Matthew

Chapter 10

The Twelve Apostles

1And summoning His twelve disciples, He gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every sickness.a 2Now the names of the twelve apostlesb are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who also handed Him over.c

The Mission of the Twelve

5These twelve Jesus sent out, after instructing them, saying, “Do not go on the road to the Gentiles, and do not enter any town of the ;d 6but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7And as you go, proclaim, saying, ‘The kingdom of the heavens has come near.’ 8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received; freely give. 9Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your belts, 10no bag for the road, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his food.e 11And whatever town or village you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. 12As you enter the house, greet it. 13And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.f 14And whoever does not receive you or listen to your words, as you go out of that house or that town, shake the dust off your feet. 15Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of and on the day of judgment than for that town.g

Persecution to Come

16Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.h 17But beware of people; for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues;i 18and you will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19But when they hand you over, do not be anxious about how or what you are to speak; for what you are to speak will be given to you in that hour. 20For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.j 21Brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. 22And you will be hated by all because of My name; but the one who endures to the end, this one will be saved.k 23When they persecute you in this town, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the towns of before the Son of Man comes.l 24A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. 25It is enough for the disciple to become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul,m how much more the members of his household!

Whom to Fear

26So do not fear them; for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim on the housetops. 28And do not fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in .n 29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.o 30But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31So do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32So everyone who confesses Me before people, I also will confess him before My Father who is in the heavens;p 33but whoever denies Me before people, I also will deny him before My Father who is in the heavens.

Not Peace but a Sword

34Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.q 35For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.r 37Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; 38and whoever does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.s 39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

Rewards

40Whoever receives you receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me.t 41Whoever receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever receives a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”u

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Context & Translation Notes

Original Reader Horizon • Lexical & Canonical Mesh

a 10:1 — authority over unclean spirits (ἐξουσίαν πνευμάτων ἀκαθάρτων / exousian pneumatōn akathartōn) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: ἐξουσία exousia is authority, delegated right and power (see the notes on 7:29 and 9:6). ἀκάθαρτος akathartos, “unclean,” describes spirits opposed to God’s holiness; Matthew uses “unclean spirits” here and in 12:43. The list of what the Twelve are to do (10:1, 8) repeats the words of 9:35: Jesus shares His own ministry with them. In 10:8 the Majority Text omits “raise the dead”; NA28 and the Textus Receptus include it.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Zechariah foresaw the day when the Lord would remove “the unclean spirit” from the land (Zechariah 13:2). In Luke, when the seventy-two return saying “even the demons are subject to us in Your name,” Jesus answers, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:17–18). Mark records the same commissioning (Mark 6:7).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Within the Divine Council worldview, the unclean spirits belonged to the realm of powers that had set themselves against God. Jesus does not teach His followers a technique or formula, as Jewish and pagan exorcists of the period used; He grants them a share of His own authority. The harvest Jesus told them to pray about (9:38) now begins with them.

b 10:2 — the twelve apostles (τῶν δώδεκα ἀποστόλων / tōn dōdeka apostolōn) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: ἀπόστολος apostolos, from ἀποστέλλω apostellō (“to send”), means one who is sent as an authorized messenger. This is the only place Matthew uses the noun. Simon is listed “first” (πρῶτος prōtos), and the names are given in pairs, perhaps reflecting how they were sent out (Mark 6:7).

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Jesus promises that the Twelve will “sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matthew 19:28). Moses appointed one leader from each tribe (Numbers 1:4–16). After Judas’s death the number was restored (Acts 1:26), and the wall of the new Jerusalem has twelve foundations bearing their names (Revelation 21:14).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: In the first century Israel no longer existed as twelve tribes; most of the northern tribes had been scattered for centuries, and the hope of their regathering was alive in Jewish prayer and prophecy (Ezekiel 37:15–28; Psalms of Solomon 17:26–28). By choosing twelve, Jesus signaled the restoration of the whole people of God. The Qumran community also gave its council twelve men (1QS 8:1).

c 10:4 — Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot (Σίμων ὁ Καναναῖος καὶ Ἰούδας ὁ Ἰσκαριώτης / Simōn ho Kananaios kai Ioudas ho Iskariōtēs) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: Καναναῖος Kananaios does not mean a Canaanite; it transliterates Aramaic קַנְאָנָא qanʾānāʾ, “zealous one,” which Luke translates as “the Zealot” (ζηλωτής zēlōtēs, Luke 6:15). “Iscariot” is most often explained as Hebrew אִישׁ קְרִיּוֹת ʾîš qəriyyôṯ, “man of Kerioth,” a town in Judah (Joshua 15:25); other proposals are less likely. “Handed Him over” renders παραδούς paradous, the verb used of John’s arrest (4:12) and of Jesus’ betrayal throughout the Passion. In 10:3 NA28 reads “Thaddaeus”; the Majority Text and Textus Receptus read “Lebbaeus, who was called Thaddaeus.”

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Luke and Acts list a “Judas son of James” where Matthew and Mark have Thaddaeus (Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13), most likely the same man under another name. John calls Judas “the son of Simon Iscariot” (John 6:71). Matthew alone calls himself “Matthew the tax collector” here (compare 9:9).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: “Zealous” described Jews devoted to God’s Law, following the example of Phinehas (Numbers 25:11–13); the organized Zealot party is attested only during the revolt of A.D. 66–70. Either way, Simon’s name sits in the same list as Matthew, who had collected taxes for Herod Antipas, a striking mix within one band of disciples. TWB follows NA28 in 10:3; the longer form is best explained as scribes combining the two names found in the manuscripts.

Variant record: main text “Thaddaeus (Θαδδαῖος, Thaddaios)”; alternative “Lebbaeus, who was called Thaddaeus (Λεββαῖος ὁ ἐπικληθεὶς Θαδδαῖος, Lebbaios ho epiklētheis Thaddaios)”. Witnesses: NA28: main; Codex Sinaiticus: main; Codex Vaticanus: main; Codex Bezae: Lebbaeus only; Majority Text: alternative; Textus Receptus: alternative. Decision: NA28 reading retained.

d 10:5 — the Gentiles … the Samaritans (εἰς ὁδὸν ἐθνῶν … εἰς πόλιν Σαμαριτῶν / eis hodon ethnōn … eis polin Samaritōn) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: “The road to the Gentiles” (ὁδὸν ἐθνῶν hodon ethnōn) means a road leading into Gentile territory. Σαμαρίτης Samaritēs is a Samaritan, a member of the people of the central hill country between Judea and Galilee. “The lost sheep of the house of Israel” (10:6) describes all Israel as a flock without a shepherd (compare 9:36), not a smaller group within it.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Jesus uses the same words of His own mission to the Canaanite woman: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). After the resurrection the restriction is lifted: “make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19), and Acts traces the mission from Jerusalem to Samaria to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8; 8:5). Paul’s order is “to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: The Samaritans traced their descent to the northern tribes and worshiped the Lord on Mount Gerizim; Jews regarded them as descendants of foreign settlers brought in by Assyria (2 Kings 17:24–41). A Jewish ruler, John Hyrcanus, destroyed their temple in the late second century B.C., and hostility remained deep: “Jews have no dealings with Samaritans” (John 4:9). The limit on this first mission reflects God’s order of promise, Israel first, rather than a permanent exclusion.

