular
ἐστινestinisG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
ἄξιόςaxiosworthyG514
√ ἄξιος — deserving, comparable or suitable (as if drawing praise)AdjectiveNominative Masculine Singular
ἄξιος: of matching weight, worthy The second appearance of the unit's hinge word, now weighing the host rather than the worker. Poole is careful that “worthy doth not in our ordinary discourse signify always a meritorious person, but a person excelling, either in religion or knowledge, or moral virtue,” and reads into it a quiet compliment to John the Baptist's ministry, that in most places some such persons were already to be found.
ἐνenthereG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
αὐτῇautē. . .G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Feminine 3rd Person Singular
μείνατεmeinate[and] stayG3306
√ μένω — to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy)VerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Plural
μένω: to stay, to abide Barnes reads the command as a defence of the messenger's seriousness: not “to wander about in the manner of vagrants and mendicants,” not to appear dissatisfied with the hospitality given. Pulpit adds Thomson's field observation of eastern hospitality etiquette, which consumed time and bred rivalry between neighbours.
κἀκεῖkakei[at his house]G2546
√ κἀκεῖ — likewise in that placeConjunction
ἕωςheōsuntilG2193
√ ἕως — a conjunction, preposition and adverb of continuance, until (of time and place)Conjunction
ἂνan. . .G302
√ ἄν — (what-, where-, wither-, who-)soeverParticle
ἐξέλθητεexelthēteyou move onG1831
√ ἐξέρχομαι — to issue (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Subjunctive Active2nd Person Plural
12

As you enter the home, greet its occupants.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de eiserchomenoi eis tēn oikian aspasasthe autēn

Word by word7 · parsed
δὲdeAsG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
εἰσερχόμενοιeiserchomenoiyou enterG1525
√ εἰσέρχομαι — to enter (literally or figuratively)VerbPresent Participle Middle or PassiveNominative Masculine Plural
Present participle: at the moment of entering.
εἰςeis. . .G1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
τὴνtēntheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Feminine Singular
οἰκίανoikianhomeG3614
√ οἰκία — properly, residence (abstractly), but usually (concretely) an abode (literally or figuratively)NounAccusative Feminine Singular
οἰκία: a residence, a household Cambridge names the later Christian counterparts by name: Lydia at Philippi (Acts 16:15), Jason at Thessalonica, perhaps Gaius (Romans 16:23). The household, not the individual, is the unit that receives or refuses.
ἀσπάσασθεaspasasthegreetG782
√ ἀσπάζομαι — to enfold in the arms, iVerbAorist Imperative Middle2nd Person Plural
ἀσπάζομαι: to enfold in the arms, to salute Aorist imperative middle, a single decisive act at the door. Gill notes that some copies add the words of the greeting here, as Luke 10:5 has them, and that the Vulgate and Munster's Hebrew Gospel read so. Pulpit observes that Christ practised what he commanded, with the same word of peace at John 20:19.
αὐτήνautēnits [occupants]G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Feminine 3rd Person Singular
13

If the home is worthy, let your peace rest on it, but if it is not, let your peace return to you.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai men ean hē oikia ē axia hymōn hē eirēnē elthatō ep’ autēn de ean ē mē axia hymōn hē eirēnē epistraphētō pros hymas

