Confusing Sayings: Matthew 10:34

Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

This article is part of a series explaining Jesus’s Confusing Sayings. Many of these sayings do not look confusing in English translation, but that is because much of what Jesus originally said is confused by that translation.

If any of Jesus’s verse’s are confusing for you, let me know in a comment so I can analyze its Greek in a future article.

This verse comes later in Chapter 10 of Matthew, a chapter known as the Sending of the Apostles. In this section, Jesus warns the apostles of the dangers of spreading his message while reassuring them that they have no need to be afraid. This message makes it clear that death is a possibility but that even death is not something to be feared.

This chapter is something of a tease where Jesus frightens them in a few lines, but then he reassures them in the following lines. In this teasing, there are many tangents in this section that are clearly humorous, including the verses about the price of sparrows and that the apostles are more valuable than sparrows. As something of a summary, Jesus offers Matthew 10:34

NIV: Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

• The words in boldface are explained in this article.

By saying this, did Jesus really deny bringing peace to the world? Jesus intentionally phrased this verse as a bit of humor, but this doesn’t become clear until then end, which is completely mistranslated to make is surprising ideas more palatable to its readers.

Those listening to him would instantly understand

What Did the Apostle Suppose?

The Greek verb translated as “suppose” is translated in other English Bibles as “think,” “imagine,” “assume,” and other similar words. Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean any of those things exactly. It means “to get used to.” It is a verb form of the Greek word usually translated as “law,” but that Greek noun means “customary behavior,” “traditions,” and “customs.” The verb form means “get accustomed to” or, in the negative used here, “don’t get accustomed to.” This is an uncommon verb for Jesus to use, and it begins the verse with a light-hearted feeling.

This verb is negated by the “opinionated negative” (see this article on the negatives), the softer negative form. This negative is used because the form of the verb is one of possibility. The sense is “you should or might not get used to.” This is not a command but a suggestion.

At the time, many Jews expected a war because of the political tensions of the era. They were accustomed to the idea that their messiah would overthrow Roman rule. This is the opposite of what Jesus commonly suggests to his apostles, which throughout his “sending” message is avoiding conflict. Does this mean that they had begun believe that Jesus was a peacekeeper instead of a warrior? As he is sending them out, he doesn’t want them to get comfortable with that idea either because he doesn’t see much “peace” in his future or theirs.

Not “Bring” But “Toss”

The word translated as "bring" means "throw" or "toss." Jesus didn’t say that he was bringing peace but “throwing” or “tossing” it. Jesus commonly uses this verb in verses where he wants to add a casual and light-hearted feeling. In English, we get this feeling more from our word, “tossing,” than “throwing.”

Jesus is not saying that he is “bringing” peace “to the earth.” He said that he is “tossing” peace “upon the earth.” This makes it sound as if “peace” was a cover, a blanket, quieting the planet. The image of "tossing peace upon the earth" is clearly unexpected, attention-getting, and light-hearted, which is why the Biblical translators avoid it. At the time, however, in the minds of the apostles, it would have raised the question about why he used this word.

This “tossing” verb adds a lot of other interesting shades of meaning, which is why it is one of Jesus’s favorite words. These different shades of meaning would have given the apostles different ways to try and understand what Jesus meant. The verb also means “to be lucky,” which comes from its meaning of “tossing dice.” It also means “to lay a foundation,” which comes from its meaning of “to let fall.” Interestingly, it also means “to dash oneself with water” and “to bathe,” which brings in the image of baptism, the purification with water.

None of these meanings clarify why Jesus uses “toss” to describe peace covering the planet.

The Punchline

The reason “toss” is used is because its meaning changes when it is used with different objects. Used with water, it means “to bathe.” Used with building stones, it might mean lay a foundation. The advantage with this word, and one reason why Jesus uses it so frequently, is that its many meanings can be used to create twists at the end of a saying.

In the second part of this verse, this same phrase, “tossing peace,” is used, but a secondary object is added to the verb. He is not tossing peace, instead, he is “tossing” a “sword.” This is the verses punchline and the main reason that Jesus is talking about “tossing” instead of “bringing.” “Tossing a sword” doesn’t mean throwing a sword at someone as a weapon. To say that, a different verb with the sense of “launch” would be used, as it is used with spears, arrows, and all other thrown weapons. When used with the word, “sword,” this word for “toss” means “juggle.”

The “sword” that Jesus describes would be the sword used for juggling. It was a short sword, like a long knife. The Greek word is the source of our word "machete,” which is a better description of the weapon.

The way the apostles would have heard this is:

Listeners Heard: You should not get used to the idea that I show up to toss peace upon this earth. I do not show up to toss peace. Instead, a sword.

This final “sword” changes the meaning of “toss” to “juggle.” If Jesus is talking about juggling a sword, he was also talking about juggling peace. This also describes what he has been doing in this section of text: juggling the dangers of being sent our against the rewards.

Jesus’s life was always a juggling act. Jesus doesn’t bring a sword, he juggles a sword. The sword of the Messiah, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, Antipas, and the Romans are all in play. By juggling these swords, he is also juggling peace. For the rest of his ministry, he would juggle those swords until his arrest, where, interestingly, he had Peter bring a sword. He healed the man that was cut with it, his last act of juggling peace with the sword.

After Jesus’s death, the peace in Galilee and Judea ended as well.