New Living Translation

Matthew 10:6

6but only to the people of Israel—God’s lost sheep.

Matthew 10:6 in other versions

King James Version (KJV)But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
New International Version (NIV)Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.
English Standard Version (ESV)but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
New King James Version (NKJV)But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Context of Matthew 10:6

4Simon (the zealot), Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him). 5Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions: “Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, but only to the people of Israel—God’s lost sheep. 7Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. 8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!

Read all of Matthew 10

Matthew 10:6 word by word

πορεύεσθε δὲ μᾶλλον πρὸς τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἀπολωλότα οἴκου Ἰσραήλ.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
Butδέde · thenG1161
goπορεύωporeuomai · to travelG4198
ratherμᾶλλονmallon · more: ratherG3123
toπρόςpros · to/withG4314
the lostἀπολλύωapollumi · to destroyG622
sheepπρόβατονprobaton · sheepG4263
of the houseοἶκοςoikos · house: householdG3624
of IsraelἸσραήλIsraēl · IsraelG2474

Cross-references for Matthew 10:6

Matthew 15:24Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.”
Luke 24:47It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’
Acts 3:26When God raised up his servant, Jesus, he sent him first to you people of Israel, to bless you by turning each of you back from your sinful ways.”
Acts 13:46Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles.
Acts 18:6But when they opposed and insulted him, Paul shook the dust from his clothes and said, “Your blood is upon your own heads—I am innocent. From now on I will go preach to the Gentiles.”
Acts 26:20I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do.
Acts 28:25And after they had argued back and forth among themselves, they left with this final word from Paul: “The Holy Spirit was right when he said to your ancestors through Isaiah the prophet,
Romans 11:11Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves.
Psalms 119:176I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come and find me, for I have not forgotten your commands.
Isaiah 53:6All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.
Jeremiah 50:6“My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray and turned them loose in the mountains. They have lost their way and can’t remember how to get back to the sheepfold.
Ezekiel 34:6They have wandered through all the mountains and all the hills, across the face of the earth, yet no one has gone to search for them.
Luke 15:3So Jesus told them this story:
1 Peter 2:25Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.

Commentaries on Matthew 10:6

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6But go rather to the lost sheep, etc. - The Jewish Church was the ancient fold of God; but the sheep had wandered from their Shepherd, and were lost. Our blessed Lord sends these under-shepherds to seek, find, and bring them back to the Shepherd and Overseer of their souls.Read the comment
Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6But go rather to the lost sheep - That is, to the Jews. He regarded them as wandering and lost, like sheep straying without a shepherd. They had been the chosen people of God; they had long looked for the Messiah; and it was proper that the gospel should be first offered to them.Read the comment
Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-15Verses 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 first mission. Wherever they went they must proclaim, The kingdom of heaven 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…Read the comment
Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6They are lost because their shepherds (leaders) neglected them (9:36; 15:24).Read the comment
Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel--Until Christ's death, which broke down the middle wall of partition (Ep 2:14), the Gospel commission was to the Jews only, who, though the visible people of God, were "lost sheep," not merely in the sense which all sinners are (Is 53:6; 1Pe 2:25; compare with Lu 19:10), but as abandoned and left to wander from the right way by faithless shepherds (Jr 50:6, 17; Eze 34:2-6, &c.).Read the comment

Topics related to Matthew 10:6

Commandments
Minister, Christian
Sheep

In the dictionaries

Israel
Israel, Israelites
Jacob, Israel
Confess
Darkness
Freely
Hell
Preach
Provide
Scrip