Word by word24 · parsed
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
μὲνmenG3303
√ μέν — properly, indicative of affirmation or concession (in fact)Conjunction
ἐὰνeanIfG1437
√ ἐάν — a conditional particleConjunction
Conditional particle with the subjunctive: a real, open case.
ἡhētheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Feminine Singular
οἰκίαoikiahomeG3614
√ οἰκία — properly, residence (abstractly), but usually (concretely) an abode (literally or figuratively)NounNominative Feminine Singular
ᾖēisG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Subjunctive Active3rd Person Singular
ἀξίαaxiaworthyG514
√ ἄξιος — deserving, comparable or suitable (as if drawing praise)AdjectiveNominative Feminine Singular
ἄξιος: of matching weight, worthy The third and last use of the unit's hinge adjective, now applied to the household as a body. Gill reads it consistently with his note on v. 11, as generosity proved or disproved after the greeting; Ellicott and Pulpit read it as receptivity to the message. On either reading the weighing is done by the household's own response, not by the messengers' assessment.
ὑμῶνhymōn{let} yourG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Plural
ἡhēG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Feminine Singular
εἰρήνηeirēnēpeaceG1515
√ εἰρήνη — peace (literally or figuratively)NounNominative Feminine Singular
εἰρήνη: peace Geneva marks the idiom precisely: “It is an idiom taken from the Hebrews, by which they meant every type of happiness.” Gill agrees that what is meant is the content of the salutation itself, not the preaching of the gospel of peace. JFB raises it higher, that from the lips of Christ and his messengers the word “means something far higher, both in the gift and the giving of it, than in the current salutation,” and points to John 14:27.
ἐλθάτωelthatōrestG2064
√ ἔρχομαι — to come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)VerbAorist Imperative Active3rd Person Singular
ἔρχομαι: to come Third-person aorist imperative. Barnes treats the whole exchange as the giving of a gift: if received, the benefit is the receiver's; if refused, “the present came back or remained in the hand of the giver.”
ἐπ’ep’onG1909
√ ἐπί — properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etcPreposition
αὐτήνautēnitG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Feminine 3rd Person Singular
δὲdebutG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ἐὰνeanifG1437
√ ἐάν — a conditional particleConjunction
ᾖēit isG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Subjunctive Active3rd Person Singular
μὴmēnotG3361
√ μή — (adverb) not, (conjunction) lestAdverb
ἀξίαaxiaG514
√ ἄξιος — deserving, comparable or suitable (as if drawing praise)AdjectiveNominative Feminine Singular
ὑμῶνhymōn{let} yourG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Plural
ἡhēG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Feminine Singular
εἰρήνηeirēnēpeaceG1515
√ εἰρήνη — peace (literally or figuratively)NounNominative Feminine Singular
ἐπιστραφήτωepistraphētōreturnG1994
√ ἐπιστρέφω — to revert (literally, figuratively or morally)VerbAorist Imperative Passive3rd Person Singular
ἐπιστρέφω: to turn about, to revert Aorist passive imperative. Pulpit resists the warmer reading, that the messengers gain by the refusal: “It rather means that failure to impart blessing shall not bring spiritual loss to yourselves,” and quotes Gurnall's figure of the dove returning to the ark when it found the earth under water. JFB takes the warmer reading openly. The brief holds both.
πρὸςprostoG4314
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
ὑμᾶςhymasyouG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 2nd Person Plural
14

And if anyone will not welcome you or heed your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai hos an mē dexētai hymas mēde akousē hymōn tous logous ektinaxate ton koniorton tōn hymōn podōn exerchomenoi exō ekeinēs tēs oikias ē tēs poleōs

Word by word25 · parsed
καὶkaiAndG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ὃςhosif anyoneG3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounNominative Masculine Singular
ἂνan. . .G302
√ ἄν — (what-, where-, wither-, who-)soeverParticle
μὴmēvvvG3361
√ μή — (adverb) not, (conjunction) lestAdverb
δέξηταιdexētaiwill not welcomeG1209
√ δέχομαι — to receive (in various applications, literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Subjunctive Middle3rd Person Singular
δέχομαι: to receive, to welcome The hospitality verb, which makes the refusal domestic before it is theological. Matthew will turn the same idea around at 10:40, where receiving the messenger is receiving the One who sent him.
ὑμᾶςhymasyouG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 2nd Person Plural
μηδὲmēdeorG3366
√ μηδέ — but not, not evenConjunction
ἀκούσῃakousēheedG191
√ ἀκούω — to hear (in various senses)VerbAorist Subjunctive Active3rd Person Singular
ἀκούω: to hear Aorist subjunctive, paired with δέξηται under one condition: the door and the ear are refused together.
ὑμῶνhymōnyourG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Plural
τοὺςtousG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Plural
λόγουςlogouswordsG3056
√ λόγος — something said (including the thought)NounAccusative Masculine Plural
λόγος: something said, a word Accusative plural: not the doctrine in the abstract but the sentences actually spoken, the formula of v. 7.
ἐκτινάξατεektinaxateshakeG1621
√ ἐκτινάσσω — to shake violentlyVerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Plural
ἐκτινάσσω: to shake violently A rare verb (Verifier: 4 verses), and Acts 13:51 records Paul and Barnabas doing exactly this at Pisidian Antioch, with this verb and this noun together. JFB reads the gesture as a disclaimer of responsibility, and observes that such symbolic acts were common well beyond Judaism, instancing Pilate at Matthew 27:24.
τὸνtontheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
κονιορτὸνkoniortondustG2868
√ κονιορτός — pulverulence (as blown about)NounAccusative Masculine Singular
κονιορτός: dust blown about Rare (Verifier: 5 verses). The force depends entirely on a Jewish ruling the commentators supply in unison: dust from a heathen land defiles. Pulpit quotes Rashi on Talmud Babli Shabbath 15b for the reason, that it might have come from a grave; Gill cites the Mishnah and Bartenora at length; Benson describes travellers wiping their feet at the border of the land. The gesture therefore classifies an Israelite town as heathen ground, which is the whole sting of it.
τῶνtōnoffG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Plural
ὑμῶνhymōnyourG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Plural
ποδῶνpodōnfeetG4228
√ πούς — a "foot" (figuratively or literally)NounGenitive Masculine Plural
ἐξερχόμενοιexerchomenoiwhen you leaveG1831
√ ἐξέρχομαι — to issue (literally or figuratively)VerbPresent Participle Middle or PassiveNominative Masculine Plural
ἔξωexō. . .G1854
√ ἔξω — out(-side, of doors), literally or figurativelyPreposition
ἐκείνηςekeinēsthatG1565
√ ἐκεῖνος — that one (or (neuter) thing)Demonstrative PronounGenitive Feminine Singular
τῆςtēsG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Feminine Singular
οἰκίαςoikiashomeG3614
√ οἰκία — properly, residence (abstractly), but usually (concretely) an abode (literally or figuratively)NounGenitive Feminine Singular
ἢēorG2228
√ ἤ — disjunctive, orConjunction
τῆςtēsG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Feminine Singular
πόλεωςpoleōstownG4172
√ πόλις — a town (properly, with walls, of greater or less size)NounGenitive Feminine Singular
15

Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

amēn legō hymin estai anektoteron gē Sodomōn kai Gomorrōn en hēmera kriseōs ē ekeinē tē polei

Word by word16 · parsed
ἀμὴνamēnTrulyG281
√ ἀμήν — properly, firm, iHebrew Word
ἀμήν: firm, sure, truly A Hebrew word carried untranslated into Greek, used by Jesus to open rather than to close a statement, which is itself unusual and claims an authority the prophets did not claim for themselves. Pulpit notes the idea of acquiescence that underlies it even here, referring back to Matthew 5:18.
λέγωlegōI tellG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Indicative Active1st Person Singular
ὑμῖνhyminyouG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounDative 2nd Person Plural
ἔσταιestaiit will beG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbFuture Indicative Middle3rd Person Singular
ἀνεκτότερονanektoteronmore bearableG414
√ ἀνεκτότερος — more endurableAdjectiveNominative Neuter SingularComparative
ἀνεκτότερος: more endurable The whole verdict hangs on a comparative. Ellicott states the ground plainly: those cities were “yet less guilty (as sinning less against light and knowledge) than those who rejected the messengers of the King.” Gill reaches the same conclusion from the other end, that the inhabitants of Sodom sinned against the light of nature while these sin against the gospel itself, and cites the Targum on Lamentations 4:6 for a Jewish precedent for the comparison.
γῇgēG1093
√ γῆ — soilNounDative Feminine Singular
ΣοδόμωνSodomōnfor SodomG4670
√ Σόδομα — Sodoma (iNounGenitive Neuter Plural
Σόδομα: Sodom Rare (Verifier: 9 verses). Pulpit lists the cities as the standing type of the worst of sinners (Deuteronomy 32:32; Isaiah 1:10; Ezekiel 16:46; Revelation 11:8) and quotes Mishnah Sanhedrin 10:3, “The men of Sodom have no part in the world to come.” The comparison only works because the audience already held Sodom to be the floor.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ΓομόρρωνGomorrōnGomorrahG1116
√ Γόμοῤῥα — Gomorrha (iNounGenitive Neuter Plural
ἐνenonG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
ἡμέρᾳhēmera[the] dayG2250
√ ἡμέρα — day, iNounDative Feminine Singular
κρίσεωςkriseōsof judgmentG2920
√ κρίσις — decision (subjectively or objectively, for or against)NounGenitive Feminine Singular
κρίσις: decision, judgment The same noun recurs in the parallel saying over Capernaum at Matthew 11:24. Pulpit traces the phrase through the Septuagint (Proverbs 6:34; Isaiah 34:8) and 2 Peter 2:9 and 3:7, noting that where it occurs it refers to the judgment of the wicked rather than of all alike.
ἢēthanG2228
√ ἤ — disjunctive, orConjunction
ἐκείνῃekeinēfor thatG1565
√ ἐκεῖνος — that one (or (neuter) thing)Demonstrative PronounDative Feminine Singular
τῇtēG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Feminine Singular
πόλειpoleitownG4172
√ πόλις — a town (properly, with walls, of greater or less size)NounDative Feminine Singular
πόλις: a walled town Dative, closing the unit on the same word that opened the prohibition in v. 5. The itinerary that began by refusing certain cities ends by weighing the cities that refuse.

The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.