e 10:10 — the worker is worthy of his food (ἄξιος γὰρ ὁ ἐργάτης τῆς τροφῆς αὐτοῦ / axios gar ho ergatēs tēs trophēs autou) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: ἐργάτης ergatēs, “worker,” links back to the workers of the harvest (9:37–38). τροφή trophē is food, support. πήρα pēra (10:10) is a traveler’s bag, possibly a beggar’s collection bag. δωρεάν dōrean (10:8) means “as a gift, without payment.” Mark allows a staff and sandals (Mark 6:8–9); Matthew forbids even these, or forbids acquiring extra ones.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Luke and Paul cite the saying with “wages” in place of “food” (Luke 10:7; 1 Timothy 5:18), and Paul writes that “those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:14). Levites received their portion as payment for their service (Numbers 18:31), and an ox was not to be muzzled while treading grain (Deuteronomy 25:4).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Traveling preachers of Greek philosophy, such as the Cynics, carried a bag to beg with; Jesus’ messengers are to go without one, depending on the hospitality God provides. The early Christian Didache applies this teaching to its own day: an apostle may stay one or two days, and if he asks for money he is a false prophet (Didache 11:4–6).

f 10:13 — let your peace come upon it (ἐλθάτω ἡ εἰρήνη ὑμῶν ἐπ᾽ αὐτήν / elthatō hē eirēnē hymōn ep’ autēn) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: εἰρήνη eirēnē renders the Hebrew שָׁלוֹם šālôm, the ordinary greeting that also meant wholeness and well-being given by God. The greeting is pictured as a real gift that either rests on the household or returns to the messenger. To “greet” the house (ἀσπάσασθε aspasasthe, 10:12) means to give this blessing.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Luke records, “Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’” (Luke 10:5). The messenger of good news announces peace (Isaiah 52:7), and God’s word does not return to Him empty (Isaiah 55:11). The priestly blessing ends, “The Lord … give you peace” (Numbers 6:26). Peter summarizes Jesus’ message as “preaching peace through Jesus Christ” (Acts 10:36).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: In Israel’s worldview, a blessing spoken in God’s name was not merely a wish but an act that conveyed what it announced, as with Isaac’s blessing (Genesis 27:33–35). Jesus’ hearers would understand that the messengers carried the peace of the coming kingdom into each home that welcomed them.

g 10:15 — the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment (γῇ Σοδόμων καὶ Γομόρρων ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως / gē Sodomōn kai Gomorrōn en hēmera kriseōs) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: ἀνεκτότερον anektoteron, “more tolerable, more bearable,” implies degrees of judgment. “The day of judgment” (ἡμέρα κρίσεως hēmera kriseōs) is the final judgment. Shaking the dust off the feet (10:14) was a public sign of breaking fellowship and leaving the town to God’s judgment.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire from heaven (Genesis 19:24–25) and became the standard example of God’s judgment (Isaiah 1:9; Amos 4:11). Ezekiel names Sodom’s sin as pride, excess of food, and neglect of the poor (Ezekiel 16:49–50), and Genesis 19 describes the men of the city seeking to abuse Lot’s guests. Paul and Barnabas shake the dust off their feet at Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:51). Jesus repeats the comparison in Matthew 11:24.

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Rabbinic law treated soil from Gentile lands as unclean (Mishnah Ohalot 2:3), so shaking off a town’s dust treated an Israelite town that refused the message as if it were foreign land. Within the Divine Council worldview, Sodom’s story begins with the visit of the Lord and two angels to Abraham and Lot (Genesis 18–19), and Jude and 2 Peter set Sodom beside the angels who rebelled (Jude 6–7; 2 Peter 2:4–6). To refuse Jesus’ messengers was worse than Sodom’s sin, because the townspeople were refusing the kingdom itself.

h 10:16 — wise as serpents and innocent as doves (φρόνιμοι ὡς οἱ ὄφεις καὶ ἀκέραιοι ὡς αἱ περιστεραί / phronimoi hōs hoi opheis kai akeraioi hōs hai peristerai) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: φρόνιμος phronimos means “wise, prudent, shrewd”; TWB renders “wise” as in 7:24 (the wise builder). ἀκέραιος akeraios, literally “unmixed,” means “innocent, pure, without guile.” ὄφις ophis is a serpent, and περιστερά peristera a dove.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: In the Septuagint, the serpent in Eden is “the most prudent (φρονιμώτατος phronimōtatos) of all the beasts” (Genesis 3:1), the same word Jesus uses here. A dove without sense is an image of foolishness (Hosea 7:11), but here innocence is paired with wisdom. Paul wants believers “wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil” (Romans 16:19). The wolves of 10:16 recall the false prophets of 7:15.

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: A later Jewish midrash on the Song of Songs has God say that Israel is innocent as doves toward Him but shrewd as serpents toward the nations (Song of Songs Rabbah 2:14), showing the pairing was familiar. Read against Genesis 3, Jesus asks His messengers to have the serpent’s shrewdness without its guile: to understand the hostile powers and people they will face while remaining blameless before God.

i 10:17 — councils … flog you in their synagogues (εἰς συνέδρια καὶ ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς αὐτῶν μαστιγώσουσιν ὑμᾶς / eis synedria kai en tais synagōgais autōn mastigōsousin hymas) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: συνέδριον synedrion here means a local council or court, not only the high council in Jerusalem. μαστιγόω mastigoō means to flog or scourge. “Governors and kings” (10:18) points beyond the first mission to later trials before Roman officials and Herodian rulers. “As a testimony to them and to the Gentiles” anticipates the wider mission.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: The Law limited a flogging to forty strokes (Deuteronomy 25:2–3). Paul received “forty lashes less one” five times (2 Corinthians 11:24), and the apostles were beaten by order of the council (Acts 5:40). Jesus warns the scribes and Pharisees that they will flog His messengers in their synagogues (Matthew 23:34). Mark places these words in Jesus’ teaching about the end (Mark 13:9–13).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Synagogues served as local courts as well as places of prayer, and the Mishnah describes the procedure for flogging with thirty-nine strokes so as not to exceed the limit (Mishnah Makkot 3:10–14). Acts records Paul, Peter, and others brought before councils, governors such as Felix and Festus, and kings such as Agrippa, fulfilling these words.

