Matthew 10:23-29

10:23 Whenever ¹  they persecute you in one place, ²  flee to another. I tell you the truth, ³  you will not finish going through all the towns ⁴  of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

10:24 “A disciple is not greater than his teacher, nor a slave ⁵  greater than his master. 10:25 It is enough for the disciple to become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house ‘Beelzebul,’ how much more will they defame the members of his household!

Fear God, Not Man

10:26 “Do ⁶  not be afraid of them, for nothing is hidden ⁷  that will not be revealed, ⁸  and nothing is secret that will not be made known. 10:27 What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light, and what is whispered in your ear, ⁹  proclaim from the housetops. ¹⁰  10:28 Do ¹¹  not be afraid of those who kill the body ¹²  but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. ¹³  10:29 Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? ¹⁴  Yet not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. ¹⁵ 

[10:23]  ¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[10:23]  ² tn The Greek word here is πόλις (polis), which can mean either “town” or “city.”

[10:23]  ³ tn Grk “For truly (ἀμήν, amhn) I say to you.” Here γάρ (gar, “for”) has not been translated.

[10:23]  ⁴ tn The Greek word here is πόλις (polis), which can mean either “town” or “city.” “Town” was chosen here to emphasize the extensive nature of the disciples’ ministry. The same word is translated earlier in the verse as “place.”

[10:24]  ⁵ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.

[10:26]  ⁹ tn Grk “Therefore do not.” Here οὖν (oun) has not been translated.

[10:26]  ¹⁰ tn Or “concealed.”

[10:26]  ¹¹ sn I.e., be revealed by God. The passive voice here and in the next verb see the revelation as coming from God. The text is both a warning about bad things being revealed and an encouragement that good things will be made known.

[10:27]  ¹³ tn Grk “what you hear in the ear,” an idiom.

[10:27]  ¹⁴ tn The expression “proclaim from the housetops” is an idiom for proclaiming something publicly (L&N 7.51). Roofs of many first century Jewish houses in Judea and Galilee were flat and had access either from outside or from within the house. Something shouted from atop a house would be heard by everyone in the street below.

[10:28]  ¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[10:28]  ¹⁸ sn Judaism had a similar exhortation in 4 Macc 13:14-15.

[10:28]  ¹⁹ sn See the note on the word hell in 5:22.

[10:29]  ²¹ sn The penny refers to an assarion, a small Roman copper coin. One of them was worth one-sixteenth of a denarius or less than a half hour’s average wage. Sparrows were the cheapest items sold in the market. God knows about even the most financially insignificant things; see Isa 49:15.

[10:29]  ²² tn Or “to the ground without the knowledge and consent of your Father.”