⚙

Grand Commentary — the unit, read whole

synthesis · verify

AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.

i. The sending, and the fence around it — 5-6

The sentence begins with a verb, not a rule: ἀπέστειλεν, he sent them out, with the charge hanging from it as a participle. Pulpit, quoting Bishop Westcott, calls the verb a word of “special commission, and so far of a delegated authority in the person sent,” and notes that the charge's “necessary subordination to the fact that they were sent is expressed by the very form of the sentence.” Then comes the fence: no road of Gentiles, no city of Samaritans. Ellicott feels the difficulty against Matthew 8:11 and John 4:35 and answers in three parts, that the limit was for this mission only, that it recognised “the priority of Israel in God's dealing with mankind,” and that the Twelve were not yet fit for wider work. JFB locates the Samaritans exactly, “Gentiles by blood” who had adopted Israel's religion and so stood “intermediate between them and the Gentiles,” and observes that Acts 1:8 later runs the same three rings outward in order: Jerusalem and Judea, then Samaria, then the end of the earth. Benson gives the pastoral reason, that preaching to Samaritans now “would have laid a great stumbling-block in the way of the conversion of the Jews.” Positively, the destination is τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἀπολωλότα, the sheep that have been ruined and stand ruined. Poole hears Jeremiah under it, “wandering sheep, for want of proper guides”; JFB names the faithless shepherds of Jeremiah 50 and Ezekiel 34; Gill adds that the phrase itself is a reproach aimed at “the shepherds of Israel.” Pulpit will not let the words “of the house of Israel” be dropped: “the house has its owner.”

ii. The herald's word and the gift he cannot charge for — 7-8

The message is a fixed formula. Ellicott infers from its exact repetition of John's and Jesus' own preaching that “this was actually a formula of proclamation”; Gill says the sameness “shows the entire harmony, and strict agreement, there were between them.” Poole gives the verb its register: κηρύσσετε, “Cry like heralds,” and compares Isaiah 58:1. The tense of Ἤγγικεν is a perfect, which Benson renders “hath approached,” and which Pulpit holds in tension with Matthew 12:28: the near realization was “a possibility, and was only not brought about because, as a nation, they rejected him who introduced it.” Then four imperatives of power, of which Cambridge notices that only the leper is “cleansed” rather than healed, being “especially symbolical of a sin-stricken man,” and Pulpit reads the whole list as ordered from bodily ill through ceremonial pollution to the demonic. The clause “raise the dead” is disputed: Ellicott and JFB report its absence from many manuscripts, Cambridge answers that the two most ancient codices have it. Everything then turns on one adverb, twice: δωρεάν. Ellicott: the English “hardly suggests more than giving liberally. The Greek is much stronger.” JFB calls the saying “an apple of gold in a setting of silver.” Henry states the negative that follows: “we must above all avoid the appearance of the spirit of an hireling.” Barnes keeps the balance the text itself will restore two verses later, that this “neither then nor afterward precluded them from receiving a competent support.”

iii. The stripped traveller — 9-10

The grammar carries the argument. The verb is κτήσησθε, not “take” but “acquire for yourselves,” and both Ellicott and Pulpit rest the harmony with Mark 6:8 on it: “Observe that the apostles are not forbidden to take what they already have” (Pulpit); “if they had money, they might take it, but they were not to get or provide it as a condition of their journey” (Ellicott). Three metals name the whole currency, Cambridge noting that the copper “represents the native currency” since Herod coined nothing else, and Pulpit that the gold must have come from Rome, which kept gold coinage to herself. The belt is the money-belt; Gill cites the Mishnah's rule against entering the temple mount wearing one. Then the wallet that even the poorest traveller carried, the second tunic, the sandals, the staff. Ellicott: “That simplest of all the comforts of life they were in this work of theirs to dispense with.” Poole and Barnes both settle the staff by distinguishing what a man already held from what he would have to procure, JFB judging the singular “a staff” the true reading and asking with Alford who would think of taking a spare one. The reason given is not asceticism but a wage: ἄξιος ὁ ἐργάτης τῆς τροφῆς αὐτοῦ. JFB calls it a principle “universally recognized in secular affairs” now applied to the Lord's workmen; Gill turns it against those who would use the passage to starve ministers, since with no money and no pay “it clearly follows, that it was the will of Christ, that they should live by the Gospel.” Geneva names the purpose plainly: so that they might “feel some taste of God's providence,” and Poole points to Luke 22:35-36, where the Lord himself lifts the rule.