j 10:20 — the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you (τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν τὸ λαλοῦν ἐν ὑμῖν / to pneuma tou patros hymōn to laloun en hymin) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: “The Spirit of your Father” is found only here in the New Testament; Mark and Luke say “the Holy Spirit” (Mark 13:11; Luke 12:12). μὴ μεριμνήσητε mē merimnēsēte, “do not be anxious” (10:19), repeats the key verb of 6:25–34. “It will be given to you” is a divine passive.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: God told Moses, “I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak” (Exodus 4:12). The Spirit rested on the seventy elders and they prophesied (Numbers 11:25), and Joel promised the Spirit on all flesh (Joel 2:28). Peter, “filled with the Holy Spirit,” answered the council (Acts 4:8).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: In Second Temple Judaism many held that the Spirit of prophecy had largely withdrawn after the last prophets and would return in the age to come. Jesus promises that the same Spirit who spoke through the prophets will speak through His ordinary followers when they stand on trial.

k 10:22 — the one who endures to the end (ὁ δὲ ὑπομείνας εἰς τέλος / ho de hypomeinas eis telos) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: ὑπομένω hypomenō means to remain under a burden, to endure. εἰς τέλος eis telos can mean “to the end” (of life or of the age) or “completely.” σωθήσεται sōthēsetai, “will be saved,” refers here to final salvation at the end. The same sentence appears in Matthew 24:13.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: “Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days” (Daniel 12:12). “We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end” (Hebrews 3:14). “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). Others emphasize the promises that no one will snatch Jesus’ sheep from His hand (John 10:28) and that God will complete the good work He began (Philippians 1:6).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: The verse belongs to a contested question. Reformed interpreters read it as describing how true believers are known: they will endure, because God keeps them. Wesleyan and Arminian interpreters read it as a real condition that a believer could fail to meet. Catholic and Orthodox teaching speaks of final perseverance as a gift of grace that requires the believer’s continuing cooperation. In its first setting, the verse encouraged disciples facing hatred and betrayal to hold on until the end.

l 10:23 — before the Son of Man comes (ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου / heōs an elthē ho huios tou anthrōpou) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: τελέσητε telesēte means “finish, complete,” here going through all the towns of Israel. The coming (ἔλθῃ elthē) of the Son of Man echoes Daniel 7:13. The verse is one of the most debated in Matthew, because it seems to place the Son of Man’s coming within the lifetime of the Twelve.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Daniel sees one like a son of man coming with the clouds to the Ancient of Days to receive a kingdom (Daniel 7:13–14). Jesus later says some standing there will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom (Matthew 16:28), and He tells the high priest, “from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds” (Matthew 26:64).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Interpreters read the verse in several ways: the coming is the resurrection and Jesus’ enthronement (Matthew 28:18); it is the judgment on Jerusalem in A.D. 70; it is the Second Coming, with the mission to Israel continuing until then; or it refers to the transfiguration soon after (17:1–8). Some critical scholars hold that Jesus expected the end within His disciples’ lifetime. In Daniel 7 the Son of Man “comes” to God’s throne in the heavenly court, so a coming to receive authority, rather than only a return to earth, fits the Divine Council background.

m 10:25 — Beelzebul (Βεελζεβούλ / Beelzeboul) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: Βεελζεβούλ Beelzeboul is a name for the ruler of the demons (12:24). It is often linked with Baal-zebub, “lord of flies,” the god of Ekron (2 Kings 1:2), which may itself be an Israelite mockery of an original Baal-zebul, “Baal the prince” or “lord of the exalted house” (compare זְבֻל zəḇul, “exalted house,” 1 Kings 8:13). The King James Version’s “Beelzebub” follows the Latin and Syriac spelling. There is a play on words: Jesus is the “master of the house” (οἰκοδεσπότης oikodespotēs), while His opponents call Him by the name of the “lord of the house.”

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: The Pharisees have already said that Jesus casts out demons by the ruler of the demons (Matthew 9:34), and they repeat it by name in 12:24, where Jesus answers that Satan’s house cannot stand divided. King Ahaziah sent to inquire of Baal-zebub, god of Ekron, and Elijah rebuked him (2 Kings 1:2–4). Jesus says, “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Ugaritic texts call Baal “Prince” (זבל zbl) and “Prince, lord of the earth.” Within the Divine Council worldview, a title once given to a Canaanite god had become the name of the chief of hostile spirits, a fitting end for the gods of the nations, whom Scripture calls demons (Deuteronomy 32:17). To call Jesus by that name was the worst insult His opponents could give.

n 10:28 — destroy both soul and body in Gehenna (ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα ἀπολέσαι ἐν γεέννῃ / psychēn kai sōma apolesai en geennē) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: ψυχή psychē usually means “life” in Matthew (6:25; 10:39), but here it is set against the body that can be killed, so TWB renders “soul”: the person’s life beyond physical death. ἀπόλλυμι apollymi means to destroy or ruin. γέεννα geenna is the place of final judgment named after the Valley of Hinnom (see the TWB note on Matthew 5:22). “Him who is able” is God, the only one who can judge both soul and body, so TWB capitalizes the pronoun; a minority of interpreters have read it as the devil.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Isaiah ends with the bodies of rebels “whose worm shall not die, whose fire shall not be quenched” (Isaiah 66:24). Luke’s form reads, “Fear Him who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into Gehenna” (Luke 12:5). “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, who is able to save and to destroy” (James 4:12). Jesus speaks of “eternal punishment” (Matthew 25:46).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Second Temple writers used similar language: “Let us not fear him who thinks he kills; for great is the struggle and peril of the soul in eternal torment” (4 Maccabees 13:14–15). Christians have read “destroy” in different ways. Most of the historic church has understood eternal, conscious punishment (Matthew 25:46); others hold that the wicked are finally destroyed and cease to exist. TWB records both readings. The point of the saying is the same in either case: fear God, not those who can only kill the body.

o 10:29 — two sparrows sold for a penny (δύο στρουθία ἀσσαρίου / dyo strouthia assariou) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: στρουθίον strouthion is a sparrow or small bird, sold as cheap food. ἀσσάριον assarion was a small Roman bronze coin worth about one sixteenth of a denarius, a laborer’s daily wage; TWB renders “penny.” “Apart from your Father” (ἄνευ τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν aneu tou patros hymōn) means without His knowledge and will.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Luke adds that five sparrows were sold for two pennies, and “not one of them is forgotten before God” (Luke 12:6). God feeds the birds (Matthew 6:26; Psalm 104:27), and the sparrow finds a home at His altars (Psalm 84:3). “Not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground” was a promise of protection (1 Samuel 14:45; compare Acts 27:34).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: In the market a sparrow was among the cheapest things one could buy. Jesus’ argument moves from the least valued creature to His disciples, who face persecution: if God attends to a single bird, He attends to them. The promise is not that they will never suffer or die (10:21, 28), but that nothing happens to them outside their Father’s care.

