But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium.
English Standard Version (ESV)
When Paul and Barnabas shook the dust off their feet, they weren't just cleaning their sandals; they were performing a deeply symbolic act that declared the unbelieving Jews had made even the very ground beneath them unclean. This action, a direct obedience to Jesus' command, served as a public pronouncement of judgment and separation before they moved on to the next town.
But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium.
English Standard Version (ESV)
After facing rejection and hostility from the Jews in Antioch of Pisidia, Paul and Barnabas perform a symbolic act of shaking dust from their feet, signaling their departure and leaving the unbelieving behind. They then journey to Iconium, a significant city, where they would find a synagogue and begin their ministry again, much like their Lord had instructed.
Ever feel like you've given your all to someone, only to be rejected? Paul and Barnabas did just that, and they had a dramatic way of showing their final stance.
When the people of Antioch in Pisidia rejected the message of salvation and threatened Paul and Barnabas, the apostles performed a significant symbolic act: they shook the dust off their feet.
What does this mean?
Rejection can be crushing. But for Paul and Barnabas, it wasn't the end of the road. It was just a detour.
The response of the people in Antioch was harsh, but Paul and Barnabas didn't crumble. They moved on to the next town, Iconium.
Pressing Forward
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Understand the original words
ektinaxantes · Greek Verb
A symbolic act in the ancient Near East and Greco-Roman world signifying the termination of fellowship and the casting off of responsibility for those who rejected a message; it declares that those who heard are now held accountable for their own unbelief.
koniorton · Greek Noun
Fine, powdery soil often associated with the 'defilement' of a place or people that reject God's truth. Shaking it off represented a symbolic cleansing and a warning of judgment.
Ikoniou · Greek Proper Noun
The name of a major city in the Roman province of Galatia; it serves as a geographic location where the gospel is carried forward despite opposition.
The act of shaking dust from their feet was a powerful, symbolic obedience to Jesus' own instructions, signifying a formal rejection of those who refused the Gospel message and marking a transition to new fields of labor.
c. AD 46
Paul's First Missionary Journey Begins
Barnabas and Saul (Paul) are sent out by the church in Antioch, Syria, to share the Gospel in new regions, marking the start of extensive missionary activity.
c. AD 47— this verse
Preaching in Pisidian Antioch
Paul and Barnabas preach powerfully in Antioch of Pisidia, leading to a large response from both Jews and Gentiles. However, hostile Jewish leaders stir up opposition, causing them to be expelled.
c. AD 47
Expulsion from Pisidian Antioch
After facing intense persecution and rejection from the Jewish leadership in Pisidian Antioch, Paul and Barnabas leave the city. They shake the dust from their feet as a symbolic act of judgment and separation.
c. AD 47
Arrival in Iconium
The missionaries travel southeast to Iconium, a major city in Lycaonia. Here, they find a Jewish synagogue and begin their ministry again, leading to both belief and significant opposition.
c. AD 48
Paul's Second Missionary Journey
After returning to Antioch, Syria, Paul embarks on a second journey, this time refusing to take John Mark with him due to his earlier departure. This journey revisits areas previously evangelized and extends into new territories.
This passage directly records Jesus giving his disciples the instruction to shake the dust off their feet as a testimony against those who reject their message, providing the direct command behind Paul and Barnabas' symbolic action.
Luke 9:5Similar to Matthew 10:14, this verse shows Jesus instructing his disciples to shake off the dust from their feet if they are not received, highlighting the consistent teaching on this sign of rejection.
Acts 18:6This verse shows Paul employing the same symbolic act of shaking off the dust after facing opposition from the Jews in Corinth, demonstrating the continued practice of this sign in his ministry.
Nehemiah 5:13This Old Testament passage describes a similar symbolic act of shaking loose one's garment as a declaration against those who have acted wrongly, showing the practice's roots in Israelite tradition as a sign of judgment.
ellicottActs 13:51: "But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium."
(51) They shook off the dust of their feet against them. —The act was one of literal obedience to our Lord’s commands (see Note on Matthew 10:14 ), and may fairly be regarded as evidence that that command had come to the knowledge of Paul and Barnabas as well as of the Twelve. It was in itself, however, the language of a natural symbolism which every Jew would understand, a declaration that not the heat…
pulpitActs 13:51: "But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium."
Verse 51. - They shook off the dust, etc.; according to the Lord's injunction (Luke 9:5; comp. Acts 18:6). And came into Iconium; a distance of about sixty miles south-east, a five days' journey (Renan). Iconium lay on the high road from Antioch in Syria to Ephesus. It is now called Cogni, and has a population of nearly thirty thousand souls. Iconium is assigned by Xenophon to Phrygia; by others to Pisi…
When Paul and Barnabas shook the dust off their feet, they weren't just cleaning their sandals; they were performing a deeply symbolic act that declared the unbelieving Jews had made even the very ground beneath them unclean. This action, a direct obedience to Jesus' command, served as a public pronouncement of judgment and separation before they moved on to the next town.
After facing rejection and hostility from the Jews in Antioch of Pisidia, Paul and Barnabas perform a symbolic act of shaking dust from their feet, signaling their departure and leaving the unbelieving behind. They then journey to Iconium, a significant city, where they would find a synagogue and begin their ministry again, much like their Lord had instructed.
After facing rejection and hostility from the Jews in Antioch of Pisidia, Paul and Barnabas perform a symbolic act of shaking dust from their feet, signaling their departure and leaving the unbelieving behind. They then journey to Iconium, a significant city, where they would find a synagogue and begin their ministry again, much like their Lord had instructed.
"But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium." — When Paul and Barnabas shook the dust off their feet, they weren't just cleaning their sandals; they were performing a deeply symbolic act that declared the unbelieving Jews had made even the very gr…
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Last reviewed October 2026