SEV Biblia, Chapter 10:14
Y cualquiera que no os recibiere, ni oyere vuestras palabras, salid de aquella casa o ciudad, y sacudid el polvo de vuestros pies.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Matthew 10:14
Verse 14. Shake off the dust of your feet.] The Jews considered themselves defiled by the dust of a heathen country, when was represented by the prophets as a polluted laud, Am vii. 17, when compared with the land of Israel, which was considered as a holy land, Ezek. xlv. 1; therefore, to shake the dust of any city of Israel from off one's clothes or feet was an emblematical action, signifying a renunciation of all farther connection with them, and placing them on a level with the cities of the Heathen. See "Amos ix. 7".
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 14. And whosoever shall not receive you , etc.] Into their houses, and refuse to entertain them and provide for them in a friendly manner; nor hear your words , slight their salutations, make no account of, but despise their good wishes for their welfare; and also treat with contempt the doctrines of the Gospel preached by them; and either would not attend on their ministry, or if they did, give no credit to what they should say, but deride and reject them. When ye depart out of that house, or city ; to another house, or to another city, being obliged to remove, through their contemptuous rejection of them: shake off the dust of your feet . So Paul and Barnabas did at Antioch in Pisidia, when the Jews contradicted and blasphemed the Gospel preached by them, raised a persecution against them, and expelled them out of their coasts, ( Acts 13:51) which ceremony was ordered by Christ to be observed even to the cities of Judea, that should despise and reject the ministry of his apostles; and that either to show that they did not come to them with worldly views, with any design to amass riches and wealth to themselves, for they would not so much as carry away with them the dust on their feet, but it was purely with a view to their welfare, both spiritual and temporal; or to testify that they had been among them, and that that very dust they shook off their feet would rise up in judgment against them, and declare that the Gospel had been preached among them, and they had rejected it, which will be an aggravation of their condemnation; or rather to observe to them, that such was their wickedness, that even the dust of their country was infected thereby, and therefore they shook it off, as though it defiled them, as the dust of an Heathen country was thought by the Jews to do; so that by this action they signified that they would have nothing more to do with them, or say to them, and that they looked upon them as impure and unholy, as any Heathen city or country. There seems to be an allusion to some maxims and customs of the Jews, with respect to the dust of Heathen countries. On account of six doubts, they say f626 , they burn the first offering, for a doubt of a field in which a grave might be, and for a doubt ym[h Uram abh rp[ , of the dust which comes from the land of the Gentiles, etc. On which Bartenora has this note; all dust which comes from the land of the Gentiles, is reckoned by us as the rottenness of a dead carcass; and of these two, the land of the Gentiles, and a field in which is a grave, it is decreed that they defile by touching, and by carrying.
Again f627 , the dust of a field in which is a grave, and the dust without the land (of Israel) which comes along with an herb, are unclean.
Upon which Maimonides makes this remark, that the dust of a field that has a grave in it, and the dust which is without the land of Israel, defile by touching and carrying; or if, when it hangs at the end of an herb, when they root it out of the dust of such a field, it is unclean.
Hence they would not suffer herbs to be brought out of an Heathen country into the land of Israel, lest dust should be brought along with them. A Misnic doctor teaches f628 , that they do not bring herbs from without the land (of Israel into it), but our Rabbins permit it; what difference is there between them? Says R. Jeremiah, they take care of their dust; that is the difference between them.
On that clause, they take care of their dust, the gloss is, lest there should be brought with it ym[h Ura wgm , any of the dust of the land of the Gentiles, which defiles in the tent, and pollutes the purity of the land of Israel.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 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 firs mission. Wherever they went they must proclaim, The kingdom of heave 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 without delay. Christ gave power to work miracles for the confirmin of their doctrine. This is not necessary now that the kingdom of God is come. It showed that the intent of the doctrine they preached, was to heal sick souls, and to raise those that were dead in sin. I proclaiming the gospel of free grace for the healing and saving of men's souls, we must above all avoid the appearance of the spirit of a hireling. They are directed what to do in strange towns and cities. The servant of Christ is the ambassador of peace to whatever place he is sent. His message is even to the vilest sinners, yet it behoves him to find out the best persons in every place. It becomes us to pra heartily for all, and to conduct ourselves courteously to all. They ar directed how to act as to those that refused them. The whole counsel of God must be declared, and those who will not attend to the graciou message, must be shown that their state is dangerous. This should be seriously laid to heart by all that hear the gospel, lest their privileges only serve to increase their condemnation.
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 CONJ ος 3739 R-NSM εαν 1437 COND μη 3361 PRT-N δεξηται 1209 5667 V-ADS-3S υμας 5209 P-2AP μηδε 3366 CONJ ακουση 191 5661 V-AAS-3S τους 3588 T-APM λογους 3056 N-APM υμων 5216 P-2GP εξερχομενοι 1831 5740 V-PNP-NPM της 3588 T-GSF οικιας 3614 N-GSF η 2228 PRT της 3588 T-GSF πολεως 4172 N-GSF εκεινης 1565 D-GSF εκτιναξατε 1621 5657 V-AAM-2P τον 3588 T-ASM κονιορτον 2868 N-ASM των 3588 T-GPM ποδων 4228 N-GPM υμων 5216 P-2GP
Vincent's NT Word Studies
14. Shake off (ektinaxate). "The very dust of a heathen country was unclean, and it defiled by contact. It was regarded like a grave, or like the putrescence of death. If a spot of heathen dust had touched an offering, it must at once be burnt. More than that, if by mischance any heathen dust had been brought into Palestine, it did not and could not mingle with that of 'the land,' but remained to the end what it had been - unclean, defiled and defiling everything to which it adhered." The apostles, therefore, were not only to leave the house or city which should refuse to receive the, "but it was to be considered and treated as if it were heathen, just as in the similar case mentioned in Matt. xviii. 17. All contact with such must be avoided, all trace of it shaken off" (Edersheim, "Jewish Social Life in the Days of Christ"). The symbolic act indicated that the apostles and their Lord regarded them not only as unclean, but as entirely responsible for their uncleanness. See Acts xviii. 6.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
10:14 {Shake off the dust} (ektinaxate ton koniorton). Shake out, a rather violent gesture of disfavor. The Jews had violent prejudices against the smallest particles of Gentile dust, not as a purveyor of disease of which they did not know, but because it was regarded as the putrescence of death. If the apostles were mistreated by a host or hostess, they were to be treated as if they were Gentiles (cf. #Mt 18:17; Ac 18:6). Here again we have a restriction that was for this special tour with its peculiar perils.
