The Sending of the Apostle
Matthew 10:7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Matthew 10:7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’
Matthew 10:7 Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near.
Going, however, you act as heralds, saying that: It has neared, this realm of the skies.
Again, as we have seen in the last several verses, (see Matthew 10:5 and Matthew 10:6) This is not phrased as a command though it is translated that way in the KJV and most other translations. There is also an interesting double meaning here that is hidden in the English because of an untranslated Greek word.
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "as" doesn't exist in the source.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "go" is not an active verb but a participle, "going."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "that" is not shown in the English translation.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" is not shown here in the English translation.
- WN - Wrong Number- The word "heaven" is translated as singular but it is plural.
- WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "is" seems to indicate the present tense, but the tense is the past perfect, "has."
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "as" means "and."
- WF - Wrong Form - The "go" is not an active verb but a participle, "going."
- IP - Inserted phrase-- The phrase "this message" doesn't exist in the source.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "saying" is not shown in the English translation.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "that" is not shown in the English translation.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" is not shown here in the English translation.
- WN - Wrong Number- The word "heaven" is translated as singular but it is plural.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "go" is not an active verb but a participle, "going."
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "and" means "but."
- IP - Inserted phrase-- The phrase "to them" doesn't exist in the source.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "saying" is not shown in the English translation.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" is not shown here in the English translation.
- WN - Wrong Number- The word "heaven" is translated as singular but it is plural.
- WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "is" seems to indicate the present tense, but the tense is the past perfect, "has."
And -- (WW) The Greek word translated as "and" is usually translated as "but" and joins phrases in an adversarial way and is usually translated as "but" as it as in the previous verse. Since it always falls in the second position in a phrase, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better. This is the same word that was translated as "but" in the KJV of the previous verse (Matthew 10:6).
as -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "as" in the Greek source.
ye -- This is from the second-person, plural form of the verb.
go, -- (WF) "Go" is a Greek verb that means "make to go," "carry," "convey," "bring," "go," "march," and "proceed." However, it is usually translated as "go" in the NT. It is not in the form of a command. The form is not an active verb but a participle, "making go." This word, however, uniquely means both "to pursue a course" and "to depart from life." Since the verb acts on itself, the sense is "make yourselves go."
preach, -- The word translated as "preach" means "to act as a herald," "to proclaim," and "to declare." It is not a command either, but a simple statement of fact, "You are to act as a herald" or "you are to proclaim."
saying, -- The word translated as "saying" is the most common word that means "to say," and "to speak," but it also means "to teach," which seems to be the way Christ uses it more frequently. It is in the form of an adjective, "saying." This word makes it easier to translate the previous word as "act as a herald" since following "proclaim" by "saying" would be redundant.
missing "that"-- (MW) The untranslated word "that" also means "because" and "since." It introduces a statement of fact or cause. In the Greek source, there is a word here that means "that" or "because." So what follows is a dependent clause, indicating either what they were "saying" or why they were saying it.
The -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.
kingdom The word translated as "kingdom" can be the region, the reign, the castle or the authority of a ruler. Christ does not seem to use it to mean a physical region, so its translation as "reign" or "realm" seems more appropriate. This is especially true because the "reign" of a king means the execution of his will. The phrase, "the kingdom of heaven" ("realm of the skies"), is the topic of this article on the Greek words and possible meanings.
of -- This word "of" comes from the genitive case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is the "of" of possession, but it can also mean "belonging to," "part of," "which is," "than" (in comparisons), or "for," "concerning" or "about" with transitive verbs.
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.
heaven -- (WN) The word translated as "heaven" means sky, the climate, and the universe. It also meant the home of the gods in a physical sense: the sun, moon, and planets were named for the gods. This word is plural, not singular.
is -- (WT) This helping verb indicates the present tense of the verb, but the tense is the past perfect, an action completed in the past.
at hand. -- The Greek word translated as "at hand" is a word that is discussed extensively in this article. It is a verb created from an adverb that means "near" or "at hand." It refers both to physical places and time. This means that the verb means "to bring near," "to approach," "to bring up to," and "to be close." However, it is in a tense that indicates that this action has completed. This verb appears before the previous phrase.
