Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Mark 6:10
And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into a house, there abide till ye depart from that place.
10. there abide ] “When a stranger arrives in a village or an encampment, the neighbours, one after another, must invite him to eat with them. There is a strict etiquette about it, involving much ostentation and hypocrisy: and a failure in the due observance of this system of hospitality is violently resented, and often leads to alienation and feuds among neighbours. It also consumes much time, causes unusual distraction of mind, leads to levity, and everyway counteracts the success of a spiritual mission. The Evangelists were sent, not to be honoured and feasted, but to call men to repentance, prepare the way of the Lord, and proclaim that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. They were, therefore, first to seek a becoming habitation to lodge in, and there abide until their work in that city was accomplished.” The Land and the Book, p. 347.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Mat 10:1-42, gives us a larger copy of the instructions given by Christ to the twelve than doth either Mark or Luke: See Poole on “Mat 10:12“, and following verses to Mat 10:15.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And he said unto them,…. He continued giving orders and directions to them, saying,
in what place soever you enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place: that is, in whatsoever city or town they should come to, the first house they went into, they should continue in, during their stay in that city or town, and not shift from house to house; [See comments on Mt 10:11].
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
There abide ( ). So also Matt 10:11; Luke 9:4. Only Matthew has city or village (10:11), but he mentions house in verse 12. They were to avoid a restless and dissatisfied manner and to take pains in choosing a home. It is not a prohibition against accepting invitations.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
1) “And He said unto them,” (kai legen autois) “And He directed them.”
2) “In what place soever ye enter into an house,” (hopou ean eis elhete eis oikian) “Wherever you all enter into a residence,” place or village in any locality.
3) “There abide till ye depart from that place.” (ekei menete heos an ekselthete ekeithen) “Stay there, until you go out to another village place,” having first inquired as to the reputation or worthiness of the occupants, Mat 10:11-13.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
10. There abide As Luke more fully expresses it: “Go not from house to house.” On this Dr. Thomson remarks:
“The reason is very obvious to one acquainted with Oriental customs. When a stranger arrives in a village or an encampment, the neighbours, one after another, must invite him to eat with them. There is a strict etiquette about it, involving much ostentation and hypocrisy, and a failure in the due observance of this system of hospitality is violently resented, and often leads to alienations and feuds among neighbours. It also consumes much time, causes unusual distraction of mind, leads to levity, and every way counteracts the success of a spiritual mission.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And he said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, there stay until you leave the area. And whatever place will not receive you and do not listen to you, as you leave there shake off the dust that is under your feet for a testimony to them.” ’
They were not to be choosy or look for comfort. Whenever God provided them with accommodation, however poor and mean, that was the accommodation that they should continue to use in that place. They were not to look around for a better, thus causing grief and insult to the first host and delay in their ministry. They were to be satisfied with what they had, to be totally devoted to their work. Self comfort was to be ignored. Note how this provision assumes a fairly lengthy stay. And it would occur from town to town. Thus this preaching tour probably lasted many months, during which some of them may well have experienced synagogue punishment because of what was seen as their heretical message, and even have been called before Herod or some of his officials (compare Mat 10:17-18. As in the Old Testament declaring that something would happen then assumes that it did happen. See e.g. Exo 17:1-7 where it is simply assumed that the people drank water from the rock). They would not be seen as having quite the same status as Jesus.
But hospitality to strangers was looked on as a sacred duty in the Near East, and especially among Jews, thus they should never be short of it in places that welcomed them. The first to offer it would be indicating a quick response of faith to their message, a worthiness to be blessed by their continued presence with them. There was no danger at this stage of their becoming spongers. Later the Christian church (in the Didache) would deem it necessary to indicate that a prophet who stayed more than three days in one place was overstaying his welcome and was a false prophet.
But to be refused hospitality would be to indicate enmity and their rejection by those who refused it. So Jesus added that those who refused to listen to their message also come under this heading.
