Matthew 10:6

But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

King James Version (KJV)

Other Translations

But goe rather to the lost sheepe of the house of Israel.
- King James Version (1611) - View 1611 Bible Scan

but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
- New American Standard Version (1995)

but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
- American Standard Version (1901)

But go to the wandering sheep of the house of Israel,
- Basic English Bible

but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
- Darby Bible

But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
- Webster's Bible

but, instead of that, go to the lost sheep of Israel's race.
- Weymouth Bible

Rather, go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
- World English Bible

but rather go ye to the scheep of the hous of Israel, that han perischid.
- Wycliffe Bible

and be going rather unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
- Youngs Literal Bible

Bible commentary

Wesley's Notes for Matthew 10:6


10:4 Iscariot - So called from Iscarioth, (the place of his birth,) a town of the tribe of Ephraim, near the city of Samaria.

10:5 These twelve Jesus sent forth - Herein exercising his supreme authority, as God over all. None but God can give men authority to preach his word. Go not - Their commission was thus confined now, because the calling of the Gentiles was deferred till after the more plentiful effusion of the Holy Ghost on the day of pentecost. Enter not - Not to preach; but they might to buy what they wanted, #John 4:9|.

10:8 Cast out devils - It is a great relief to the spirits of an infidel, sinking under a dread, that possibly the Gospel may be true, to find it observed by a learned brother, that the diseases therein ascribed to the operation of the devil have the very same symptoms with the natural diseases of lunacy, epilepsy, or convulsions; whence he readily and very willingly concludes, that the devil had no hand in them. But it were well to stop and consider a little. Suppose God should suffer an evil spirit to usurp the same power over a man's body, as the man himself has naturally; and suppose him actually to exercise that power; could we conclude the devil had no hand therein, because his body was bent in the very same manner wherein the man himself might have bent it naturally? And suppose God gives an evil spirit a greater power, to effect immediately the organ of the nerves in the brain, by irritating them to produce violent motions, or so relaxing them that they can produce little or no motion; still the symptoms will be those of over tense nerves, as in madness, epilepsies, convulsions; or of relaxed nerves, as in paralytic cases. But could we conclude thence that the devil had no hand in them? Will any man affirm that God cannot or will not, on any occasion whatever, give such a power to an evil spirit? Or that effects, the like of which may be produced by natural causes, cannot possibly be produced by preternatural? If this be possible, then he who affirms it was so, in any particular case, cannot be justly charged with falsehood, merely for affirming the reality of a possible thing. Yet in this manner are the evangelists treated by those unhappy men, who above all things dread the truth of the Gospel, because, if it is true, they are of all men the most miserable. Freely ye have received - All things; in particular the power of working miracles; freely give - Exert that power wherever you come. #Mark 6:7|; Luke 9:2.


People's Bible Notes for Matthew 10:6


Mt 10:6 The lost sheep of the house of Israel. The lost descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Compare this commission with the one given to the apostles after the death and resurrection of the Lord (Mt 10:5,6 28:19). In this commission the apostles are forbidden to go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, and are confined to the house of Israel. In the other they are commanded to go into "all the world" (Mt 24:14) and to "preach the gospel to every creature" (Mr 16:15); to go "first to Jerusalem, and to Judea, and to Samaria and to the uttermost part of the earth" (Ac 1:8). The first commission is Jewish; the second is world-wide. Yet both are given by the same Lord; why this wide difference? Because the new dispensation was not ushered in until after the resurrection. The Jewish law, national, exclusive, a wall of partition from Gentiles, was yet in force. Christ, "born under the law", and the apostles also were under it until it was removed. They could not keep it and yet become missionaries to the Gentiles. But when Christ died the old dispensation, the law, died with him. "The handwriting of ordinances was nailed to the cross" (Col 2:14). The old covenant passed away when the new came into force, sealed with the blood of Christ. After the death and resurrection of Christ, the law ceased to be binding upon the apostles. The distinctions of Jew and Gentile were destroyed. Hence, under the new covenant, the world-wide covenant, there was a new commission that would send the gospel to all the world. The old covenant was with the seed of Abraham; the new covenant embraced all nations. See Heb 8:13.

Discussion for Matthew 10:6

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