As -- (WW) The Greek word translated as "and" joins phrases in an adversarial way and is usually translated as "but" as it as in the previous verse. Since it always falls in the second position in a phrase, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better. This is the same word that was translated as "but" in the KJV of the previous verse (Matthew 10:6). It can mean "as" but only with words indicating sameness.
you -- This is from the second-person, plural form of the verb.
go, -- (WF) "Go" is a Greek verb that means "make to go," "carry," "convey," "bring," "go," "march," and "proceed." However, it is usually translated as "go" in the NT. It is not in the form of a command. The form is not an active verb but a participle, "making go." This word, however, uniquely means both "to pursue a course" and "to depart from life." Since the verb acts on itself, the sense is "make yourselves go."
proclaim, -- The word translated as "preach" means "to act as a herald," "to proclaim," and "to declare." It is not a command either, but a simple statement of fact, "You are to act as a herald" or "you are to proclaim."
this message -- (IP) There is nothing that can be translated as "this message" in the Greek source.
missing "saying"-- (MW) The untranslated word "saying" is the most common word that means "to say," and "to speak," but it also means "to teach," which seems to be the way Christ uses it more frequently. It is in the form of an adjective, "saying." This word makes it easier to translate the previous word as "act as a herald" since following "proclaim" by "saying" would be redundant.
missing "that"-- (MW) The untranslated word "that" also means "because" and "since." It introduces a statement of fact or cause. In the Greek source, there is a word here that means "that" or "because." So what follows is a dependent clause, indicating either what they were "saying" or why they were saying it.
The -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.
kingdom The word translated as "kingdom" can be the region, the reign, the castle or the authority of a ruler. Christ does not seem to use it to mean a physical region, so its translation as "reign" or "realm" seems more appropriate. This is especially true because the "reign" of a king means the execution of his will. The phrase, "the kingdom of heaven" ("realm of the skies"), is the topic of this article on the Greek words and possible meanings.
of -- This word "of" comes from the genitive case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is the "of" of possession, but it can also mean "belonging to," "part of," "which is," "than" (in comparisons), or "for," "concerning" or "about" with transitive verbs.
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.
heaven -- (WN) The word translated as "heaven" means sky, the climate, and the universe. It also meant the home of the gods in a physical sense: the sun, moon, and planets were named for the gods. This word is plural, not singular.
has -- This helping verb indicates the past perfect tense of the verb, an action completed in the past.
come near. -- The Greek word translated as "come near" is a word that is discussed extensively in this article. It is a verb created from an adverb that means "near" or "at hand." It refers both to physical places and time. This means that the verb means "to bring near," "to approach," "to bring up to," and "to be close." However, it is in a tense that indicates that this action has completed. This verb appears before the previous phrase.
Go -- (WF) "Go" is a Greek verb that means "make to go," "carry," "convey," "bring," "go," "march," and "proceed." However, it is usually translated as "go" in the NT. It is not in the form of a command. The form is not an active verb but a participle, "making go." This word, however, uniquely means both "to pursue a course" and "to depart from life." Since the verb acts on itself, the sense is "make yourselves go."
and -- (WW) The Greek word translated as "and" is usually translated as "but" and joins phrases in an adversarial way and is usually translated as "but" as it as in the previous verse. Since it always falls in the second position in a phrase, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better. This is the same word that was translated as "but" in the KJV of the previous verse (Matthew 10:6).
proclaim, -- The word translated as "preach" means "to act as a herald," "to proclaim," and "to declare." It is not a command either, but a simple statement of fact, "You are to act as a herald" or "you are to proclaim."
to them -- (IP) There is nothing that can be translated as "to them " in the Greek source.
missing "saying"-- (MW) The untranslated word "saying" is the most common word that means "to say," and "to speak," but it also means "to teach," which seems to be the way Christ uses it more frequently. It is in the form of an adjective, "saying." This word makes it easier to translate the previous word as "act as a herald" since following "proclaim" by "saying" would be redundant.
that -- The word "that" also means "because" and "since." It introduces a statement of fact or cause. In the Greek source, there is a word here that means "that" or "because." So what follows is a dependent clause, indicating either what they were "saying" or why they were saying it.
