Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Matthew 10:3 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 3. 3Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Continues with Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James, and Lebbaeus Thaddaeus.
Read It With
- Matthew 10:1–10:4
Read Matthew 10:3 with 10:1–10:4. In isolation, this verse's contribution—continues with Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James, and Lebbaeus Thaddaeus—can be detached from its speaker, audience, narrative or teaching sequence, and outcome. The complete unit establishes: Jesus gives the twelve authority over unclean spirits and disease, then Matthew names the group including fishermen, a tax collector, a zealot, and Judas who betrays him.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Continues with Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James, and Lebbaeus Thaddaeus. This precise contribution belongs inside “Jesus authorizes and names the twelve” because Jesus gives the twelve authority over unclean spirits and disease, then Matthew names the group including fishermen, a tax collector, a zealot, and Judas who betrays him.
Read Matthew 10:2–4 together
Why these verses belong together: The twelve names create one representative group, including difference and future betrayal.
Verse 2. 2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
Verse 3. 3 Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;
Verse 4. 4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.
What Remains True
Jesus gives the twelve authority over unclean spirits and disease, then Matthew names the group including fishermen, a tax collector, a zealot, and Judas who betrays him. Matthew 10:3's proportionate contribution is this: Continues with Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James, and Lebbaeus Thaddaeus.
How It Can Shape Life
- Matthew 10:3 contributes this specific claim: Continues with Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James, and Lebbaeus Thaddaeus. Treat delegated spiritual authority as named, bounded, and accountable; never convert a commissioned role into immunity, celebrity, or control over vulnerable people.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Matthew 10:1–10:4 — Jesus authorizes and names the twelveSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Matthew 10:1–10:4, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording and punctuation control without treating one edition as a complete apparatus.
Exact location: SBLGNT official text file data/sblgnt/text/Matt.txt, Matthew 10:1–10:4
Open the Matthew Greek text file ↗Lexical and grammatical evidence
STEP Bible Data
Tyndale House Cambridge
Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026
Supports: Morphology and lexical cross-check for the expressions actually discussed in this thought unit.
Exact location: STEP Bible Data TAGNT rows for Matthew 10:1–10:4
Open source ↗open translation and translator notes
NET Bible: Matthew with Translators' and Textual Notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2005-2026 online edition
Supports: Verse-attached textual, translation, language, historical, Jewish-background, and Synoptic notes for this unit.
Exact location: NET Bible Matthew PDF, printed pp. 1808-1867, exact tn/tc/sn entries attached to 10:1–10:4
Open source ↗