ris3n's Apologetics Codex
Matthew 10.31
Page Nav

Passage

Matthew 10.31

Book: Matthew · NASB95

Immediate context (±2 verses)

There are ads on our codex that pay for hosting and keep the codex free. If you can, please consider whitelisting ris3n.com or allowing scripts to support the work.

Sponsored

Brands, events, influencers advertise here

ASV

29. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? and not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father: 30. but the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

31. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

  1. Every one therefore who shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven. 33. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 10:29-33, ASV)
WEB

29. “Aren’t two sparrows sold for an assarion coin? Not one of them falls on the ground apart from your Father’s will, 30. but the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

31. Therefore don’t be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows.

  1. Everyone therefore who confesses me before men, him I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven. 33. But whoever denies me before men, him I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 10:29-33, WEB)
KJV

29. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. farthing: it is in value halfpenny farthing in the original, as being the tenth part of the Roman penny 30. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

31. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

  1. Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 10:29-33, KJV)
YLT

29. 'Are not two sparrows sold for an assar? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father; 30. and of you, even the hairs of the head are all numbered;

31. be not therefore afraid, than many sparrows ye are better.

  1. 'Every one, therefore, who shall confess in me before men, I also will confess in him before my Father who is in the heavens; 33. and whoever shall deny me before men, I also will deny him before my Father who is in the heavens. (Matthew 10:29-33, YLT)

See this page's graph and discover linked topics

Setting

  • Speaker: Jesus
  • Audience: the twelve apostles, as he sent them out (Matthew 10:5)
  • Location: Galilee
  • Time period: during Jesus' Galilean ministry, c. AD 28-30

Theological reading

"Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:31, KJV).

Do not fear. The command not to fear rests on a statement of worth: "ye are of more value than many sparrows." Value is not something the disciples must prove; it is declared by Jesus.

Worth grounded in the Father. Human value here is not measured by usefulness or strength. It flows from the Father's care. See Biblical Dignity.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word.

  • TBD
  • TBD
  • TBD
  • TBD

Quoted in

Arguments and defeaters:

Concepts:

Notes

Your annotations.

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

  • ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
  • WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
  • KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
  • YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.