The Meaning of Luke 10:11 Explained

Luke 10:11

KJV: Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.

YLT: And the dust that hath cleaved to us, from your city, we do wipe off against you, but this know ye, that the reign of God hath come nigh to you;

Darby: Even the dust of your city, which cleaves to us on the feet, do we shake off against you; but know this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh.

ASV: Even the dust from your city, that cleaveth to our feet, we wipe off against you: nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Even  the very dust  of  your  city,  which  cleaveth  on us,  we do wipe off  against you:  notwithstanding  be ye sure  of this,  that  the kingdom  of God  is come nigh  unto  you. 

What does Luke 10:11 Mean?

Context Summary

Luke 10:1-16 - The Forerunners Of The Lord
In the appointment of the Seventy there was perhaps an allusion to Numbers 11:24-25. In this case, as in that, there was the endowment of conspicuous spiritual power. We can only prepare the way for our Lord. No one of us can suffice for the soul of man. We must always say with the Baptist: "There cometh one mightier than I." Would that Christ always came where we had been! See Luke 10:1.
Let us not forget to pray for laborers; but if we pray truly we shall endeavor to answer our own prayers, by going and by inciting others to go. How often a child's life becomes dedicated through hands being laid on the young head by some servant of God, who says: "When you grow up, you must work for the Lord Jesus!"
The Lord asks for simplicity. We may not in our northern climate be able to carry out these precepts precisely and literally. But the inner thought of His words is that we are to be absorbed in giving the message, leaving all things else as a very secondary question and allowing God to care for us and ours. [source]

Chapter Summary: Luke 10

1  Jesus sends out at once seventy disciples to work miracles, and to preach;
13  pronounces a woe against certain cities
17  The seventy return with joy;
18  he shows them wherein to rejoice,
21  and thanks his Father for his grace;
23  magnifies the happy estate of his church;
25  teaches the lawyer how to attain eternal life,
30  and tells the parable of the good Samaritan;
38  reprimands Martha, and commends Mary her sister

Greek Commentary for Luke 10:11

Even the dust [και τον κονιορτον]
Old word from κονις — konis dust, and ορνυμι — ornumi to stir up. We have seen it already in Matthew 10:14; Luke 9:5. Dust is a plague in the east. Shake off even that. [source]
Cleaveth [κολλητεντα]
First aorist passive participle of κολλαω — kollaō to cling as dust and mud do to shoes. Hence the orientals took off the sandals on entering a house.We wipe off (απομασσομετα — apomassometha). Middle voice of an old verb απομασσω — apomassō to rub off with the hands. Nowhere else in the N.T. But εκμασσω — ekmassō occurs in Luke 7:38, Luke 7:44.Against you Fine example of the dative of disadvantage (the case of personal interest, the dative). [source]
We wipe off [απομασσομετα]
Middle voice of an old verb απομασσω — apomassō to rub off with the hands. Nowhere else in the N.T. But εκμασσω — ekmassō occurs in Luke 7:38, Luke 7:44. [source]
Against you [υμιν]
Fine example of the dative of disadvantage (the case of personal interest, the dative). [source]
Dust [κονιορτὸν]
From κόνις , dust, and ὄρνυμι ,to stir up. Strictly, dust that is raised by walking. [source]
Cleaveth []
See on Matthew 19:5. Frequent in medical language of the uniting of wounds. [source]
Wipe off [ἀπομάσσομεθα]
See on Luke 5:2. Only here in New Testament. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 10:11

