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.
Matthew 10:14 nkjv
And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.
Matthew 10:14 niv
If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.
Matthew 10:14 esv
And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town.
Matthew 10:14 nlt
If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message, shake its dust from your feet as you leave.
Matthew 10 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Mk 6:11 | And if any place will not receive you or listen... shake off the dust... as a testimony against them. | Parallel account of this instruction, emphasizes "testimony." |
| Lk 9:5 | And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town, shake off the dust... as a testimony against them. | Another parallel, highlighting the symbolic act of judgment. |
| Lk 10:10-12 | But whenever you enter a town... if they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, 'Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you... It will be more bearable for Sodom... | Expansion of the instruction to the seventy, including a clearer warning of judgment. |
| Ac 13:50-51 | But the Jews incited the devout women... and persecuted Paul and Barnabas... But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. | Practical application by the apostles; demonstrates non-acceptance and testimony. |
| Neh 5:13 | I shook out the fold of my garment and said, "So may God shake out every man from his house and from his labor who does not perform this promise!" | OT parallel for symbolic "shaking out" representing a definitive separation and curse. |
| Deu 32:5 | They have dealt corruptly with him; they are no longer his children because they are blemish; they are a perverse and crooked generation. | Describes the spiritual condition of a rejecting generation. |
| Jer 19:10-11 | "Then break the flask in the sight of the men who go with you, and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts: So will I break this people and this city...'" | Prophetic action symbolizing destruction for rejection of God's word. |
| Ez 33:1-9 | If the watchman sees the sword coming... but does not blow the trumpet... his blood I will require at the watchman's hand... if he gives warning, he delivers his soul. | Watchman's responsibility fulfilled; message delivered, the people are accountable. |
| Rom 1:20 | For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities... have been clearly seen... so that people are without excuse. | God's revelation renders people without excuse for their rejection. |
| Heb 10:28-29 | Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy... How much worse punishment... for one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God...? | Warnings against rejecting Christ, equating it to worse judgment than Mosaic Law rejection. |
| Pr 28:9 | If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination. | Spiritual principle: rejecting God's word leads to a worse spiritual state. |
| Mt 11:20-24 | Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!... | Jesus Himself pronounces woe on cities that saw His works yet rejected Him. |
| Lk 16:31 | He said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'" | Principle: If fundamental revelation is rejected, extraordinary events won't persuade. |
| 2 Thes 1:7-8 | when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven... with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel. | Eschatological judgment for those who do not obey the gospel. |
| Mt 7:6 | "Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot..." | Similar instruction to avoid wasting sacred things on those who will scorn them. |
| Mt 13:58 | And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. | Unbelief limits the display of God's power. |
| Act 18:6 | And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles." | Paul's act of "shaking out" indicating their accountability, and redirection of mission. |
| Isa 52:1-2 | Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion... Shake yourself from the dust; arise... free yourself from the bonds on your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. | Implies purifying oneself from defilement/bondage of earthly ties. |
| Zec 5:9-11 | Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, two women coming forward with the wind in their wings... they lifted the basket between earth and sky... they said, "To build a house for it in the land of Shinar." | Symbolic removal of wickedness to a specific place, not lingering. |
| Php 3:8 | Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish... | A similar concept of casting off what is no longer valuable for Christ. |
Matthew 10 verses
Matthew 10 14 Meaning
Matthew 10:14 instructs Jesus' disciples, upon encountering rejection of their message and person, to symbolically demonstrate a severing of ties and a pronouncement of judgment. It is an act of purification for the messengers and a testimony against those who refuse the Kingdom message, signaling that the responsibility for their rejection lies with them.
Matthew 10 14 Context
Matthew 10:14 is part of Jesus' specific instructions to the twelve disciples whom He sends out for their first limited mission. Immediately prior, Jesus gives them authority over unclean spirits and diseases (10:1), instructs them not to go to Gentile or Samaritan areas but to the lost sheep of Israel (10:5-6), to preach that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, and to heal and raise the dead (10:7-8). He then details practical provisions, such as traveling light (10:9-10) and seeking worthy hosts (10:11-13). Verse 14 provides the consequence for rejecting this divine message and its messengers, establishing a clear protocol for the disciples to follow in the face of widespread potential rejection, ensuring they don't linger in fruitless efforts.
Matthew 10 14 Word analysis
- And (Καὶ - Kai): A connective particle, indicating a continuation of instructions or a logical next step after the previous counsel on how to behave upon entering a home.
- whoever (ὃς - Hos): An indefinite relative pronoun, indicating that this instruction applies to any individual or household, implying universal application where such conditions are met.
