The Meaning of Matthew 10:14 Explained

Matthew 10:14

KJV: And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

YLT: 'And whoever may not receive you nor hear your words, coming forth from that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet,

Darby: And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, as ye go forth out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

ASV: And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, as ye go forth out of that house or that city, shake off the dust of your feet.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  whosoever  shall  not  receive  you,  nor  hear  your  words,  when ye depart out  of that  house  or  city,  shake off  the dust  of your  feet. 

What does Matthew 10:14 Mean?

Context Summary

Matthew 10:5-15 - Missionaries Sent Out
For the present, the Twelve were to confine themselves to Jews, because the Lord's ministry was the climax of the Jewish probation and it was desirable that every opportunity should be given to the lost sheep of the house of Israel to repent. God can never be unmindful of any covenant into which He has entered with the soul. If we believe not, He remaineth faithful.
May we not say that our Lord was the first medical missionary? He has taught us that the healing of disease is often the best way of approaching the soul. The kingdom of God deals not only with our eternal welfare, but with the conditions of human life. On Christ's head are many crowns; social, family and civic life are departments of His beneficent reign. His servants must be without worldly entanglements and live in absolute dependence upon God to whom they have consecrated their lives. The peace of God goes forth and returns. [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 10

1  Jesus sends out his apostles, enabling them with power to do miracles;
5  giving them their charge, teaches them;
16  comforts them against persecutions;
40  and promises a blessing to those who receive them

Greek Commentary for Matthew 10:14

Shake off the dust [εκτιναχατε τον κονιορτον]
Shake out, a rather violent gesture of disfavour. The Jews had violent prejudices against the smallest particles of Gentile dust, not as a purveyor of disease of which they did not know, but because it was regarded as the putrescence of death. If the apostles were mistreated by a host or hostess, they were to be treated as if they were Gentiles (cf. Matthew 18:17; Acts 18:6). Here again we have a restriction that was for this special tour with its peculiar perils. [source]
Shake off [ἐκτινάξατε]
“The very dust of a heathen country was unclean, and it defiled by contact. It was regarded like a grave, or like the putrescence of death. If a spot of heathen dust had touched an offering, it must at once be burnt. More than that, if by mischance any heathen dust had been brought into Palestine, it did not and could not mingle with that of 'the land,' but remained to the end what it had been - unclean, defiled and defiling everything to which it adhered.” The apostles, therefore, were not only to leave the house or city which should refuse to receive them, “but it was to be considered and treated as if it were heathen, just as in the similar case mentioned in Matthew 18:17. All contact with such must be avoided, all trace of it shaken off” (Edersheim, “Jewish Social Life in the Days of Christ”). The symbolic act indicated that the apostles and their Lord regarded them not only as unclean, but as entirely responsible for their uncleanness. See Acts 18:6. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Matthew 10:14