Luke 5:2 Were washing []
From the sand and pebbles accumulated during the night's work. Luke uses four different words for washing or cleansing: πλύνω , here, see also Revelation 7:14; ἀπομάσσω , of wiping the dust from the feet, only at Luke 10:11; ἐκμάσσω , of the woman wiping Christ's feet with her hair, Luke 7:38, Luke 7:44; ἀπολούω , of washing away sins, Acts 22:16; λούω , of washing the prisoners' stripes and the body of Dorcas, Acts 16:33; Acts 9:37. The reading ἀποπλύνω is rejected by the best texts, so that ἀπομάσσω is the only one peculiar to Luke. All the words were common in medical language. [source]
Luke 5:2 Were washing [επλυνον]
Imperfect active, though some MSS. have aorist επλυναν — eplunan Vincent comments on Luke‘s use of five verbs for washing: this one for cleaning, απομασσω — apomassō for wiping the dust from one‘s feet (Luke 10:11), εκμασσω — ekmassō of the sinful woman wiping Christ‘s feet with her hair (Luke 7:38, Luke 7:44), απολουω — apolouō of washing away sins (symbolically, of course) as in Acts 22:16, and λουω — louō of washing the body of Dorcas (Acts 9:37) and the stripes of the prisoners (Acts 16:33). On “nets” see note on Matthew 4:18 and note on Mark 1:16. [source]
Acts 9:26 Join himself []
See on Acts 5:13; and Luke 15:15; and Luke 10:11. [source]
Acts 8:29 Join thyself [κολλήθητι]
See on Luke 15:15; and Luke 10:11; and Acts 5:12. [source]
Acts 5:13 Join himself [κολλᾶσθαι]
See on Luke 15:15; and Luke 10:11. In all but two instances (Romans 12:9; 1 Corinthians 6:17), the word implies a forced, unnatural, or unexpected union. Thus Philip would not, without a special command, have “joined himself” to the chariot of the Ethiopian prince (Acts 8:29). Saul's attempt to join himself to the apostles was regarded by them with suspicion (Acts 9:26); and the fact that certain persons “clave to” Paul in Athens is expressly contrasted with the attitude of the citizens at large. The sense of an unnatural union comes out clearly in 1 Corinthians 6:16. [source]
Acts 17:34 Clave []
See on Luke 10:11; and Luke 15:15; and Acts 5:13. [source]
Acts 13:51 Dust []
See on Luke 10:11. [source]
Acts 13:51 But they shook off the dust of their feet against them [οι δε εκτιναχαμενοι τον κονιορτον των ποδων επ αυτους]
First aorist middle (indirect) participle of εκτινασσω — ektinassō to shake out or off. Homer uses it for knocking out teeth. In the papyri. The middle aorist participle occurs again in Acts 18:6 and the active imperative with the dust of the feet in Mark 6:11 (Luke 10:11 has απομασσομετα — apomassometha). and Matthew 10:14 (command of Jesus). It is a dramatic gesture that forbids further intercourse. “As a protest against the injustice which cast them out. The sandal was taken off and the dust shaken out as a symbolic token that the very soil of the country was defiling” (Furneaux). [source]
Acts 8:29 Join thyself [κολλητητι]
See this vivid word (be glued to, first aorist passive imperative) already in Acts 5:13; Luke 10:11; Luke 15:15. Philip probably jumped on the running board on the side of the chariot. [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 10:11 mean?

Even the dust - having clung to us out of the city of you to the feet we wipe off against you yet this know that has drawn near the kingdom - of God
Καὶ τὸν κονιορτὸν τὸν κολληθέντα ἡμῖν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ὑμῶν εἰς τοὺς πόδας ἀπομασσόμεθα ὑμῖν πλὴν τοῦτο γινώσκετε ὅτι ἤγγικεν βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ

Καὶ  Even 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: καί  
Sense: and, also, even, indeed, but.
κονιορτὸν  dust 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: κονιορτός  
Sense: raised dust, flying dust.
τὸν  - 
Parse: Article, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
κολληθέντα  having  clung 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Passive, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: κολλάω  
Sense: to glue, to glue together, cement, fasten together.
ἡμῖν  to  us 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative 1st Person Plural
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
ἐκ  out  of 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐκ 
Sense: out of, from, by, away from.
πόλεως  city 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: πόλις  
Sense: a city.
ὑμῶν  of  you 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 2nd Person Plural
Root: σύ  
Sense: you.
πόδας  feet 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: πούς  
Sense: a foot, both of men or beast.
ἀπομασσόμεθα  we  wipe  off 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Middle, 1st Person Plural
Root: ἀπομάσσω  
Sense: to wipe off.
ὑμῖν  against  you 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative 2nd Person Plural
Root: σύ  
Sense: you.
πλὴν  yet 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: πλήν  
Sense: moreover, besides, but, nevertheless.
τοῦτο  this 
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: οὗτος  
Sense: this.
γινώσκετε  know 
Parse: Verb, Present Imperative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: γινώσκω  
Sense: to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel.
ὅτι  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
ἤγγικεν  has  drawn  near 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἐγγίζω  
Sense: to bring near, to join one thing to another.
βασιλεία  kingdom 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: βασιλεία  
Sense: royal power, kingship, dominion, rule.
τοῦ  - 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Θεοῦ  of  God 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.