p 10:32 — confess him before My Father who is in the heavens (ὁμολογήσω κἀγὼ ἐν αὐτῷ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ πατρός μου / homologēsō kagō en autō emprosthen tou patros mou) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: ὁμολογέω homologeō means to acknowledge or confess publicly, as in a court; its opposite is ἀρνέομαι arneomai, “deny, disown” (10:33). “Confess … in Me” (ἐν ἐμοί en emoi) reflects an Aramaic idiom for acknowledging someone. NA28 prints “the” in “the heavens” in brackets in 10:32–33; the meaning is unaffected.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Luke’s form says the Son of Man will acknowledge such a person “before the angels of God” (Luke 12:8), and Revelation promises, “I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels” (Revelation 3:5). Daniel sees the court seated before the Ancient of Days with thousands serving Him (Daniel 7:10). Peter will deny Jesus three times (Matthew 26:70–75). “If we deny Him, He also will deny us” (2 Timothy 2:12).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: The scene is the heavenly court of the Divine Council, where God sits in judgment surrounded by His host. Jesus places Himself in that court as the one who speaks for or against each person. For disciples facing human courts (10:17–18), what mattered was not the verdict of governors and kings but the testimony given in the court of heaven.

q 10:34 — not … peace, but a sword (οὐκ ἦλθον βαλεῖν εἰρήνην ἀλλὰ μάχαιραν / ouk ēlthon balein eirēnēn alla machairan) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: μάχαιρα machaira is a short sword or dagger. Luke’s parallel has “division” (διαμερισμός diamerismos, Luke 12:51), which explains the image: the sword divides. βάλλω ballō, literally “throw,” here means to bring or cast upon the earth. The saying does not call for violence; Jesus later tells Peter to put away his sword (Matthew 26:52).

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: The Messiah is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), and the angels announced peace on earth (Luke 2:14); Jesus gives His own peace (John 14:27). Yet His coming forces a decision that divides even families. Hebrews pictures God’s word as a two-edged sword that divides soul and spirit (Hebrews 4:12).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Many Jews expected the Messiah to bring peace by defeating Israel’s enemies with the sword (Psalms of Solomon 17:21–25). Jesus turns that expectation around: the sword He brings cuts through households, not through Roman armies, as people take sides for or against Him.

r 10:36 — a man’s enemies will be the members of his household (ἐχθροὶ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οἱ οἰκιακοὶ αὐτοῦ / echthroi tou anthrōpou hoi oikiakoi autou) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: From “a man against his father” (10:35) to the end of 10:36, Jesus takes up the words of Micah 7:6, with only small changes of order and wording, so TWB sets them in capitals as a citation. διχάζω dichazō, “to set against,” means to divide in two. οἰκιακός oikiakos is a member of one’s household, the same word used of the master’s household in 10:25.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Micah describes a society so corrupt that “a man’s enemies are the men of his own house,” and then declares, “But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation” (Micah 7:6–7). Malachi’s promise was the opposite: Elijah would turn the hearts of fathers to their children (Malachi 4:6). Jesus has already warned that brother will hand over brother (Matthew 10:21; Mark 13:12).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Jewish tradition read Micah 7:6 as a sign of the troubles before the Messiah. The Mishnah describes the time “in the footsteps of the Messiah” with the same words: “the son dishonors the father … a man’s enemies are the men of his own house” (Mishnah Sotah 9:15; compare Jubilees 23:16). Jesus says that the division Micah described begins with His coming, as households divide over Him.

s 10:38 — take his cross and follow after Me (λαμβάνει τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκολουθεῖ ὀπίσω μου / lambanei ton stauron autou kai akolouthei opisō mou) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: This is the first mention of the cross (σταυρός stauros) in Matthew, before Jesus has foretold His crucifixion (16:21; 20:19). The condemned man carried his own crossbeam to the place of execution. In 10:39, ψυχή psychē means “life”: whoever clings to life will lose it, and whoever gives it up for Jesus’ sake will find it.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Jesus repeats the saying after Peter’s confession (Matthew 16:24–25), and Simon of Cyrene is forced to carry His cross (Matthew 27:32). Luke records, “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:27). Paul writes, “I have been crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Galileans knew crucifixion well. After the revolt that followed Herod’s death in 4 B.C., the Roman governor Varus crucified two thousand men around Jerusalem (Josephus, Antiquities 17.295), and the Greek writer Plutarch notes that every criminal who goes to execution carries his own cross (On the Delays of Divine Vengeance 554a). For the first hearers, “take your cross” meant walking the road of a condemned man, accepting shame and death for loyalty to Jesus.

t 10:40 — whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me (ὁ ἐμὲ δεχόμενος δέχεται τὸν ἀποστείλαντά με / ho eme dechomenos dechetai ton aposteilanta me) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: δέχομαι dechomai means to receive or welcome, as a guest. The chain runs from the disciple to Jesus to the Father who sent Him (ἀποστείλαντα aposteilanta, from the same verb as “apostle”). “In the name of a prophet” (10:41) means because he is a prophet.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: John records the same principle: “Whoever receives the one I send receives Me” (John 13:20; compare Luke 10:16). A prophet’s reward came to the widow of Zarephath, who fed Elijah, and to the Shunammite woman, who housed Elisha (1 Kings 17:9–24; 2 Kings 4:8–37). In the judgment, what is done to the least of Jesus’ brothers is done to Him (Matthew 25:40).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Jewish law recognized the principle of the authorized agent (שָׁלִיחַ šālîaḥ): “a man’s agent is like himself” (Mishnah Berakhot 5:5). An agent’s reception or rejection was treated as the reception or rejection of the one who sent him. Jesus applies this to His messengers and, through Himself, to God.

u 10:42 — one of these little ones (ἕνα τῶν μικρῶν τούτων / hena tōn mikrōn toutōn) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: μικρός mikros, “little,” here describes disciples, especially the humble and vulnerable among them; Matthew uses the phrase again in chapter 18 (18:6, 10, 14). ψυχρός psychros is “cold,” fresh water in a hot land. οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσῃ ou mē apolesē, “by no means lose,” is the strongest form of negation in Greek.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Jesus warns against causing one of these little ones to stumble and says their angels always see the Father’s face (Matthew 18:6, 10). Mark records the same promise about a cup of water (Mark 9:41). “God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love you have shown for His name” (Hebrews 6:10).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: In a land where water was precious and travelers depended on hospitality, a cup of cold water was the smallest act of kindness. The discourse ends where it began: messengers sent out with nothing will depend on others, and even the least help given to them is seen and rewarded by God.