iv. Worthy, and the weighing of a house — 11-13

One adjective runs through these verses and is not translated the same way twice: ἄξιος, whose root idea is of balancing weight. The worker is axios of his food; the host must be found axios; the house is axia or is not. The commentators divide honestly over the middle one. Gill argues from a Hebrew idiom that it means simply the open-handed man, since strangers arriving in a strange town could not possibly assess anyone's piety; JFB says “not in point of rank, of course, but of congenial disposition”; Pulpit keeps it formal, “equivalent by moral rate,” and lines it up with Matthew 22:8 and Revelation 3:4. The search itself is ἐξετάσατε, a rare interrogating verb that Pulpit says means “much more than merely asking some chance passer-by,” and that Matthew alone records. Then the greeting, ἀσπάσασθε, literally to enfold in the arms, spoken at the threshold itself; Ellicott and Cambridge supply the words from daily usage, “Peace be to this house.” Ellicott's finest note is on the imperative in v. 13: “The imperative is not so much a command addressed to them as the proclamation of an edict from the King in whose name they went.” Barnes explains the strange idea of peace returning as a Hebrew figure “derived from bestowing a gift,” unreceived, therefore staying in the giver's hand; JFB says it will “taste the sweeter to you for having been offered, even though rejected”; Pulpit is more restrained, that it means only that “failure to impart blessing shall not bring spiritual loss to yourselves,” and quotes Gurnall's image of the dove returning to the ark.

v. The dust, and the weight of what was refused — 14-15

The sign is drawn from a real Jewish practice. Benson: the Jews “stopped at the borders, and shook or wiped off the dust” of a heathen country, so “the action here enjoined was a lively intimation, that those Jews who had rejected the gospel were holy no longer.” Ellicott, Barnes, Cambridge and Pulpit all say the same thing from the same maxim, Pulpit citing Rashi on Talmud Babli Shabbath 15b for the reason: any dust from a heathen land might have come from a grave. JFB reads the act as disclaiming responsibility: “By this symbolical action they vividly shook themselves from all connection with such, and all responsibility for the guilt of rejecting them and their message.” Gill offers three possible meanings and does not choose between them, including that the dust itself “would rise up in judgment against them.” Luke records the apostles doing exactly this at Antioch in Pisidia (Acts 13:51), with the same two rare words. Then the verdict, sealed with ἀμήν: more bearable for Sodom. Ellicott states the logic, that those cities were “yet less guilty (as sinning less against light and knowledge) than those who rejected the messengers of the King.” Gill grounds it in gradation: “the sins of those that are favoured with the Gospel, are greater than those who only have had the light of nature, and so their torments will be greater.” Pulpit draws two inferences from the comparative ἀνεκτότερον: that the wicked dead still exist awaiting judgment, and that “in the judgment of the wicked there will be degrees of punishment.”

Read under Sola Scriptura — this tool’s own fallible reading (⚙)

⚙ Read as one movement, this charge is about who owns the mission. Every clause that looks like deprivation is a clause that transfers ownership. They may not choose the route (v. 5), the destination (v. 6), the words (v. 7), the price (v. 8), the luggage (vv. 9-10), the lodging (v. 11), the greeting (v. 12), or the verdict (vv. 14-15). What is left to them is obedience and their feet. The grammar says it before the content does: the main verb is he sent, and everything else is a participle or an imperative hanging on that one act. So the poverty here is not a virtue being cultivated; it is a proof being staged. A herald who arrives with nothing cannot be suspected of selling anything, and a herald who is fed by strangers has his message vindicated every evening by a meal he did not earn. And notice where the scales tip. The word ἄξιος is used three times, and only once of the messenger, who is worthy of a dinner. Twice it weighs the people who meet him, and there it decides a great deal more than dinner. The house that opens its door receives a peace that really rests on it; the town that shuts it is told, with the most terrifying comparison in the Gospel to this point, that Sodom will find the day of judgment easier. ⚙ That is the part we hold with a trembling hand, because it means the visit of a poor man with no bag and no second coat is a heavier event than fire from heaven. The sourced commentators are agreed on the gradation itself (Ellicott, Gill, Barnes, Pulpit) and we add nothing to it except the observation that the measure is the light refused, not the sin committed. The line we set beside this reading below is our own sentence, not Scripture, and it should be tested like any other fallible word.

The King strips His heralds of everything they could be suspected of selling, so that the only thing they can be seen carrying is Him.

⚙

Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripture

cross-refs · verify

AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.

The dust actually shaken: Paul and Barnabas at Antioch verbal / quotation: confirmed

Luke narrates the command of v. 14 being carried out in the same two uncommon words. ἐκτινάσσω (G1621, to shake violently) stands in only four verses in the Greek New Testament and κονιορτός (G2868, blown dust) in only five, and Acts 13:51 has both, of Paul and Barnabas leaving Pisidian Antioch. Gill, Barnes, Ellicott, Cambridge and Pulpit all cite the verse at this point, Cambridge adding Acts 18:6. The Verifier confirms the shared lexemes; both texts are Greek, so the link is genuinely verbal.

