Matthew 10:9

Wesley's New Testament

Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses: Nor scrip for your journey, nor two coats, nor shoes, nor yet a staff:

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Don’t acquire gold, silver, or copper for your money-belts.

King James Version (1611)
Prouide neither gold, nor siluer, nor brasse in your purses:

King James Version
Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,

English Standard Version
Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts,

New American Standard Bible
"Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts,

New Century Version
Don't carry any money with you—gold or silver or copper.

Amplified Bible
"Do not take gold, or silver, or [even] copper money in your money belt,

Geneva Bible (1587)
Possesse not golde, nor siluer, nor money in your girdels,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts,

Legacy Standard Bible
Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts,

Berean Standard Bible
Do not carry any gold or silver or copper in your belts.

Contemporary English Version
Don't take along any gold, silver, or copper coins.

Complete Jewish Bible
Don't take money in your belts, no gold, no silver, no copper;

Darby Translation
Do not provide yourselves with gold, or silver, or brass, for your belts,

Easy-to-Read Version
Don't carry any money with you—gold or silver or copper.

George Lamsa Translation
Do not accumulate gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses;

Good News Translation
Do not carry any gold, silver, or copper money in your pockets;

Lexham English Bible
Do not procure gold or silver or copper for your belts.

Literal Translation
Do not provide gold, nor silver, nor copper in your belts,

American Standard Version
Get you no gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses;

Bible in Basic English
Take no gold or silver or copper in your pockets;

Hebrew Names Version
Don't take any gold, nor silver, nor brass in your money belts.

International Standard Version
Don't take any gold, silver, or copper in your moneybags,1 Samuel 9:7; Mark 6:8; Luke 9:3; 10:4; 22:35;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,

Murdock Translation
Provide not gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Possesse not golde, nor syluer, nor brasse in your purses,

English Revised Version
Get you no gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses;

World English Bible
Don't take any gold, nor silver, nor brass in your money belts.

Weymouth's New Testament
"Provide no gold, nor even silver nor copper to carry in your pockets;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Nyle ye welde gold, nether siluer, ne money in youre girdlis, not a scrippe in the weie,

Update Bible Version
Get no gold, nor silver, nor bronze in your purses;

Webster's Bible Translation
Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses;

New English Translation
Do not take gold, silver, or copper in your belts,

New King James Version
Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts,

New Living Translation
"Don't take any money in your money belts—no gold, silver, or even copper coins.

New Life Bible
Do not take gold or silver or brass money with you.

New Revised Standard
Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Ye may procure - neither gold, nor silver, nor copper, for your belts, -

Douay-Rheims Bible
Do not possess gold, nor silver, nor money in your purses:

Revised Standard Version
Take no gold, nor silver, nor copper in your belts,

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Posses not golde nor silver nor brassse yn youre gerdels

Young's Literal Translation
`Provide not gold, nor silver, nor brass in your girdles,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Posses not golde, nor siluer, nor brasse yn youre gerdels,

Mace New Testament (1729)
Provide neither gold nor silver, nor brass in your purses:

THE MESSAGE
"Don't think you have to put on a fund-raising campaign before you start. You don't need a lot of equipment. You are the equipment, and all you need to keep that going is three meals a day. Travel light.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Don't hide any cash or coins in the bottom of your boots;

Contextual Overview

⁵ These twelve Jesus sent forth, having commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into a city of the Samaritans enter not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ⁷ And as ye go, proclaim, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. ⁸ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. ⁹ Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses: Nor scrip for your journey, nor two coats, nor shoes, nor yet a staff: ¹⁰ for the workman is worthy of his maintenance. ¹¹ And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and there abide till ye go thence. ¹² And when ye come into an house, salute it. And if the house be worthy, your peace shall come upon it; ¹³ but if it be not worthy, your peace shall return to you. ¹⁴ And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words; when ye go out of that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. ¹⁵ Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Provide: or, Get

neither: Mark 6:8, Luke 9:3, Luke 10:4, Luke 22:35, 1 Corinthians 9:7-27

Reciprocal: Joshua 9:11 - Take Mark 12:41 - money Acts 3:6 - Silver

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass,.... That is, not any sort of "money", as both Mark and Luke express it: for money was then coined, as now, of these three sorts of metals, and which include all kind of money; so that they were not to provide, get, prepare, or take along with them for their journey, as not gold, nor silver, or any parcel of this sort of money, which might be of considerable importance, and lasting consequence to them; so neither brass money, as, halfpence, and farthings, the least, and most inconsiderable: they were forbidden to carry any of either sort

in your purses: or, as it may be rendered, "in", or "within your girdles"; in which travellers, among the Jews, used to carry their money; and who, in their travelling dress, might not go into the temple, and are thus described h;