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Book InsightsMatthew

Author

Matthew, also called Levi, the tax collector whom Jesus called to follow Him and who became one of the Twelve (9:9; 10:3; compare Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27). The Gospel does not name its author, but the evidence for Matthew is strong:

  • Unanimous early testimony. Every ancient manuscript that preserves a title reads “According to Matthew” (Κατὰ Μαθθαῖον Kata Maththaion), and no other author was ever proposed. Papias, bishop of Hierapolis in the early 2nd century A.D., wrote that “Matthew compiled the sayings (λόγια logia) in the Hebrew language” (quoted by Eusebius, Church History 3.39.16). Irenaeus (c. A.D. 180), Origen, Eusebius, and Jerome all name Matthew.
  • Clues in the text. Only this Gospel calls the converted tax collector “Matthew” (9:9) and lists him as “Matthew the tax collector” (10:3), a humble self-reference. It has the most interest in money: the temple tax (17:24–27), the coin of the tribute (22:19, where Matthew alone uses the technical term νόμισμα nomisma), and talents and debts (18:23–35; 25:14–30). A tax collector would have been literate and used to keeping careful records, probably in Greek as well as Aramaic.
  • Matthew first. In John Wenham, Redating Matthew, Mark and Luke (1991), John Wenham argues that the early church’s order is correct: Matthew wrote first, then Mark, then Luke. Clement of Alexandria reported that “the Gospels containing the genealogies were written first” (Eusebius, Church History 6.14.5), which places Matthew and Luke before Mark, and every early writer who names an order puts Matthew first.
  • One shared teaching, with some borrowing. Wenham’s own model is “an oral theory with some measure of successive dependence.” All three Gospels draw on the Jerusalem catechesis, the apostles’ carefully taught oral account of Jesus’ words and deeds. On top of that shared teaching, Mark made some use of Matthew, and Luke made some use of both Matthew and Mark. On this view the hypothetical source Q is unnecessary, and each Gospel is an independent witness to the apostolic preaching.

Papias’s report that Matthew wrote “in the Hebrew language” is read by many who hold Matthew’s priority as evidence of an earlier Hebrew or Aramaic edition, followed by the Greek Gospel we have; others take it to describe a Hebrew style of writing or a collection of sayings.

Other views — What Papias meant

Papias’s words are debated. Some take them to mean Matthew first wrote a Hebrew or Aramaic Gospel that was later translated into the Greek we have. Others think he meant a collection of Jesus’ sayings rather than this Gospel. Still others read “in the Hebrew language” as “in a Hebrew style.” Our Greek Matthew does not read like a translation, and it often quotes the Old Testament from the Septuagint.

Other views — The Synoptic Problem

Most scholars today explain the shared material in Matthew, Mark, and Luke differently from Wenham:

  • Two-Source Hypothesis (the majority view): Mark wrote first. Matthew and Luke each used Mark plus a lost collection of Jesus’ sayings called Q, from the German Quelle (“source”). Material found only in Matthew is often labeled M.
  • Farrer Hypothesis: Mark wrote first, Matthew used Mark, and Luke used both, so no Q is needed.
  • Two-Gospel (Griesbach) Hypothesis: Matthew wrote first, Luke used Matthew, and Mark combined both. Wenham charts what this would require in Mark 1:1–13: Mark switching between Matthew, Luke, and his own words every few words, a process he finds implausible (pp. 13–15).

Supporters of Mark’s priority point to Mark’s rougher Greek, which Matthew and Luke seem to smooth, and to Matthew’s inclusion of nearly all of Mark. No manuscript of Q has ever been found. Many conservative scholars hold Mark’s priority and still affirm the apostle Matthew as author.

Other views — An unnamed Jewish-Christian author

Many critical scholars hold that the Gospel was written by an unknown Jewish believer, perhaps a scribe trained for the kingdom (13:52), and later attached to Matthew’s name. They argue that an eyewitness apostle would not have relied on Mark, who was not one of the Twelve.

Audience

Primarily Jewish believers, along with Jews being invited to believe. Matthew assumes his readers know the Law, the Prophets, and Jewish customs. He leaves customs unexplained that Mark explains for Gentiles (compare 15:2 with Mark 7:3–4), and traces Jesus’ line back to Abraham. Out of reverence he usually says “kingdom of heaven” rather than “kingdom of God.” Yet the Gospel looks outward from the start, with Gentile magi at the cradle (2:1–12), and ends with the command to make disciples of all nations (28:19).

Date Written

c. A.D. 40–65, before the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in A.D. 70. Conservative scholars hold two main positions within that range.

c. A.D. 50–65. Matthew writes as though the temple is still standing: he includes instructions about offering gifts at the altar (5:23–24), paying the temple tax (17:24–27), and swearing by the temple (23:16–22). Twice he says something remains “to this day” (27:8; 28:15). Jesus predicts the temple’s fall (24:1–2), but the Gospel never reports it as having happened. Many conservative scholars, including those who hold that Matthew used Mark, place the Gospel in this period.

c. A.D. 40 (John Wenham). Those who hold Matthean priority often place it earlier still, in the A.D. 40s or 50s. Wenham reaches c. A.D. 40 by working back from Acts:

  • Acts was finished in A.D. 62. It ends with Paul two years under house arrest in Rome (Acts 28:30–31) and says nothing of his death (c. A.D. 67), the great fire of Rome and Nero’s persecution (A.D. 64), the outbreak of the Jewish War (A.D. 66), or the fall of Jerusalem (A.D. 70).
  • Luke came before Acts (Acts 1:1). Wenham dates Luke to about A.D. 54 and identifies Luke with “the brother whose praise is in the gospel” (2 Corinthians 8:18), in a letter he dates to A.D. 56.
  • Mark came before Luke, about A.D. 45, from Peter’s preaching in Rome. Wenham reads Peter’s escape from Herod Agrippa I to “another place” (Acts 12:17, A.D. 42) as his journey to Rome.
  • Matthew came first, about A.D. 40, before the persecution under Herod Agrippa I scattered the apostles from Jerusalem in A.D. 42 (Acts 12:1–17). Eusebius says Matthew wrote for the Hebrews when he was about to leave them to preach to others (Church History 3.24.6).

Source for Wenham’s dates: John Wenham, Redating Matthew, Mark and Luke (1991), Chronological Table, pp. xxv–xxvi.