‘Shake off the dust.’ When places refused to receive them they should leave behind a sign, the dust shaken from their sandals, as a witness to the lack of hospitality of the place. This arose from the practise that pious Jews had of shaking the dust from their feet and clothing when they left Gentile territory. The idea being that such dust contained uncleanness, and that it was defiled because the Gentiles did not observe the laws of purity. Thus the similar act by the Apostles would indicate that the place was looked on as unclean and defiled. We can also compare Act 18:6 where the shaking off of the dust indicated that the messengers were free from guilt and that the recipients had brought their judgment on their own heads, which was based on the same principle.
‘As a witness to them.’ Their solemn act would be an act of witness to the people that judgment was now declared on them because of their refusal to listen to God’s word. And if they still did not repent it would be a further witness against them at the Judgment on the last day.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Further instruction:
v. 10. And He said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place.
v. 11. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of Judgment than for that city.
v. 12. And they went out, and preached that men should repent.
v. 13. And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. wherever it may be that they entered into a house, whether in city or town or village, there, in that house, they should stay. They should neither lose time for their work by searching for a pleasant boarding-place, nor should they bring themselves into the suspicion of partiality. In the house which they should enter first they should stay until they left the village or neighborhood; that should be their home for the time being. If, however, it should so happen that some place, city, town, or village, would not receive them nor its inhabitants listen to them, they should go away from that place. And in so doing, they should shake the very dust, not only from their feet and clothing, but the dust under their feet, the dust from the roads that adhered to the soles of their sandals. This was a sign that there could be no communion with such foolish and untractable people, that they must be considered on a level with the heathen. It was a testimony, a judgment upon them. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah, that had been exterminated by one of the most awful visitations of God upon the wicked, will receive a more lenient sentence on the last day than such willful opponents of the mercy of God. The twelve disciples followed instructions; they carried out their mission through preaching and healing. The burden of their call was the need of repentance, in order that the sweet news of the Gospel might find a ready acceptance. Mark also relates that they expelled many demons and effected the cure of many suffering with various minor ailments. The power of the Lord went with them, according to His promise.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
10 And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place.
Ver. 10. See Trapp on “ Mat 10:11 “
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Mar 6:10 . , , there, in the house; thence, from the village.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
In what place soever = Wherever.
from that place = thence.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Mat 10:11-13, Luk 9:4, Luk 10:7, Luk 10:8, Act 16:15, Act 17:5-7
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
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They were to make only one house stop in each city.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mar 6:10-11. See notes on Mat 10:11-15. Mark, however, adds: for a testimony unto them (comp. Mat 10:18). Luke says, against them. This solemn act, which meant a cessation of intercourse, was a testimony to them, and against them also, a token that the truth was still the truth, and their rejection would be a ground of judgment.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Mar 6:10-11. In what place soever ye enter See these verses explained, Mat 10:11-15.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
6:10 And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, {g} there abide till ye depart from that place.
(g) That is, do not change your inns in this short journey.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The 12 disciples were normally to stay in the home of a hospitable host, as long as they remained in that particular town, rather than moving from house to house. This would minimize distractions and tend to preserve the good reputation of the disciple whom others might consider greedy if he moved frequently. Moving to better accommodations for the sake of comfort would also bring shame on the former host.
The Jews customarily shook the dust off their clothes and sandals when they reentered Jewish territory from Gentile territory. [Note: Wessel, p. 667.]
"In the culture of the time the gospel was written, Jews made a distinction between Jewish and gentile territory. Jews considered their land to be holy and the gentile land unclean. Through this depiction of Jesus as a traveller [sic] among gentiles, the narrator portrays him as open to and compassionate toward gentiles." [Note: Rhoads and Michie, p. 70.]
Shaking dust off their feet symbolized the defiling effect of contact with pagans. When the Twelve did this, it implied that those who had refused their message were unbelieving, defiled, and subject to divine judgment (cf. Act 13:51; Act 18:6).
"It was a visible sign of acceptance or rejection of the Master and the Father Who sent Him (Mt. x. 40, Lk. x. 16), and therefore an index of the relation in which the inhabitants as a whole stood to the eternal order." [Note: Plummer, p. 144.]
This act would cause those who rejected the message to reconsider their decision.