Acts 13:51 · Acts 18:6

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexemes G1621 ἐκτινάσσω (in 4 vv) and G2868 κονιορτός (in 5 vv), both rare, plus G4228 πούς (in 86 vv); Greek to Greek, so a real verbal link. Acts 18:6 is added on the commentators' testimony (Cambridge, Gill), not on a Verifier basis.

The same kit, three times refused verbal / quotation: confirmed

The equipment list is repeated in every Synoptic sending, and the shared vocabulary is distinctive rather than generic: ζώνη (G2223, belt) stands in only seven verses and Mark 6:8 has it with ὁδός and παραγγέλλω; πήρα (G4082, food-wallet, six verses) and ὑπόδημα (G5266, sandal, ten verses) tie this verse to the sending of the Seventy in Luke 10:4; χιτών (G5509, ten verses) ties it to Luke 9:3. The famous discrepancy over the staff falls inside this same cluster, and JFB, Barnes, Poole and Ellicott each resolve it by the force of κτήσησθε, acquire rather than carry.

Mark 6:8 · Luke 9:3 · Luke 10:4

basis: Verifier: Mark 6:8 shares G2223 ζώνη (in 7 vv), G3853 παραγγέλλω (in 31 vv), G3598 ὁδός (in 99 vv); Luke 10:4 shares G4082 πήρα (in 6 vv), G5266 ὑπόδημα (in 10 vv), G3598 ὁδός; Luke 9:3 shares G5509 χιτών (in 10 vv), G1417 δύο, G3598 ὁδός. Several rare lexemes, all Greek to Greek.

Search it out: a verb used three times in the New Testament verbal / quotation: confirmed

ἐξετάζω (G1833, to test thoroughly by questioning) occurs in only three verses of the Greek New Testament, and the company it keeps is striking. Herod uses it to have the magi “search out carefully” concerning the child (Matthew 2:8); John uses it of the disciples by the sea who “durst not ask” the risen Lord who he was (John 21:12); and here the Twelve are to use it on a strange town. Pulpit is right that “much more is implied than merely asking some chance passer-by,” and cross-references Matthew 2:8 for exactly this reason. ⚙ We record the rare lexical link and leave any ironic reading of it as our own suggestion, not a claim of the text.

Matthew 2:8 · John 21:12

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexeme G1833 ἐξετάζω (in 3 vv), one of the rarest links available in the New Testament; Greek to Greek. The thematic irony we draw from it is machine synthesis and is marked as such.

The lost sheep and the shepherds who lost them structural / thematic: confirmed

“Lost sheep” is not a fresh metaphor. Pulpit says the words “recall Jeremiah 50:6 (27:6, LXX.), ‘My people hath been lost sheep’”; Poole quotes the same prophetic sentence with its own explanation, “their shepherds have caused them to go astray”; JFB adds Ezekiel 34:2-6, where the shepherds feed themselves and the flock is scattered; Gill says respect “seems to be had” to Jeremiah. The charge in the phrase falls on Israel's teachers, which is why Matthew 9:36 has just described the crowds as sheep without a shepherd. This is a cross-Testament link: Matthew's Greek and Jeremiah's and Ezekiel's Hebrew cannot share Strong's numbers, so no verbal tier is possible here, and the basis is the motif plus the commentators' testimony.

Jeremiah 50:6 · Ezekiel 34:6 · Matthew 9:36

basis: Cross-Testament (Greek to Hebrew), so shared Strong's numbers are impossible by definition and no verbal tier may be claimed. Basis is the shared shepherd and scattered-flock pattern, recorded by Pulpit (Jeremiah 50:6), Poole (the same verse), JFB (Jeremiah 50:6, 17; Ezekiel 34:2-6) and Gill. Matthew 9:36 is added from the same Gospel context, cited by Benson and Pulpit.

Sodom, kept in the New Testament's memory verbal / quotation: confirmed

The two city-names of v. 15 return together across the New Testament as the standing example of judgment: Paul quotes Isaiah 1:9 at Romans 9:29, and both 2 Peter 2:6 and Jude 1:7 hold up the cities as a set example. Barnes cites 2 Peter 2:6 and Jude 1:7 at exactly this point, and Gill notes that the Jews of the time held the men of Sodom to have no part in the world to come (Mishnah Sanhedrin 10:3). Both names are rare in the Greek New Testament.

Romans 9:29 · 2 Peter 2:6 · Jude 1:7

basis: Verifier: Romans 9:29 shares G1116 Γόμοῤῥα (in 4 vv) and G4670 Σόδομα (in 9 vv), both rare; Greek to Greek. 2 Peter 2:6 and Jude 1:7 register on the Verifier only through the common G4172 πόλις (in 155 vv), and are joined here on the commentators' citation (Barnes), not on a rare-lexeme basis.