Other views — Critical dating (c. A.D. 80–90)

Many critical scholars date Matthew after A.D. 70. They reason that Matthew used Mark, usually dated around A.D. 65–70, and that the parable of the king who “burned their city” (22:7) looks back on Jerusalem’s fall. They also point to sharp conflict with synagogue leaders (23:34), which they place in the decades after the war. Conservative scholars respond that 22:7 uses the common language of ancient warfare and judgment (compare Judges 1:8; Isaiah 1:7), not specific details of A.D. 70, and that predictive prophecy should not be ruled out in advance.

Location Written

Judea, most likely Jerusalem. Wenham, following the early tradition, places Matthew’s writing in the land of Israel for Jewish believers before the apostles left Jerusalem.

  • Early testimony. Irenaeus says Matthew wrote “among the Hebrews” (Against Heresies 3.1.1), and Eusebius says he wrote for them before leaving to preach to others (Church History 3.24.6).
  • The audience. The Gospel assumes readers who know Jewish customs without explanation (compare 15:2 with Mark 7:3–4), care about the temple and the Law, and need answers to questions raised by the synagogue.

Other views — Other proposed places

Many scholars, conservative and critical, suggest Syrian Antioch, a city with a large Jewish population and an early church of both Jews and Gentiles (Acts 11:19–26). Ignatius, bishop of Antioch (c. A.D. 110), is the earliest writer to show clear knowledge of Matthew. Galilee, Caesarea Maritima, and Phoenicia have also been suggested.

Purpose

To show that Jesus is the promised Messiah (Χριστός Christos), the Son of David and Son of Abraham (1:1). He fulfills the Law and the Prophets and brings the kingdom of heaven near. Matthew also trains disciples in how to live under that kingdom, and sends them to make disciples of every nation.

Matthew does this through two patterns. Ten times he introduces an Old Testament text with a fulfillment formula such as “this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet” (1:22; 2:15, 17, 23; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17; 13:35; 21:4; 27:9). He also gathers Jesus’ teaching into five great discourses, each closing with “when Jesus had finished” (7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1). Many readers see an echo of the five books of Moses:

  • The Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5–7)
  • Instructions to the Twelve (chapter 10)
  • Parables of the kingdom (chapter 13)
  • Life in the community (chapter 18)
  • The Olivet Discourse, on the end of the age (chapters 24–25)

Historical Problem Being Addressed

Jewish believers faced a hard question. If Jesus is Israel’s Messiah, why did Israel’s own leaders reject Him and hand Him over to be crucified? And why were Gentiles now streaming into the people of God? Believers were being opposed in the synagogues (10:17; 23:34) and needed to know that following Jesus was not abandoning the faith of Abraham and Moses, but its fulfillment. Matthew answers that the rejection itself was foretold. Jesus came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it (5:17), and Abraham’s family was always meant to bless the nations (8:11; 28:19).

Through the Original Readers’ Eyes

Matthew’s first readers lived in a land ruled by Rome through Herod’s family and Roman governors (2:1, 22; 27:2), worshiping in synagogues and arguing over how to keep the Law. Several things they knew shape how they heard this Gospel:

  • Hope for a Son of David. Many Jews longed for a king who would restore Israel. The Psalms of Solomon (1st century B.C.) pray for “the son of David” to purge Jerusalem of Gentiles and rule in righteousness (Psalms of Solomon 17). Some Qumran texts expect both a royal and a priestly messiah (1QS 9:11). Matthew’s Son of David heals the blind and lame (21:14) and dies under the charge “King of the Jews.”
  • The Son of Man. Daniel 7 pictures one like a son of man receiving everlasting dominion. The Similitudes of Enoch (1 Enoch 37–71, whose date is debated) speak of a heavenly Son of Man who judges from a glorious throne. Readers who knew these texts would hear Jesus’ favorite self-designation as a claim to that throne (19:28; 25:31).
  • Caesar’s claims. Augustus was called “son of god” (divi filius), and an inscription from Priene (9 B.C.) calls his birthday the beginning of “good news” (εὐαγγέλια euangelia) for the world. A Gospel announcing a different King, a different Son of God, and a different kingdom would have sounded like a rival claim.
  • Pharisees, scribes, and synagogues. The disputes over Sabbath, purity, oaths, and tithing (chapters 12, 15, 23) were live questions for Jewish communities. Matthew’s readers needed to know how Jesus’ followers related to the Law and to the synagogue leaders.

Among the early church, Matthew quickly became the most quoted Gospel. The Didache (late 1st or early 2nd century) gives the Lord’s Prayer in a form very close to Matthew’s (Didache 8:2), and Ignatius of Antioch (c. A.D. 110) shows knowledge of it. It was placed first in the New Testament, as the bridge from Israel’s Scriptures to the gospel.

Key Words

Kingdom of heaven: βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν basileia tōn ouranōn

The phrase appears more than thirty times in Matthew and nowhere else in the New Testament. Following Jewish reverence for God’s name, “heaven” stands for God Himself, so it means the same as “kingdom of God,” which Matthew also uses a few times (12:28; 19:24; 21:31, 43).

Fulfill: πληρόω plēroō

Ten times Matthew introduces an Old Testament text with a fulfillment formula (1:22; 2:15, 17, 23; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17; 13:35; 21:4; 27:9), and Jesus says He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets (5:17). In Matthew, fulfillment means more than prediction coming true: Israel’s story and Scripture reach their goal in Jesus.

Righteousness: δικαιοσύνη dikaiosynē

Jesus is baptized “to fulfill all righteousness” (3:15), and His disciples must hunger for righteousness (5:6), have a righteousness greater than that of the scribes and Pharisees (5:20), and seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness (6:33). It names the life that matches God’s will.

Key Verses

Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. Matthew 5:17 (TWB)

The main key verse: Jesus came not to abolish the Law or the Prophets but to fulfill them. The whole Gospel unfolds this claim.

Matthew 16:16

Peter’s confession, the turning point of the Gospel: Jesus is the Messiah (Χριστός Christos), the Son of the living God.

Matthew 28:18–20

The Great Commission: the risen Jesus, with all authority in heaven and on earth, sends His disciples to make disciples of all nations, and promises to be with them always, echoing “Immanuel, God with us” (1:23).

Outline

Matthew alternates narrative with five major blocks of teaching, each ending with “when Jesus had finished” (7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1).

  1. The coming of the King 1:1–4:25
    1. Genealogy, birth, and infancy 1:1–2:23
    2. John the Baptist, the baptism, and the temptation 3:1–4:11
    3. Ministry in Galilee begins 4:12–25
  2. First discourse: the Sermon on the Mount 5:1–7:29
  3. Mighty works: ten miracles 8:1–9:38
  4. Second discourse: sending out the Twelve 10:1–11:1 You are here
  5. Growing opposition 11:2–12:50
  6. Third discourse: parables of the kingdom 13:1–53
  7. Peter’s confession and the road to the cross 13:54–17:27
  8. Fourth discourse: life in the community 18:1–19:1
  9. In Judea and Jerusalem 19:2–23:39
  10. Fifth discourse: the Olivet Discourse 24:1–25:46
  11. Death and resurrection; the Great Commission 26:1–28:20

Christ in the Book

Matthew presents Jesus above all as the King.

