As you enter the house, greet it.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus doesn't just want his followers to offer a casual greeting; they are to actively wish peace upon the household. This isn't just politeness; it's invoking a profound blessing that carries the weight of all spiritual and temporal good, essentially delivering a divine promise of prosperity to those who receive it.
As you enter the house, greet it.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is instructing his disciples on how to minister to people, emphasizing dependence on God's provision rather than their own. Before this command, he told them to seek out a "worthy" person in each town to stay with. This verse is part of that specific instruction: upon entering the designated home, they are to offer a greeting of peace, signifying their mission of bringing God's blessing to those who are receptive.
When Jesus tells his disciples to 'salute' a house, He means far more than a casual greeting. It's an act packed with divine purpose.
The instruction to 'salute' a house carries significant weight. The original Greek word implies a greeting that includes a wish for well-being and peace. In the ancient world, this wasn't just politeness; it was invoking blessings upon the household.
Think of it as a spiritual deposit. By offering this peace, Jesus’ messengers were acting as conduits for God’s favor, bringing a tangible spiritual reality into the home. This greeting was a specific command, not a suggestion, and it set the tone for the disciples' entire mission: to bring God's kingdom into every place they entered.
Not every home was meant to receive the disciples' peace. Jesus' instructions reveal a discerning approach to ministry.
The disciples weren't to offer their peace indiscriminately. They were first to inquire 'what person in it is worthy' (Matthew 10:11). This 'worthiness' wasn't about earning God's favor, but about recognizing those open to receiving the message of the kingdom. The 'house' and its inhabitants who were receptive to God's messengers were the ones to receive the blessing of peace.
This shows a strategic focus in Jesus' mission. His followers were to seek out fertile ground, places and people prepared by God to hear and respond. The greeting of peace was a powerful sign, but its lasting impact depended on the receptivity of the household.
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The instruction to 'greet the house' was a practical application of Jewish customs of hospitality and peace-making. It meant invoking God's blessing and signifying a desire for shalom—a comprehensive well-being—upon the household, especially when entering the home of someone deemed 'worthy' to receive the disciples' message.
c. AD 27-30— this verse
Jesus' Public Ministry Begins
Jesus commences his public ministry, calling disciples and teaching throughout Galilee and surrounding regions. This sets the stage for his itinerant ministry and the instructions given to his followers.
c. AD 28-30
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles
Jesus commissions the twelve apostles, equipping them with authority and specific instructions for their mission to spread the message of the Kingdom of God within Israel.
c. AD 30-33
Jesus' Ministry and Teaching in Judea
Following their initial mission, the apostles return and continue to minister alongside Jesus as his public ministry progresses, culminating in his passion, death, and resurrection.
This passage is the parallel account for the Great Commission to the seventy, explicitly stating the greeting to be offered: 'Peace be to this house.'
John 4:53This verse shows the practical application of Jesus' words, where a nobleman's entire household believed after Jesus spoke to him, illustrating the impact of divine message on a 'house' or family.
1 Samuel 25:6This Old Testament passage demonstrates the traditional Jewish greeting of 'Peace be to you,' showing Jesus is repurposing an existing custom for a spiritual blessing.
1 Kings 17:17-24In this story, Elijah brings life back to the widow's son after being received into her house, highlighting the profound blessings that can follow welcoming God's messengers.
Acts 18:7After facing rejection in Corinth, Paul moves to the house of Justus, a worshipper of God, showing how believers were to seek out and stay with those receptive to the Gospel message.
barnesMatthew 10:12: "And when ye come into an house, salute it."
And when ye come into a house, salute it - The word "house" here evidently means "family," as it does in the following verse. See also Matthew 12:25, and John 4:53; "And himself believed and his whole house." The apostles were directed to salute the family - to show them the customary tokens of respect, and to treat them with civility. Religion never requires or permits its friends to outrage the common rules of social contact. It dema…
clarkeMatthew 10:12: "And when ye come into an house, salute it."
Salute it - Λεγουτες, ειρηνη εν τω οικω τουτω, saying, "Peace be to this house." This clause, which, as explanatory of the word ασπασασθε, is necessary to the connection in which it now stands, is added, by the MSS. D and L, and forty-three others, the Armenian, Ethiopic, Slavonic, Saxon, Vulgate, all the copies of the old Itala, Theophylact, and Hilary. The clause is also found in several modern versions. The modern Greek has λεγοντες…
Jesus doesn't just want his followers to offer a casual greeting; they are to actively wish peace upon the household. This isn't just politeness; it's invoking a profound blessing that carries the weight of all spiritual and temporal good, essentially delivering a divine promise of prosperity to those who receive it.
Jesus is instructing his disciples on how to minister to people, emphasizing dependence on God's provision rather than their own. Before this command, he told them to seek out a "worthy" person in each town to stay with. This verse is part of that specific instruction: upon entering the designated home, they are to offer a greeting of peace, signifying their mission of bringing God's blessing to those who are receptive.
Jesus is instructing his disciples on how to minister to people, emphasizing dependence on God's provision rather than their own. Before this command, he told them to seek out a "worthy" person in each town to stay with. This verse is part of that specific instruction: upon entering the designated home, they are to offer a greeting of peace, signifying their mission of bringing God's blessing to those who are receptive.
"As you enter the house, greet it." — Jesus doesn't just want his followers to offer a casual greeting; they are to actively wish peace upon the household. This isn't just politeness; it's invoking a profound blessing that carries the…
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Last reviewed October 2026