"a man may not go into the mountain of the house with his staff, or with his shoes on, nor בפונדתו, "with his girdle".''

The פונדא "phunda", Maimonides says i, is an inner garment, wore to keep off sweat from other garments, to which were sewed hollow things like purses, in which a man put what he pleased; though other k interpreters say it is אזור חלול שנותנין בו מעות, "a hollow girdle, in which they put their money": and so the Romans l had used to do; and so do the Turks m to this day; to which practice the allusion is here.

h Misn. Beracot, c. 9. sect. 5. i In ib. & Celim. c. 29. 1. & Sabbat, c. 10. 3. k Bartenora & Yom Tob in ib. Gloss in T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 62. 2. & in Sabbat. fol. 92. 1. & 113. 1. & 120. 1. & Nedarim, fol. 55. 2. l Gracchus apud A. Gell. Noct. Attic. 1. 15. c. 12. Sueton. in Vita Vitellii, c. 16. m Bobovius de Peregr. Meccan. p. 14.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See also Mark 6:8-11, and Luke 9:3-5. In both these places the substance of this account is given, though not so particularly as in Matthew. The general subject is the instructions given to the apostles.

Matthew 10:9

Provide neither gold nor silver, nor brass - This prohibition of gold, silver, and brass is designed to prevent their providing money for their journey.

Pieces of money of “small value” were made of brass.

In your purses - Literally, in your girdles (belts). See the notes at Matthew 5:38-41. A “girdle” or “sash” was an indispensable part of the dress. This girdle was made “hollow,” and answered the purpose of a purse. It was convenient, easily borne, and safe.

Matthew 10:10

Nor scrip - That is, knapsack.

This was made of skin or coarse cloth, to carry provisions in. It was commonly hung around the neck.

Neither two coats - See the notes at Matthew 5:40.

Neither shoes - The original is the word commonly rendered sandals. See the notes at Matthew 3:11.

Mark says, in recording this discourse, “but be shod with sandals.” Between him and Matthew there is an apparent contradiction, but there is really no difference. According to Matthew, Jesus does not forbid their “wearing” the sandals which they probably had on, but only forbids their “supplying themselves with more,” or with “superfluous ones.” Instead of making provision for their feet when their “present” shoes were worn out, they were to trust to Providence to be supplied, and “go as they were.” The meaning of the two evangelists may be thus expressed: “Do not procure anything more for your journey than you have on. Go as you are, shod with sandals, without making any more preparation.”

Nor yet staves - In the margin, in all the ancient versions, and in the common Greek text, this is in the singular number - “nor yet” a staff. But Mark says that they might have a “staff:” “Jesus commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only.” To many this would appear to be a contradiction. Yet the “spirit” of the instruction, the main thing that the writers aim at, is the same. That was, that they were “to go just as they were, to trust to Providence, and not to spend any time in making preparation for their journey. Some of them, probably, when he addressed them, “had staves,” and some had not. To those who “had,” he did not say that they should throw them away, as the instructions he was giving them might seem to require, but he suffered them to take them (Mark). To those who had not, he said they should not spend time in procuring them (Matthew), but “they were all to go just as they were.”

The workman is worthy of his meat - This implies that they were to expect a proper supply for their needs from those who were benefited. They were not to make “bargain and sale” of the power of working miracles, but they were to expect competent support from preaching the gospel, and that not merely as a gift, but because they were “worthy” of it, and had a right to it.

Matthew 10:11

Who in it is worthy - That is, who in it sustains such a character that he will be disposed to show you hospitality and to treat you kindly.

This shows that they were not needlessly to throw themselves in the way of insult.

