Encouragement to persevere

St Matthew Chapter X : Verses 26-33

Contents

• Matt. x. 26-33 Douay-Rheims text & Latin text (Vulgate).
• Notes on the text
• Additional Notes. Preach ye upon the house-tops. 

Matt. x. 26-33

I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. J-J Tissot. Brooklyn Museum.

26 Therefore fear them not. For nothing is covered that shall not be revealed: nor hid, that shall not be known.

Ne ergo timueritis eos. Nihil enim est opertum, quod non revelabitur : et occultum, quod non scietur.

27 That which I tell you in the dark, speak ye in the light: and that which you hear in the ear, preach ye upon the housetops.

Quod dico vobis in tenebris, dicite in lumine : et quod in aure auditis, prædicate super tecta.

28 And fear ye not them that kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him that can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Et nolite timere eos qui occidunt corpus, animam autem non possunt occidere : sed potius timete eum, qui potest et animam et corpus perdere in gehennam.

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father.

Nonne duo passeres asse veneunt? et unus ex illis non cadet super terram sine Patre vestro.

30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

Vestri autem capilli capitis omnes numerati sunt.

31 Fear not therefore: better are you than many sparrows.

Nolite ergo timere : multis passeribus meliores estis vos.

32 Every one therefore that shall confess me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven.

Omnis ergo qui confitebitur me coram hominibus, confitebor et ego eum coram Patre meo, qui in cælis est.

33 But he that shall deny me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven.

Qui autem negaverit me coram hominibus, negabo et ego eum coram Patre meo, qui in cælis est.

Notes

    26. Therefore fear them not. Confidence is the dominant note of our Lord’s discourse. These words occur again in verses 28 and 31.

    nothing is covered that shall, etc. There are various interpretations of this text. The principal are —

(a) The truths of the Gospel will ultimately be spread over all the earth.

(b) The wickedness of the Pharisees and the uprightness of the disciples will be revealed ultimately.

(c) The apostles shall be honoured, both in this life and at the day of judgment.

    The same words occur in St Luke, but in another sense, i.e. of hypocrisy being unmasked.

    27. That which I tell you in the dark. These words may refer to —

(a) private instructions given to the disciples by Christ.

(b) their first mission to the lost sheep of Israel.

(c) the special teaching of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost.

    By darkness, and the ear, we are to understand “ privately ” ; by light, and the house-top, “ publicly.”

    upon the house-tops. In the East, proclamations are frequently made from the house-tops.

    On the eve of each Sabbath, trumpets were sounded three times from the roof of a house. At the first blast of the trumpets, the people ceased their work in the fields, at the second, all work in the town or city was stopped, and at the third, the Sabbath lamp was lit. News promulgated from the house-top spread quickly from one house-top to another and in the streets.

    28. rather fear him, etc. Some commentators take this as referring to Satan, but the devil has no power to cast into hell, nor can he touch the body without God’s permission. Cf. There is one lawgiver, and judge, that is able to destroy and to deliver (St James iv. 12). God alone has the power of life and death, and of condemning to hell-fire.

    Filial fear of God is frequently inculcated in the Scriptures. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Ps. cx. 10). Let us all hear together the conclusion of the discourse. Fear God, and keep his commandments (Eccles. xii. 13). We are not told to fear Satan, but rather to resist him boldly (see James iv. 7).

    can destroy both soul and body. The words afford an indirect proof of the resurrection of the body.

    29. two sparrows. Little birds in general (στρουθία), hence sparrows, the commonest of small birds. A later use of the word restricted the meaning to ostriches and sparrows.

    “At the present day the markets of Jerusalem and Jaffa are attended by many fowlers, who offer for sale long strings of little birds of various species, chiefly sparrows, wagtails, and larks. These are also frequently sold ready plucked, trussed in rows of about a dozen on slender wooden skewers, and are cooked and eaten like kabobs ” (Tristram in Bib. Dic., art. Sparrows, p. 1366).

    a farthing. The Greek word “ἀσσαρίου” is translated “a farthing or fourth part,” because originally four “asses” or farthings made a sestertius, and were worth about 2½d. After the reign of Augustus a sestertius was only worth about 2d., so that one “as” equalled ½d., and sixteen asses made a denarius (Smith’s Dic. of Antiq.).

    fall on the ground., — i.e. perish.

    30. the very hairs, etc. A Hebrew proverb denoting security. Wherefore I pray you to take some meat for your health's sake : for there shall not an hair of the head of any of you perish (Acts xxvii. 34). We also find the same thought in the Old Testament (see 1 Kings xiv. 45 ; 3 Kings i. 52). We are to understand these words, that nothing will happen to the Christian except by God’s will, and that in the hour of trial He will assist His servants. Also, should He permit them to be put to death, their souls will be safe in His keeping.

    32. Every one therefore that shall, etc. A solemn warning that we must be generous in standing up for Christ.

OCR not available. Text taken from source document.

Additional Notes

    27. That which you hear in the ear, preach ye upon the house-tops. It was customary in the synagogue to read the Scriptures first in Hebrew and then in the popular dialect. Having first read in Hebrew, the reader then whispered the translation to the interpreter, who repeated the words aloud. Some writers see in the above text, a reference to this practice, but this opinion has not much to recommend it, for the first reader whispered the translation in order that it might be repeated, whereas our Lord appears to refer to knowledge which was communicated under promise of secrecy. St John Chrysostom interprets it as referring to the insignificance of Palestine, as compared with the whole world, to which the Gospel was to be preached. A third conjecture put forth is, that Christ is alluding to the practice of the rabbis, who were accustomed to explain certain things to a few favoured disciples only, much as Christ explained certain truths more fully, when He was alone with His disciples.

    Verses 26 and 27. These two verses are cast in poetical form, and are an example of synonymous parallelism.

1. For nothing is covered that shall not be revealed.

2. Nor hid that shall not be known.

3. That which I tell you in the dark speak ye in the light.

4. And that which you hear in the ear, preach ye upon the house-tops.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.