For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This isn't just a promise that the Holy Spirit will help them speak; it’s a divine declaration that their words, in that moment, are actually God’s words flowing through them. It means their mission isn't about their own eloquence or intellect, but about being conduits for the Father's voice, revealing His power and truth through imperfect people.
For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is commissioning his disciples to go out and preach, but He's preparing them for the harsh opposition they'll face, comparing them to sheep surrounded by wolves. He's instructing them not to worry about how they'll defend themselves or what they'll say when they're arrested, because divine assistance will be given to them in those critical moments.
When you're called to speak for God, especially in tough situations, who's really doing the talking? It's not just your own cleverness or wit.
Jesus tells his disciples, 'For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.' This is a profound assurance. It means that in moments of significant witness, the words you speak don't originate from your own intellect or personality alone. Instead, they are divinely prompted and empowered by the Holy Spirit, who is the very 'Spirit of your Father.' This doesn't negate your role as a speaker, but it reframes it. You become a vessel, an instrument through which God's message is conveyed. This promise was especially crucial for the apostles facing opposition, as it ensured they wouldn't be left to their own limited abilities when speaking before authorities.
Facing opposition for your faith can be terrifying. Jesus understood this and offered a specific reassurance that shifts focus from fear to faith.
Jesus delivers this word in Matthew 10 within the context of sending his disciples out as 'sheep in the midst of wolves.' He anticipates they will be brought before councils, rulers, and kings. In these high-stakes moments, anxiety about what to say or how to defend themselves could easily overwhelm them. Jesus directly addresses this by saying, 'be not anxious... for it shall be given you in that hour what you shall speak.' The understanding here is that divine inspiration and guidance will be provided in the moment they need it. This isn't a license for unpreparedness, but a promise that God equips His messengers when they are called to bear witness. It fosters a confidence rooted not in their own preparedness, but in God's faithful presence and provision.
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Understand the original words
pneuma · Greek Noun
The third person of the Trinity, the divine agent of God who indwells believers, empowering them, guiding them into truth, and testifying of Jesus.
This promise of divine speech was a crucial assurance for the early disciples as they faced intense opposition, particularly during the period of the early church's growth and persecution after Jesus' ascension.
c. AD 28-30— this verse
Jesus Commissions the Twelve Apostles
Jesus sends out his twelve disciples on a specific mission to the towns of Israel, instructing them on how to behave and what to proclaim. This immediate context highlights the dangers they will face and the divine support they will receive.
c. AD 30-33
Jesus' Ministry and Teaching
Throughout Jesus' public ministry, he teaches his disciples, including lessons on facing opposition and persecution. This verse is part of a larger discourse preparing them for their future roles.
c. AD 30-33
The Seventy Disciples Commissioned
Jesus also sends out seventy other disciples, giving them similar instructions and warnings, suggesting that the principles of divine guidance in the face of opposition apply broadly.
c. AD 33
Jesus' Crucifixion and Resurrection
The pivotal events of Jesus' death and resurrection transform the disciples' understanding and mission, empowering them with the Holy Spirit.
c. AD 33
The Day of Pentecost
The Holy Spirit descends upon the disciples, empowering them with boldness and the ability to speak in other tongues, fulfilling Jesus' promise of divine enablement.
c. AD 33-60s
Early Church Persecutions
Following Pentecost, the early apostles and believers faced significant opposition, trials, and martyrdoms, often being brought before religious and secular authorities.
This passage describes the Holy Spirit coming upon Saul, empowering him to prophesy and speak in ways he normally wouldn't, highlighting God's sovereign enablement.
Exodus 4:12When Moses expressed his inability to speak, God promised, 'Now go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak,' directly paralleling God providing the words for His messenger.
Acts 6:10This verse states that the early believers 'could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke,' referring to Stephen, showing the Spirit's powerful, direct inspiration in defense of the faith.
Jeremiah 1:9God declared through Jeremiah, 'Behold, I have put my words in your mouth,' emphasizing that the prophetic message, and the ability to deliver it, comes directly from God to His chosen vessel.
1 Corinthians 2:13Paul explains that believers speak 'not in words about human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit,' reinforcing the idea that authentic spiritual communication originates from God, not human intellect.
clarkeMatthew 10:20: "For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you."
For it is - the Spirit of your Father, etc. - This was an extraordinary promise, and was literally fulfilled to those first preachers of the Gospel; and to them it was essentially necessary, because the New Testament dispensation was to be fully opened by their extraordinary inspiration. In a certain measure, it may be truly said, that the Holy Spirit animates the true disciples of Christ, and ena…
ellicottMatthew 10:20: "For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you."
(20) It is not ye that speak. —The words are strong. Human thoughts and purposes seem as if utterly suppressed, and the inspiring agency alone is recognised. It would be obviously beside the drift of our Lord’s discourse to make this promise of special aid in moments of special danger the groundwork of a theory of inspiration as affecting the written records of the work of the disciples.
This isn't just a promise that the Holy Spirit will help them speak; it’s a divine declaration that their words, in that moment, are actually God’s words flowing through them. It means their mission isn't about their own eloquence or intellect, but about being conduits for the Father's voice, revealing His power and truth through imperfect people.
Jesus is commissioning his disciples to go out and preach, but He's preparing them for the harsh opposition they'll face, comparing them to sheep surrounded by wolves. He's instructing them not to worry about how they'll defend themselves or what they'll say when they're arrested, because divine assistance will be given to them in those critical moments.
Jesus is commissioning his disciples to go out and preach, but He's preparing them for the harsh opposition they'll face, comparing them to sheep surrounded by wolves. He's instructing them not to worry about how they'll defend themselves or what they'll say when they're arrested, because divine assistance will be given to them in those critical moments.
"For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you." — This isn't just a promise that the Holy Spirit will help them speak; it’s a divine declaration that their words, in that moment, are actually God’s words flowing through them. It means their missio…
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Last reviewed October 2026