Matthew 10 · Verse 11

Matthew 10:11

And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.
Matthew 10:11, King James Version

Matthew 10:11 in other translations

BSBWhatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy there and stay at his house until you move on.
WEBInto whatever city or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you go on.
ASVAnd into whatsoever city or village ye shall enter, search out who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go forth.
YLT‘And into whatever city or village ye may enter, inquire ye who in it is worthy, and there abide, till ye may go forth.
DARBYBut into whatsoever city or village ye enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and there remain till ye go forth.
BBEAnd into whatever town or small place you go, make search there for someone who is respected, and make his house your resting-place till you go away.
WebsterAnd into whatever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and there abide till ye go thence.

What does Matthew 10:11 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
11. And into whatsoever city or town--town or village. ye shall enter inquire--carefully. who in it is worthy--or "meet" to entertain such messengers; not in point of rank, of course, but of congenial disposition. and there abide till ye go thence--not shifting about, as if discontented, but returning the welcome given with a courteous, contented, accommodating disposition.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verse 11. Who in it is worthy. That is, who fix it sustains a fair character will be able and disposed to show you hospitality, and will treat you kindly. This shows that they were not suddenly and needlessly to throw themselves in the way of insult or want.

And there abide. There remain; as Luke adds, "Go not from house to house." They were to content themselves with one house; not to wander about in the manner of vagrants and mendicants; not to appear to be men of idleness, and fond of change; not to seem dissatisfied with the hospitality of the people; but to show that they had regular, important business; to show that they valued their time, were disposed to give themselves to labour, prayer, and meditation; and to be intent only on the business for which he had sent them. If ministers of the gospel are useful, it will be by not spending their time in idle chitchat, and wandering about as if they had nothing to do; but in an honest and laborious improvement of every moment in study, prayer, preaching, and religious visiting their people.

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 11 Into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter - In the commencement of Christianity, Christ and his preachers were all itinerant. Inquire who in it is worthy - That is, of a good character; for a preacher of the Gospel should be careful of his reputation, and lodge only with those who are of a regular life. There abide till ye go thence - Go not about from house to house, Luk 10:7. Acting contrary to this precept has often brought a great disgrace on the Gospel of God. Stay in your own lodging as much as possible, that you may have time for prayer and study. Seldom frequent the tables of the rich and great; if you do, it will unavoidably prove a snare to you. The unction of God will perish from your mind, and your preaching be only a dry barren repetition of old things; the bread of God in your hands will be like the dry, mouldy, Gibeonitish crusts, mentioned Jos 9:5. He who knows the value of time, and will redeem it from useless chit-chat, and trifling visits, will find enough for all the purposes of his own salvation, the cultivation of his mind, and the work of the ministry. He to whom time is not precious, and who lives not by rule, never finds time sufficient for any thing, is always embarrassed, always in a hurry, and never capable of bringing one good purpose to proper effect.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Matthew 10:5-15

The Gentiles must not have the gospel brought them, till the Jews have refused it. This restraint on the apostles was only in their first mission. Wherever they went they must proclaim, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. They preached, to establish the faith; the kingdom, to animate the hope; of heaven, to inspire the love of heavenly things, and the contempt of earthly; which is at hand, that men may prepare for it…

Read the full comment on Matthew 10:5-15 →

Matthew 10:11 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

εἰςeisintoG1519
ἣνhēnwhateverG3739
δ᾽d᾽nowG1161
ἂνanwhenG302
πόλινpolincityG4172
ἢēorG2228
κώμηνkōmēnvillageG2968
εἰσέλθητε,eiselthēteyou may enter,G1525
ἐξετάσατεexetasatedo inquireG1833
τίςtiswhoG5101
ἐνeninG1722
αὐτῇautēaitG846
ἄξιόςaxiosworthyG514
ἐστινestinisG1510
κἀκεῖkakeiand thereG2532
μείνατεmeinatedo remainG3306
ἕωςhe'ōsuntilG2193
ἂνanwhenG302
ἐξέλθητε.exelthēteyou may go forth.G1831

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Matthew 10:11

  • Luke 10:7-8

    And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you:

  • Acts 18:1-3

    After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.

  • 1 Kings 17:9-24

    Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. …

  • Job 31:32

    The stranger did not lodge in the street: but I opened my doors to the traveller.

  • Luke 10:38-42

    Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: …

  • Luke 9:4

    And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart.

  • Acts 16:15

    And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.

  • Genesis 19:1-3

    And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.

  • Judges 19:16-21

    And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites. And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city: and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou? And he said unto him, We are passing from Beth–lehem–judah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went to Beth–lehem–judah, but I am now going to the house of the Lord; and there is no man that receiveth me to house. Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man which is with thy servants: there is no want of any thing. …

  • Mark 6:10

    And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place.

  • 3 John 1:7-8

    Because that for his name’s sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles. We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth.

  • Luke 19:7

    And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
enquire.
Ge 19:1-3; Jud 19:16-21; 1Ki 17:9-24; Job 31:32; Lu 10:38-42
Lu 19:7; Ac 16:15; 18:1-3; 3Jo 1:7,8
and there.
Mr 6:10; Lu 9:4; 10:7,8

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Matthew 10:10

    Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.

  • Matthew 10:11

    And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.

  • Matthew 10:12

    And when ye come into an house, salute it.

Read all of Matthew 10

Matthew 10:11 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Mas en cualquier ciudad, ó aldea donde entrareis, investigad quién sea en ella digno, y reposad allí hasta que salgáis.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et dans quelque ville ou village que vous entriez, informez-vous qui y est digne; et demeurez là jusqu’à ce que vous partiez.
German
Elberfelder 1871
In welche Stadt aber oder in welches Dorf irgend ihr eintretet, erforschet, wer darin würdig ist; und daselbst bleibet, bis ihr weggehet.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
In quamcumque autem civitatem aut castellum intraveritis, interrogate, quis in ea dignus sit: et ibi manete donec exeatis.