Fire from heaven and a door shut on a poor man typological

The comparison in v. 15 reaches back to Genesis 19:24-25, where the Lord rained fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah and overthrew the cities and all the plain. Barnes names the destruction and its site; Poole names Genesis 19:24 explicitly; Ellicott observes that these cities “stood out, in the history of the world, as most conspicuous for their infamy.” ⚙ The figural reading is that the overthrow of the plain becomes the measuring rod for a refusal of the gospel, so that a closed door in a Galilean village is weighed against fire from heaven and found heavier. This reading is ancient and widely held among the sourced voices; it cannot be tiered verbal, because Matthew's Greek and Genesis's Hebrew share no Strong's numbers.

Genesis 19:24-25 · Matthew 11:23-24

basis: Cross-Testament (Greek to Hebrew): no shared Strong's lexemes are possible, so the link is figural, not verbal. Basis is the explicit naming of Sodom and Gomorrah in the verse itself plus the destruction narrative cited by Barnes (Genesis 19:24-25) and Poole (Genesis 19:24). Widely held, not novel.

More bearable in the day of judgment: a refrain in Matthew and Luke structural / thematic: confirmed

The same sentence recurs at Matthew 11:24, of Capernaum, and in Luke's charge to the Seventy at Luke 10:12. Cambridge's entire note on v. 15 is the cross-reference to Matthew 11:24; Pulpit notes the parallel in Luke and warns that the combination of contexts in Luke 10 is “an instructive warning against accepting the present position of our Lord's sayings as the final indication of the occasion upon which they were delivered.” The shared lexemes are real but common, so this is recorded as pattern rather than quotation.

Matthew 11:24 · Luke 10:12

basis: Verifier: Matthew 11:24 shares G2920 κρίσις (in 46 vv) and G2228 ἤ; Luke 10:12 shares G4172 πόλις (in 155 vv) and G2228 ἤ. All common lexemes, so no rare-word basis exists for a verbal tier; the link is the repeated saying-pattern, cited by Cambridge and Pulpit.

Gold, silver, copper: the three metals a herald will not carry structural / thematic: confirmed

The triad χρυσός / ἄργυρος / χαλκός (G5557, G696, G5475) is uncommon in the Greek New Testament, and where it recurs it is nearly always under judgment on wealth: the cargo of fallen Babylon (Revelation 18:12), the rusted riches that testify against their owners (James 5:3), the idols of Athens (Acts 17:29), and the materials tested by fire on the foundation (1 Corinthians 3:12). ⚙ We record the shared vocabulary; the thematic reading, that the mission is deliberately stripped of the metals that elsewhere stand under fire, is our synthesis and is offered as such.

Revelation 18:12 · James 5:3 · 1 Corinthians 3:12 · Acts 17:29

basis: Verifier: Revelation 18:12 shares G5557 χρυσός (in 9 vv), G5475 χαλκός (in 5 vv), G696 ἄργυρος (in 5 vv); James 5:3, 1 Corinthians 3:12 and Acts 17:29 share G5557 and G696. Rare lexemes are present, but there is no quotation and no argument from one passage to another, so the tier is deliberately held at structural rather than verbal.

⚙Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

The Sent One who sends ancient/widely-held

The verb that opens the unit, ἀπέστειλεν, is the verb the Fourth Gospel uses of the Son. Pulpit cites John 17:18 at this very word, and quotes Westcott on John 20:21, where the risen Christ says “as the Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” ⚙ The Twelve therefore have no independent standing at all: their authority is delegated, their message is fixed, their route is assigned, and what they are is a smaller repetition of what he is. This is the ordinary apostolic reading, carried here by Pulpit and Westcott, and it is why the refusal of the messenger in v. 14 can be treated as a refusal of the King.

John 17:18 · John 20:21 · Matthew 10:40

The Shepherd behind the sheep ancient/widely-held

Israel is described as a flock ruined by its shepherds, and the men sent to it carry no staff, no food and no money, which is to say they are not shepherds in their own right. Gill notes that Christ sends them to those “to whom he himself was sent, Matthew 15:24”; Poole sees him “providing them labourers, shepherds that should gather those scattered sheep into one fold”; JFB sets Luke 19:10 beside the phrase, the Son of Man come to seek and save the lost, using the same root ἀπόλλυμι; Pulpit says the parable of Luke 15:4-7 has its basis here. Ellicott reaches further, that they must first share “their Master's pity for the lost sheep of the house of Israel” before they could enter into his longing for “other sheep” not of this fold (John 10:16). The mission of v. 6 is thus a narrow, early instance of a shepherding that will not stay narrow.

