Discovery BoxLuke 10:3-12 
Context10:3 Go! I 1 am sending you out like lambs 2 surrounded by wolves. 3 10:4 Do not carry 4 a money bag, 5 a traveler’s bag, 6 or sandals, and greet no one on the road. 7 10:5 Whenever 8 you enter a house, 9 first say, ‘May peace 10 be on this house!’ 10:6 And if a peace-loving person 11 is there, your peace will remain on him, but if not, it will return to you. 12 10:7 Stay 13 in that same house, eating and drinking what they give you, 14 for the worker deserves his pay. 15 Do not move around from house to house. 10:8 Whenever 16 you enter a town 17 and the people 18 welcome you, eat what is set before you. 10:9 Heal 19 the sick in that town 20 and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God 21 has come upon 22 you!’ 10:10 But whenever 23 you enter a town 24 and the people 25 do not welcome 26 you, go into its streets 27 and say, 10:11 ‘Even the dust of your town 28 that clings to our feet we wipe off 29 against you. 30 Nevertheless know this: The kingdom of God has come.’ 31 10:12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom 32 than for that town! 33
1 tn Grk “Behold I.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
2 sn On the imagery of lambs see Isa 40:11, Ezek 34:11-31, and John 10:1-18.
3 sn This imagery of wolves is found in intertestamental Judaism as well; see Pss. Sol. 8:23.
4 sn On the command Do not carry see Luke 9:3. The travel instructions communicate a note of urgency and stand in contrast to philosophical teachers, who often took a bag. There is no ostentation in this ministry.
5 tn Traditionally, “a purse.”
6 tn Or possibly “a beggar’s bag” (L&N 6.145; BDAG 811 s.v. πήρα).
7 tn Or “no one along the way.”
8 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
9 tn Grk “Into whatever house you enter.” This acts as a distributive, meaning every house they enter; this is expressed more naturally in English as “whenever you enter a house.”
10 sn The statement ‘May peace be on this house!’ is really a benediction, asking for God’s blessing. The requested shalom (peace) is understood as coming from God.
11 tn Grk “a son of peace,” a Hebrew idiom for a person of a certain class or kind, as specified by the following genitive construction (in this case, “of peace”). Such constructions are discussed further in L&N 9.4. Here the expression refers to someone who responds positively to the disciples’ message, like “wisdom’s child” in Luke 7:30.
12 sn The response to these messengers determines how God’s blessing is bestowed – if they are not welcomed with peace, their blessing will return to them. Jesus shows just how important their mission is by this remark.
13 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
14 tn Grk “eating and drinking the things from them” (an idiom for what the people in the house provide the guests).
15 sn On the phrase the worker deserves his pay see 1 Tim 5:18 and 1 Cor 9:14.
16 tn Grk “And whatever town you enter,” but this is more often expressed in English as “whenever you enter a town.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
17 tn Or “city.” Jesus now speaks of the town as a whole, as he will in vv. 10-12.
18 tn Grk “and they”; the referent (the people who live in the town) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
19 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
sn Ministry (heal the sick) is to take place where it is well received (note welcome in the preceding verse).
20 tn Grk “in it”; the referent (that town) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
21 sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.
22 tn Or “come near to you,” suggesting the approach (but not arrival) of the kingdom. But the combination of the perfect tense of ἐγγίζω (engizw) with the preposition ἐπί (epi) most likely suggests that the sense is “has come upon” (see BDAG 270 s.v. ἐγγίζω 2; W. R. Hutton, “The Kingdom of God Has Come,” ExpTim 64 [Dec 1952]: 89-91; and D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 2:1000; cf. also NAB “is at hand for you”). These passages argue that a key element of the kingdom is its ability to overcome the power of Satan and those elements in the creation that oppose humanity. Confirmation of this understanding comes in v. 18 and in Luke 11:14-23, especially the parable of vv. 21-23.
23 tn Grk “whatever town you enter,” but this is more often expressed in English as “whenever you enter a town.”
24 tn Or “city.”
25 tn Grk “and they”; the referent (the people who live in the town) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
26 sn More discussion takes place concerning rejection (the people do not welcome you), as these verses lead into the condemnation of certain towns for their rejection of God’s kingdom.
27 tn The term πλατεῖα (plateia) refers to the “broad street,” so this refers to the main roads of the town.
28 tn Or “city.”
29 sn See Luke 9:5, where the verb is different but the meaning is the same. This was a sign of rejection.
30 tn Here ὑμῖν (Jumin) has been translated as a dative of disadvantage.
31 tn Or “has come near.” As in v. 9 (see above), the combination of ἐγγίζω (engizw) with the preposition ἐπί (epi) is decisive in showing that the sense is “has come” (see BDAG 270 s.v. ἐγγίζω 2, and W. R. Hutton, “The Kingdom of God Has Come,” ExpTim 64 [Dec 1952]: 89-91).
32 sn The allusion to Sodom, the most wicked of OT cities from Gen 19:1-29, shows that to reject the current message is even more serious than the worst sins of the old era and will result in more severe punishment. The noun Sodom is in emphatic position in the Greek text.
33 tn Or “city.”