- will not receive (μὴ δέξηται - mē dexētai): "Receive" means to welcome, to take in, to accept hospitably. "Mē" (μὴ) denotes a negative outcome, emphasizing active refusal or failure to accept both the messenger and, implicitly, their message.
- you (ὑμᾶς - hymas): Refers directly to the disciples, who serve as Jesus's representatives. To reject them is to reject Him.
- nor hear (μηδὲ ἀκούσῃ - mēde akousē): "Nor" (μηδὲ) functions as a strong negative conjunction, strengthening the previous "will not receive." "Hear" implies listening with attention and heeding. Together, it denotes an active and conscious rejection of the message being proclaimed, beyond just the lack of hospitality.
- your words (τῶν λόγους ὑμῶν - tōn logous hymōn): Refers to the proclamation of the "gospel of the kingdom" (Mat 4:23, 9:35), the good news that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. These are not merely the disciples' personal opinions but words entrusted to them by Christ.
- as you depart (ἐξερχόμενοι - exerchomenoi): A present participle, indicating an immediate action as they leave, without lingering or trying further. It emphasizes swift disengagement.
- from that house (τῆς οἰκίας ἐκείνης - tēs oikias ekeinēs): Refers to a specific dwelling place, implying rejection from a household unit or family. Hospitality in ancient society was very significant; its denial was a serious snub.
- or city (ἢ πόλεως - ē poleōs): Broadens the scope of rejection from a single household to an entire urban area, indicating collective community non-acceptance.
- shake off (ἐκτινάξατε - ektinaxate): An imperative verb, a direct command. It signifies a decisive, symbolic action, forcefully removing something.
- the dust (τὸν κονιορτὸν - ton koniorton): Dirt or grime that clings to the feet from walking. In a Jewish context, shaking off dust often signified separating from defiling Gentile territory. Here, Jesus adapts the symbol to separation from the impurity and judgment associated with those who reject the Kingdom. It implies: "we want no part of this place's ungodliness."
- from your feet (τῶν ποδῶν ὑμῶν - tōn podōn hymōn): Emphasizes that it is dust that has come into direct contact with their journey and efforts. The act visually declares that they bear no responsibility for the city's fate and leave behind nothing of value from that place.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "whoever will not receive you nor hear your words": This phrase combines personal rejection of the messenger ("not receive you") with a doctrinal rejection of the message ("nor hear your words"). This indicates that rejecting the disciple is rejecting the Word of God that they carry, making the rejection complete and serious.
- "as you depart from that house or city": This emphasizes a swift, decisive departure. It’s not about vengeance or argument, but about not wasting time or effort where the message is definitively rejected, allowing the disciples to move on to receptive hearts.
- "shake off the dust from your feet": This symbolic act serves multiple purposes: (1) It clears the messenger of responsibility for the place's fate (Ez 33:9). (2) It serves as a testimony or witness against those who rejected them, symbolizing that even the physical particles of that place are unworthy to cling to the disciple. (3) It prevents defilement of the messenger from their rejection, maintaining their purity.
Matthew 10 14 Bonus section
The practice of shaking off dust was a common Jewish custom, particularly when Jews traveled through Gentile lands. Upon returning to Jewish territory, they would often shake the Gentile dust from their feet, symbolizing purification from defilement and marking separation from gentile impurity. Jesus, inverting this custom, applies it to fellow Israelites who reject the gospel message. This adaptation by Jesus highlights the profound spiritual "Gentile-like" status of those Jews who refused to accept the Kingdom of God message, underscoring their severe spiritual alienation and foreboding a stronger judgment for rejecting the Messiah's coming. This wasn't an act of revenge, but a somber warning, a declaration of a legal "case closed," with the "testimony" being their own unresponsiveness.
Matthew 10 14 Commentary
Matthew 10:14 encapsulates a crucial principle for ministry: the evangelist's responsibility is to faithfully deliver the message, not to compel its acceptance. Jesus understood that not all would receive the gospel. This instruction prevents the disciples from succumbing to despair, resentment, or wasting valuable time in barren fields. The act of shaking off dust is a decisive physical demonstration of severing ties with the unresponsive, proclaiming a form of spiritual separation and leaving them to their chosen path. It signifies that the message has been delivered, the ball is in their court, and any subsequent judgment on them will be a result of their own rejection. It is a severe warning, equating the rejection of Christ's messengers to the rejection of Christ Himself, carrying with it a weight of judgment comparable to the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The command reinforces the purity and accountability of the messenger, ensuring they do not become "tainted" by the unbelief and that their energy is directed towards receptive hearts.