Matthew 15:24 · Luke 19:10 · John 10:16 · Matthew 9:36

Gratis received, gratis given ancient/widely-held

δωρεάν is the word the New Testament uses of God's own way of giving. Pulpit lists the parallels: Romans 3:24, justified dōrean by his grace; Revelation 21:6 and 22:17, the water of life dōrean; and on the other side 2 Corinthians 11:7 and 2 Thessalonians 3:8, Paul refusing to be paid. ⚙ The command in v. 8 is therefore not a rule about fundraising but a demand that the manner of the delivery match the nature of the thing delivered. A gospel of free grace handed over for a fee would be falsified in the handing over, which is exactly Henry's point about “the spirit of an hireling.” The apostolic quotation of Isaiah 55:1 is not in this brief, so we claim only what the sourced voices carry: Ellicott on the force of “gratis,” Pulpit on the parallels, JFB on its fitness to the Giver.

Romans 3:24 · Revelation 22:17 · 2 Corinthians 11:7

The peace that is His to give ancient/widely-held

The peace of vv. 12-13 is not the messengers' own good wishes. Ellicott: the imperative is “the proclamation of an edict from the King in whose name they went.” JFB says that the ancient eastern greeting, “from the lips of Christ and His messengers, it means something far higher, both in the gift and the giving of it, than in the current salutation,” and sends the reader to John 14:27, “my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth.” Pulpit notes that the risen Christ himself speaks this word at John 20:19. ⚙ The peace can return to the messenger precisely because it was never his in the first place; it is the King's property, lent to a door that would not open.

John 14:27 · John 20:19 · Luke 10:5-6

Apparatus & Provenance

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.

Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:

  • Albert Barnes, Notes on the Bible (1834)
  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, — (1880s)
  • Charles Ellicott, Commentary for English Readers (1878)
  • Geneva Study Bible, Marginal Notes (1599)
  • Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory (1871)
  • John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible (1746–63)
  • Joseph Benson, Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1810s)
  • Matthew Henry, Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706)
  • Matthew Poole, Annotations upon the Holy Bible (1685)
  • The Pulpit Commentary, Spence & Exell, eds. (1880s)

Text: Scripture is the Berean Standard Bible (CC0); the interlinear surface forms, transliterations, Strong's numbers and parsings are the Berean interlinear as supplied in the brief. Two genuine text-critical questions fall inside this unit and are not resolved here. (1) At 10:8 the clause “raise the dead” is disputed: Ellicott says it is “omitted by the best MSS.,” JFB that it is “wanting in many manuscripts,” Cambridge that it is absent from many important manuscripts “but not in the two most ancient Codices.” The BSB prints it and we have annotated it rather than choosing. (2) At 10:10 the staff is singular or plural depending on the witness; JFB judges the singular original, Benson reports that “many manuscripts and versions have ῥάβδους, staves.” The apparent conflict with Mark 6:8 is handled by Ellicott, Barnes, Poole and Pulpit through the force of κτήσησθε (acquire, not carry), which we have followed because it is grammatical rather than harmonistic, while noting that it remains a proposed reconciliation.

Sources: ten public-domain commentators are present in the brief (Ellicott, Benson, Henry, Barnes, JFB, Poole, Gill, Geneva, Cambridge, Pulpit) and all ten are quoted somewhere in this unit. Several entries were capped in the brief (notably Pulpit at 10:5 and 10:9, Barnes at 10:5, Gill at 10:8, 10:10 and 10:14, Poole at 10:15); nothing has been quoted from beyond what the brief supplied. Henry's entry is a single block covering 10:5-15 and is therefore quoted once rather than per verse. Poole's note at 10:6 carries a reference to “Jeremiah 1:6” for a sentence that stands at Jeremiah 50:6; this looks like a printing slip in the edition used and is flagged in the editorial note rather than silently corrected. Gill's, Cambridge's and Pulpit's rabbinic and archaeological citations are reported as they stand and have not been independently checked here.

Uncertainties in our own layer: the meaning of ἄξιος at 10:11 is genuinely contested among the sourced voices (hospitable and open-handed, per Gill, against congenial and receptive, per JFB, against a formal moral rate, per Pulpit) and we have set the options side by side rather than deciding. The extent of “the house of Israel” at 10:6 is likewise disputed (Gill: the whole nation; Poole: the two tribes). Every cross-Testament thread in this unit is tiered structural or typological, because a Greek text and a Hebrew text cannot share Strong's numbers and therefore no verbal basis is computable; the Sodom link at 10:15 and the lost-sheep link at 10:6 are both of this kind. The gold-silver-copper thread has rare shared lexemes and could have carried a verbal tier, but we have deliberately held it at structural because no quotation or argument passes between the passages. All commentary marked ⚙ is machine synthesis, fallible, and offered to be tested against the text.

✦ = human, public-domain source, quoted and named. ⚙ = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)