  • The Son of David, heir to the throne promised in 2 Samuel 7:12–16 (1:1; 9:27; 12:23; 20:30–31; 21:9).
  • The Son of Abraham, the seed through whom the nations are blessed (1:1; compare Genesis 12:3; 22:18).
  • Immanuel, “God with us” (1:23, quoting Isaiah 7:14). The Gospel ends where it began: “I am with you always” (28:20).
  • The Messiah, the Son of the living God, as Peter confesses at Caesarea Philippi (16:16), where TWB renders Χριστός Christos as “Messiah.”
  • The new Moses: spared as an infant from a king’s slaughter (2:13–18; compare Exodus 1:22–2:10), called out of Egypt (2:15, quoting Hosea 11:1), and teaching from the mountain (5:1).
  • The Son of Man of Daniel 7:13–14, who receives dominion and comes on the clouds (24:30; 26:64).
  • Greater than the temple, Jonah, and Solomon (12:6, 41–42).
  • The Servant of Isaiah, who carries our sicknesses and brings justice to the nations (8:17; 12:17–21).
  • The humble King riding into Jerusalem (21:5, quoting Zechariah 9:9), crucified under the charge “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews” (27:37).
  • The risen Lord with all authority in heaven and on earth (28:18).

The Divine Council Worldview in the Book

What is the Divine Council Worldview?

The Divine Council Worldview reads Scripture the way its first readers did. The Lord, God Most High, presides over a heavenly assembly of spiritual beings, called “sons of God,” “holy ones,” and “gods” (אֱלֹהִים ʾĕlōhîm) (Psalm 82:1; Psalm 89:5–7; 1 Kings 22:19–22; Job 1:6). He alone is Creator, and none of them is like Him (Psalm 89:6; Exodus 15:11). Some of these beings rebelled: in Eden, before the flood, and at Babel, after which the nations were placed under lesser powers while the Lord took Israel as His own portion (Deuteronomy 32:8–9). The rest of Scripture tells how God reclaims the nations through the Messiah. Not every interpreter reads these texts this way; where views differ, they are noted.

Matthew presents Jesus’ ministry as the beginning of God’s campaign to take back the nations from the powers that rebelled at Babel. The kingdom of heaven advances against an opposing kingdom.

  • The kingdoms of the world (4:8–9). The devil offers Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world and their glory” if He will worship him. On a Divine Council reading, the offer is real because the nations had been placed under other powers (Deuteronomy 32:8–9; compare Luke 4:6; John 12:31). Jesus refuses to receive the nations from the rebel and quotes Deuteronomy: “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve” (4:10).
  • Binding the strong man (12:28–29). Jesus’ exorcisms show that “the kingdom of God has come upon you.” He enters Satan’s house, binds the strong man, and plunders it.
  • The gates of Hades (16:13–18). Peter confesses Jesus as the Messiah at Caesarea Philippi, at the foot of Mount Hermon. A cave there held a shrine to the god Pan and was thought to be a gateway to the underworld, and Jewish tradition remembered Hermon as where the rebellious sons of God of Genesis 6 came down (1 Enoch 6:6). There Jesus promises that “the gates of Hades will not prevail” against His church.
  • The high mountain (17:1–8). Six days later Jesus is transfigured on “a high mountain.” Many scholars think this was Hermon itself, given its height and nearness to Caesarea Philippi; tradition since the 4th century has favored Mount Tabor.
  • Their angels (18:10). The little ones have angels who “always see the face of My Father in heaven,” a picture of heavenly beings attending God’s presence.
  • The Son of Man and the thrones (19:28; 26:64). Jesus draws on Daniel 7, where thrones are set up, the court sits, and one like a son of man receives the dominion over the nations (Daniel 7:9–14). He promises the Twelve that they will sit on twelve thrones, so that redeemed humans share in God’s rule.
  • The devil and his angels (25:41). The eternal fire was “prepared for the devil and his angels,” not originally for people.
  • All authority, all nations (28:18–20). The risen Jesus claims “all authority in heaven and on earth” and sends His disciples to make disciples of “all the nations” (πάντα τὰ ἔθνη panta ta ethnē), the very nations once given over at Babel.

Divine Council notes in the chapters translated so far

How the Book Connects to Other Books

  • Genesis: Matthew opens with “the book of the genealogy” (βίβλος γενέσεως biblos geneseōs, 1:1), the same wording the Septuagint uses in Genesis 2:4 and 5:1. A new beginning is announced in the language of the first one.
  • 2 Chronicles and Malachi: In the order of the Hebrew Bible, the Scriptures close with 2 Chronicles, which opens with genealogies and ends with an invitation to go up to Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 36:23). Matthew opens with a genealogy. In the Christian order, Malachi’s promise of Elijah (Malachi 4:5) leads into John the Baptist, whom Jesus identifies as that Elijah (11:14; 17:12–13).
  • The Prophets: Matthew quotes or echoes the Old Testament more than any other Gospel, including Isaiah 7:14 (1:23), Micah 5:2 (2:6), Hosea 11:1 (2:15), Jeremiah 31:15 (2:18), and Zechariah 9:9 (21:5).
  • Mark and Luke tell much of the same story (see the Synoptic Problem under Author), and John complements them with Jesus’ ministry in Judea.
  • Acts carries out the Great Commission (28:18–20), beginning in Jerusalem and reaching the nations (Acts 1:8).
  • James echoes the Sermon on the Mount more closely than any other letter (compare 5:3 with James 2:5; 5:11–12 with James 1:2; 5:34–37 with James 5:12; 7:7 with James 1:5).
  • Revelation: the Son of Man coming with the clouds (24:30; Revelation 1:7) and the kingdom of the world becoming the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah (Revelation 11:15).

TWB Translation Decisions

The main rendering decisions made so far in Matthew. Each one with a study note links to it.

“Messiah” for Χριστός

TWB renders Χριστός Christos as “Messiah” throughout, showing that it is a title (“Anointed One”) rather than a surname. The notes show the Greek wherever it matters.

Speech colors

Jesus’ words are printed in red and God the Father’s in blue (for example, the voice from heaven at the baptism, 3:17). The words of ordinary angels, such as the angel who speaks to Joseph in dreams (2:13, 19–20), are not colored.

Old Testament quotations in capitals

Direct quotations of the Old Testament are printed in capitals, so readers can see where Matthew is citing Scripture (for example, Micah 5:2 at 2:6 and Hosea 11:1 at 2:15).