Matthew 10:12 When ye come into [εἰσερχόμενοι]
The Greek indicates more distinctly the simultaneousness of the entrance and the salutation: as ye are entering. Rev., as ye enter. So of the departure, as ye are going forth ( ἐξερχόμενοι , Matthew 10:14). [source]
Luke 9:5 Shake off []
See on Matthew 10:14. [source]
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]
Luke 9:5 As many as receive you not [οσοι αν μη δεχωνται υμας]
Indefinite relative plural with αν — an and present middle subjunctive and the negative μη — mē Here Matthew 10:14 has the singular (whosoever) and Mark 6:11 has “whatsoever place.” [source]
Acts 13:51 Shook off []
See on Matthew 10:14. [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]
Colossians 4:10 My fellow-prisoner [ο συναιχμαλωτος μου]
One of Paul‘s compounds, found elsewhere only in Lucian. Paul uses it of Epaphras in Philemon 1:23, but whether of actual voluntary imprisonment or of spiritual imprisonment like συνστρατιωτες — sunstratiōtes (fellow-soldier) in Philemon 2:25; Philemon 1:2 we do not know. Abbott argues for a literal imprisonment and it is possible that some of Paul‘s Corinthians-workers Once rejected by Paul for his defection in the work (Acts 15:36-39), but now cordially commended because he had made good again. The cousin of Barnabas It was used for “nephew” very late, clearly “cousin” here and common so in the papyri. This kinship explains the interest of Barnabas in Mark (Acts 12:25; Acts 13:5; Acts 15:36-39). If he come unto you, receive him (εαν ελτηι προς υμας δεχαστε αυτον — ean elthēi pros humas dexasthe auton). This third class conditional sentence (εαν — ean and second aorist active subjunctive of ερχομαι — erchomai) gives the substance of the commands (εντολας — entolas) about Mark already sent, how we do not know. But Paul‘s commendation of Mark is hearty and unreserved as he does later in 2 Timothy 4:11. The verb δεχομαι — dechomai is the usual one for hospitable reception (Matthew 10:14; John 4:45) like προσδεχομαι — prosdechomai (Philemon 2:29) and υποδεχομαι — hupodechomai (Luke 10:38). [source]
Colossians 4:10 The cousin of Barnabas [ο ανεπσιος αρναβα]
It was used for “nephew” very late, clearly “cousin” here and common so in the papyri. This kinship explains the interest of Barnabas in Mark (Acts 12:25; Acts 13:5; Acts 15:36-39). If he come unto you, receive him (εαν ελτηι προς υμας δεχαστε αυτον — ean elthēi pros humas dexasthe auton). This third class conditional sentence (εαν — ean and second aorist active subjunctive of ερχομαι — erchomai) gives the substance of the commands (εντολας — entolas) about Mark already sent, how we do not know. But Paul‘s commendation of Mark is hearty and unreserved as he does later in 2 Timothy 4:11. The verb δεχομαι — dechomai is the usual one for hospitable reception (Matthew 10:14; John 4:45) like προσδεχομαι — prosdechomai (Philemon 2:29) and υποδεχομαι — hupodechomai (Luke 10:38). [source]
Colossians 4:10 If he come unto you, receive him [εαν ελτηι προς υμας δεχαστε αυτον]
This third class conditional sentence (εαν — ean and second aorist active subjunctive of ερχομαι — erchomai) gives the substance of the commands (εντολας — entolas) about Mark already sent, how we do not know. But Paul‘s commendation of Mark is hearty and unreserved as he does later in 2 Timothy 4:11. The verb δεχομαι — dechomai is the usual one for hospitable reception (Matthew 10:14; John 4:45) like προσδεχομαι — prosdechomai (Philemon 2:29) and υποδεχομαι — hupodechomai (Luke 10:38). [source]

What do the individual words in Matthew 10:14 mean?

And whoever - not will receive you nor will hear the words of you going forth out of the house or city that shake off the dust of the feet
καὶ ὃς ἂν μὴ δέξηται ὑμᾶς μηδὲ ἀκούσῃ τοὺς λόγους ὑμῶν ἐξερχόμενοι ἔξω τῆς οἰκίας πόλεως ἐκείνης ἐκτινάξατε τὸν κονιορτὸν τῶν ποδῶν

ὃς  whoever 
Parse: Personal / Relative Pronoun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ὅς 
Sense: who, which, what, that.
ἂν  - 
Parse: Particle
Root: ἄν  
Sense: has no exact English equivalent, see definitions under AV.
δέξηται  will  receive 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Subjunctive Middle, 3rd Person Singular
Root: δέχομαι  
Sense: to take with the hand.
μηδὲ  nor 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: μηδέ  
Sense: and not, but not, nor, not.
ἀκούσῃ  will  hear 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Subjunctive Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀκουστός 
Sense: to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf.
λόγους  words 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: λόγος  
Sense: of speech.
ὑμῶν  of  you 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 2nd Person Plural
Root: σύ  
Sense: you.
ἐξερχόμενοι  going  forth 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Middle or Passive, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: ἐξέρχομαι 
Sense: to go or come forth of.
ἔξω  out 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἔξω  
Sense: without, out of doors.
τῆς  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
οἰκίας  house 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: οἰκία  
Sense: a house.
πόλεως  city 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: πόλις  
Sense: a city.
ἐκείνης  that 
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: ἐκεῖνος  
Sense: he, she it, etc.
ἐκτινάξατε  shake  off 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Imperative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: ἐκτινάσσω  
Sense: to shake off so that something adhering shall fall.
κονιορτὸν  dust 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: κονιορτός  
Sense: raised dust, flying dust.
τῶν  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ποδῶν  feet 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: πούς  
Sense: a foot, both of men or beast.