The -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.
kingdom The word translated as "kingdom" can be the region, the reign, the castle or the authority of a ruler. Christ does not seem to use it to mean a physical region, so its translation as "reign" or "realm" seems more appropriate. This is especially true because the "reign" of a king means the execution of his will. The phrase, "the kingdom of heaven" ("realm of the skies"), is the topic of this article on the Greek words and possible meanings.
of -- This word "of" comes from the genitive case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is the "of" of possession, but it can also mean "belonging to," "part of," "which is," "than" (in comparisons), or "for," "concerning" or "about" with transitive verbs.
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.
heaven -- (WN) The word translated as "heaven" means sky, the climate, and the universe. It also meant the home of the gods in a physical sense: the sun, moon, and planets were named for the gods. This word is plural, not singular.
is -- (WT) This helping verb indicates the present tense of the verb, but the tense is the past perfect, an action completed in the past.
near. -- The Greek word translated as "near" is a word that is discussed extensively in this article. It is a verb created from an adverb that means "near" or "at hand." It refers both to physical places and time. This means that the verb means "to bring near," "to approach," "to bring up to," and "to be close." However, it is in a tense that indicates that this action has completed. This verb appears before the previous phrase.
πορευόμενοι (part pl pres mp masc nom) "Ye go" is from poreuomai (poreuô) which means "make to go," "carry," "convey," "bring," "go," "march," and "proceed." It is almost always translated as "go" in the NT.
δὲ (partic) "And" is from de which means "but" and "on the other hand." It is the particle that joins sentences in an adversarial way but can also be an explanation of cause ("so").
κηρύσσετε (2nd pl pres ind act) "Preach" is kerysso, which means "to be a herald," "to summon by a herald," "proclaim," "call upon," "announce," "declare," and "command publicly." Only in the NT is it translated as "preach" or "teach publicly."
λέγοντες (part pl pres act masc nom) "Saying" is from lego, which means "to recount," "to tell over," "to say," "to speak," "to teach," "to mean," "boast of," "tell of," "recite," nominate," and "command." Another Greek word spelled the same means "to pick up," "to choose for oneself," "to pick out," and "to count."
ὅτι (adv/pron/conj) Untranslated is from hoti, which introduces a statement of fact "with regard to the fact that," "seeing that," and acts as a causal adverb meaning "for what," "because," "since," and "wherefore."
Ἤγγικεν (3rd, perf act sg ind) "Is at hand" is from eggizo, which means "to bring near," "to join one things to another," to draw near," and "to approach." This word does not appear in the Perseus ancient Greek dictionary. It comes from an adverb ἐγγύς, eggus, which means 1) (of place) "near," "nigh," "at hand," 2) (of time) "nigh at hand" 3) (of numbers) "nearly," "almost," "coming near," and 4) (of relationship) "akin to."
ἡ (article sg fem nom) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones." pl fem gen
βασιλεία (noun sg fem nom) "The kingdom" is from basileia, which means "kingdom," "dominion," "hereditary monarchy," "kingly office," (passive) "being ruled by a king," and "reign." --
τῶν (article pl fem gen) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."
οὐρανῶν. (noun pl fem gen) "Of Heaven" is from the Greek ouranos, which means "heaven as in the vault of the sky," "heaven as the seat of the gods," "the sky," "the universe," and "the climate."
The phrase can either describe what is said or why it is said: "that the kingdom of heaven is at hand" or "because the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Should we greet these people and talk to them,” asked the Militant, “or just hurry from town to town?”
This sparked another debate. Phillip and Nathaniel had hurried from town to town, ignoring those on the road, because they had to meet the fishermen’s boats as a set time and place, but this new group wouldn’t have the problem. Some were still complaining about being heralds instead of simply students. Again, the question came back to the Master.
“Being made to go, however,” Jesus responded, “you act as heralds.
This made sense. After all, this was why they were going out.
“Saying what? “ asked the Militant.
“Saying that–” said the Master, but then he paused and pointed to the ground at his feet.
For a moment, everyone was confused but what he meant. So he prompted them, “It has neared....”
Before he could finished, the others joined him as he pointed to the sky, “This realm of the skies.”