And there abide - There remain; as Luke adds, “Go not from house to house.” They were to content themselves with one house; not to wander about in the manner of vagrants and mendicants; not to appear to be people of idleness and fond of change; not to seem dissatisfied with the hospitality of the people; but to show that they had regular, important business; that they valued their time; that they were disposed to give themselves to labor, and were intent only on the business for which he had sent them. If ministers of the gospel are useful, it will be by not spending their time in idle chit-chat, and wandering around as if they had nothing to do, but in an honest and laborious improvement of their time in study, in prayer, in preaching, and in visiting their people.

Matthew 10:12

And when ye come into a house, salute it - The word “house” here evidently means “family,” as it does in the following verse.

See also Matthew 12:25, and John 4:53; “And himself believed and his whole house.” The apostles were directed to salute the family - to show them the customary tokens of respect, and to treat them with civility. Religion never requires or permits its friends to outrage the common rules of social contact. It demands of them to exhibit to all the customary and proper tokens of respect, according to their age and station, 1 Peter 2:12-25; 1 Peter 3:8-11; Philippians 4:8. For the mode of salutation, see the notes at Luke 10:4-5.

Matthew 10:13

If the house be worthy - That is, if the “family” be worthy, or be willing to receive you as my disciples.

Let your peace come upon it - That is, let the peace or happiness which you seek or for which you pray in saluting it (see Luke 10:5), come upon it; or seek their peace and happiness by prayer, instruction, by remaining with them, and imparting to them the blessings of the gospel.

But if it be not worthy ... - If the family be unwilling to receive you; if they show themselves unfriendly to you and your message.

Let your peace return to you - This is a Hebrew mode of saying that your peace shall not come upon it, Psalms 35:13. It is a mode of speaking derived from bestowing a gift. If people were willing to receive it, they derived the benefit from it; if not, then of course the present came back or remained in the hand of the giver. So Christ figuratively speaks of the peace which their labor would confer. If received kindly and hospitably by the people, they would confer on them most valuable blessings. If rejected and persecuted, the blessings which they sought for others would come upon themselves. they would reap the benefit of being cast out and persecuted for their Master’s sake, Matthew 5:10.

Matthew 10:14

Shake off the dust of your feet - The Jews taught uniformly that the dust of the Gentiles was impure, and was to be shaken off.

To shake off the dust from the feet, therefore, was a significant act, denoting that they regarded them as impure, profane, and paganish, and that they declined any further connection with them. It is recorded that this was actually done by some of the apostles. See Acts 13:51; Acts 18:6.

Matthew 10:15

It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom ... - The cities here mentioned, together with Admah and Zeboim, were destroyed by fire and brimstone on account of their great wickedness.

They occupied the place afterward covered by the Dead Sea, bounding Palestine on the southeast, Genesis 19:24-25. Christ said that their punishment will be more “tolerable” - that is, more easily borne - than that of the people who reject his gospel. The reason is, that they were not favored with so much light and instruction. See Matthew 11:23-24; Luke 12:47-48. Sodom and Gomorrah are often referred to as signal instances of divine vengeance, and as sure proofs that the wicked shall not go unpunished. See 2 Peter 2:6; Jude 1:7.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 10:9. Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass, in your purses — εις τας ξωνας υμων, in your GIRDLES. It is supposed that the people of the east carry their money in a fold of their girdles. This is scarcely correct: they carry it in a purse in their bosom, under their girdles. This I have often observed.

In a thousand instances an apostolic preacher, who goes to the wilderness to seek the lost sheep, will be exposed to hunger and cold, and other inconveniences; he must therefore resign himself to God, depending on his providence for the necessaries of life. If God have sent him, he is bound to support him, and will do it: anxiety therefore, in him, is a double crime, as it insinuates a bad opinion of the Master who has employed him. Every missionary should make himself master of this subject.

Have no money in your purse, is a command, obedience to which was secured by the narrow circumstances of most of the primitive genuine preachers of the Gospel. Whole herds of friars mendicants have professed the same principle, and abandoned themselves to voluntary poverty; but if the money be in the heart it is a worse evil. In the former case, it may be a temptation to sin; in the latter, it must be ruinous.