Bible Strands
Luke 10:3
Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus speaks to the seventy-two disciples immediately after instructing them to pray for laborers for the plentiful harvest. He issues a direct field commission as they prepare to depart.
The words — The imperative ὑπάγετε (hupagete) commands "go," while ἀποστέλλω (apostellō) denotes the active sending forth of the disciples (ὑμᾶς). The simile ὡς ἄρνας (hōs arnas) literally renders "as lambs" to describe their placement ἐν (en) the wolves.
The thread — The text places the disciples among wolves, a motif Matthew 10:16 expands by adding commands to be shrewd and innocent. Acts 20:29 later warns of savage wolves infiltrating the flock, and Ezekiel 2:3 records a parallel divine commission to a rebellious nation.
Why it lands — The text commands immediate departure while explicitly acknowledging the inherent danger of the mission field. It requires the reader to accept a posture of reliance and watchfulness rather than self-protection.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.
Cross-references
- Matthew 10:16 Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
- Acts 20:29 I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.
- Ezekiel 2:3 “Son of man,” He said to me, “I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me. To this very day they and their fathers have rebelled against Me.
- John 15:20 Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well.
- Matthew 10:22 You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.
- John 10:12 The hired hand is not the shepherd, and the sheep are not his own. When he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf pounces on them and scatters the flock.
- John 16:2 They will put you out of the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.
- Zephaniah 3:3 Her princes are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves, leaving nothing for the morning.
- Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
- Psalms 22:12 Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.