THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE - Chapter 10 - Verse 4

Verse 4. Purse—scrip—shoes. See Barnes on "Mt 10:10".

Salute no man by the way. Salutations among the Orientals did not consist, as among us, of a slight bow or an extension of the hand, but was performed by many embraces and inclinations, and even prostrations of the body on the ground. All this required much time; and as the business on which the seventy were sent was urgent, they were required not to delay their journey by long and formal salutations of the persons whom they met.

"If two Arabs of equal rank meet each other, they extend

to each other the right hand, and having clasped,

they elevate them as if to kiss them. Each one then

draws back his hand and kisses it instead of his friend's,

and then places it upon his forehead. The parties then

continue the salutation by kissing each other's beard.

They give thanks to God that they are once more

permitted to see their friend—they pray to the Almighty

in his behalf. Sometimes they repeat not less than ten

times the ceremony of grasping hands and kissing."

It may also be added, in the language of Dr. Thomson (The Land and the Book, vol. i. p. 534), that

"there is such an amount of insincerity, flattery, and

falsehood in the terms of salutation prescribed by

etiquette, that our Lord, who is truth itself, desired

his representatives to dispense with them as far as

possible, perhaps tacitly to rebuke them. These

'instructions' were also intended to reprove another

propensity which an Oriental can scarcely resist, no

matter how urgent his business. If he meets an

acquaintance, he must stop and make an endless number

of inquiries and answer as many. If they come upon men

making a bargain or discussing any other matter,

they must pause and intrude their own ideas, and enter

keenly into the business, though it in no wise concerns

them; and more especially, an Oriental can never resist

the temptation to assist where accounts are being settled

or money counted out. The clink of coin has a positive

fascination to them. Now the command of our Saviour

strictly forbade all such loiterings. They would

waste time, distract attention, and in many ways hinder

the prompt and faithful discharge of their important

mission."

The salutation of friends, therefore, was a ceremony which consumed much time; and it was on this account that our Lord on this occasion forbade them to delay their journey to greet others. A similar direction is found in 2 Ki 4:29.

{d} "Carry neither" Lu 9:3 {e} "salute no man" Ge 24:33,56; 2 Ki 4:29; Pr 4:25