Read the full note →

“Magi” (2:1)

Rather than “wise men,” which hides their priestly and astrological role, or “magicians,” which gives a negative sense Matthew does not intend.

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“His star at its rising” (2:2)

Not “in the east”: the singular with the article is an astronomical expression for a star’s rising.

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“Worship” (2:2, 11)

For προσκυνέω proskyneō, rather than “pay homage,” because Matthew uses the same verb for the disciples’ worship of Jesus (14:33; 28:9, 17).

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“He had been mocked” (2:16)

Rather than “tricked,” to keep the link with the mockery of Jesus at His trial and crucifixion, where Matthew uses the same verb.

Read the full note →

“That He would be called a Nazarene” (2:23)

Rendered as indirect speech, without quotation marks or capitals, because the words are not found in any one Old Testament book.

Read the full note →

Textual Notes

Base text: Nestle-Aland, 28th edition (NA28). Where the Majority Text or Textus Receptus reads differently, the notes record both readings and the manuscripts behind them.

The doxology of the Lord’s Prayer 6:13

“For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” is found in the Majority Text and the Textus Receptus but not in the earliest manuscripts, including Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus. A shorter doxology appears in the Didache (8:2), which shows it was used in worship very early. TWB follows NA28 and records the longer reading in the note.

Verses not found in the earliest manuscripts 17:21

Three verses found in the Majority Text and Textus Receptus are absent from the earliest manuscripts: 17:21 (“this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting”), 18:11 (“the Son of Man came to save the lost”), and 23:14 (on devouring widows’ houses). Each closely matches a verse in another Gospel (Mark 9:29; Luke 19:10; Mark 12:40), and most scholars think scribes added them from there. Supporters of the Majority Text regard them as original. TWB follows NA28 and records each in the notes.

“Without cause” 5:22

The Majority Text and Textus Receptus read “whoever is angry with his brother without cause” (εἰκῆ eikē). The earliest manuscripts lack the phrase, which softens Jesus’ saying. TWB follows NA28.

The spear at the cross 27:49

Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus add that a soldier pierced Jesus’ side with a spear before He died, wording that closely matches John 19:34. NA28 places it in the apparatus, judging it an early addition from John.

Textual notes in the chapters translated so far

Contested Questions

Major questions on which careful readers and Christian traditions disagree. TWB states each view fairly and does not take a side, per the Master Specification Record.

What is “this rock” in Matthew 16:18?
Peter, with a continuing office

Jesus plays on Peter’s name (Πέτρος Petros, “rock”) and builds the church on him, giving him the keys (16:19). Catholic teaching sees this office continued in Peter’s successors, the bishops of Rome.

Peter, as the first apostle

The rock is Peter himself, as the leading apostle and first preacher (Acts 2; 10), without a line of successors. Held by many Protestant scholars today.

Peter’s confession of faith

The rock is the truth Peter confessed, that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God (16:16). Common in Orthodox and in much Protestant teaching; Orthodox tradition also sees every bishop as sharing Peter’s ministry.

Christ Himself

The rock is Christ, the one foundation (1 Corinthians 3:11; compare 1 Peter 2:4–8). Augustine argued for this reading in some of his writings.

What does the exception for “sexual immorality” allow (5:32; 19:9)?
Divorce and remarriage after adultery

Sexual unfaithfulness (πορνεία porneia) breaks the marriage, so the innocent party may divorce and remarry. Held in most Protestant traditions.

Separation without remarriage

A valid sacramental marriage cannot be dissolved; the exception allows separation, or applies to unions that were never valid marriages (the basis of annulment). Catholic teaching.

Remarriage permitted by pastoral mercy

Marriage is meant to be lifelong, but the church may permit a second marriage after divorce as an act of mercy (οἰκονομία oikonomia). Orthodox practice.

A narrow case

πορνεία porneia refers to unfaithfulness during betrothal (as Joseph suspected of Mary, 1:19) or to marriages within forbidden family relationships (Leviticus 18; Acts 15:29).

When is the Olivet Discourse (chapter 24) fulfilled?
In A.D. 70

Most of the discourse was fulfilled when Rome destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, within “this generation” (24:34). Held by preterist interpreters.

At the end of the age

The discourse describes events still future, before Christ’s return. Held by futurist interpreters.

Both

The fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 fulfills the near prophecy and foreshadows the final judgment at Christ’s return. Held by many interpreters across traditions.

Did Mary have other children (1:25; 13:55)?
Mary remained a virgin

“Until” (1:25) does not imply anything afterward, and Jesus’ “brothers” (13:55) were relatives. Catholic and Orthodox teaching, and held by Luther and other early Reformers. Orthodox tradition sees them as Joseph’s children from an earlier marriage; Catholic tradition, following Jerome, as cousins.

Mary and Joseph had other children

“Until” most naturally implies a normal marriage afterward, and the brothers and sisters named in 13:55–56 were younger children of Mary and Joseph. Held by most Protestants today.

Places in the Book

  • Babylon Identified first mentioned 1:11
  • Bethlehem Identified first mentioned 2:1
  • Judea Identified first mentioned 2:1
  • Jerusalem Identified first mentioned 2:1
  • Egypt Identified first mentioned 2:13
  • Ramah Identified first mentioned 2:18
  • Israel Identified first mentioned 2:20
  • Galilee Identified first mentioned 2:22
  • Nazareth Identified first mentioned 2:23
  • the wilderness Identified first mentioned 3:1
  • the Jordan Identified first mentioned 3:5
  • Capernaum Identified first mentioned 4:13
  • Zebulun Identified first mentioned 4:13
  • Naphtali Identified first mentioned 4:13
  • Sea of Galilee Identified first mentioned 4:18
  • Syria Identified first mentioned 4:24
  • Decapolis Identified first mentioned 4:25
  • the mountain Location unknown first mentioned 5:1
  • Gehenna Identified first mentioned 5:22
  • country of the Gadarenes Disputed first mentioned 8:28
  • Samaria Identified first mentioned 10:5
  • Sodom Disputed first mentioned 10:15
  • Gomorrah Disputed first mentioned 10:15
  • Chorazin Identified first mentioned 11:21
  • Bethsaida Disputed first mentioned 11:21
  • Tyre Identified first mentioned 11:21
  • Sidon Identified first mentioned 11:21
  • Nineveh Identified first mentioned 12:41
  • Gennesaret Identified first mentioned 14:34
  • Magadan Disputed first mentioned 15:39

The map shows unlabeled physical relief, with no modern borders or names. Hollow pins mark proposed sites for disputed places; places of unknown location are not pinned. This list grows as more chapters are translated.

The conservative view is given first; other views follow where scholars differ. Status: draft, version 0.7.0, updated 2026-10-10.