The Twelve Disciples : their Names
Mat 10:1 Then He called to Him His twelve disciples and gave them authority over foul spirits, to drive them out; and to cure every kind of disease and infirmity.
Mat 10:2 Now the names of the twelve Apostles were these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James the son of Zabdi, and his brother John;
Mat 10:3 Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax-gatherer, James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;
Mat 10:4 Simon the Cananaean, and Judas the Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.
Mat 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent on a mission, after giving them their instructions: "Go not," He said, "among the Gentiles, and enter no Samaritan town;
Mat 10:6 but, instead of that, go to the lost sheep of Israel's race. WNT
Introduction
Matthew has described how Jesus called five of His Disciples. He spoke clearly of calling people to FOLLOW HIM.
But here we have the mention of the TWELVE who were especially chosen to be close to Him. These men were to be especially significant in the whole Christian Movement.Throughout the centuries these have been held in special honour. However, nothing is known about many of them, and their exploits are not memorable. God uses the insignificant to do His Work throughout the world. L. Morris p. 241-242
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| The Twelve Disciples |
Mat 10:1 Then He called to Him His twelve disciples and gave them authority over foul spirits, to drive them out; and to cure every kind of disease and infirmity.
Notes
Twelve disciples - Our Lord seems to have had the twelve patriarchs, heads of the congregation of Israel, in view, in his choosing twelve disciples. That he had the plan of the ancient Jewish Church in his eye is sufficiently evident from Mat_19:28;
Mat 19:27 Then Peter said to Jesus, "See, *we* have forsaken everything and followed you; what then will be *our* reward?"
Mat 19:28 "I solemnly tell you," replied Jesus, "that in the New Creation, when the Son of Man has taken His seat on His glorious throne, all of you who have followed me shall also sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel.
and from Luk_10:1; Luk_22:30; Joh_17:1, etc., and Rev_21:12-14. See Adam Clark
and gave them authority over foul spirits, to drive them out; and to cure every kind of disease and infirmity.
Notes
Here we find the first call to the Christian ministry, and the end proposed by the commission given. To call persons to the ministry belongs only to Him who can give them power to cast out unclean spirits. He whose ministry is not accompanied with healing to diseased souls, was never called of God. But let it be observed, that, though the spiritual gifts requisite for the ministry must be supplied by God himself, yet this does not preclude the importance of human learning. No man can have his mind too well cultivated, to whom a dispensation of the Gospel is committed. The influence of the Spirit of God was no more designed to render human learning useless, than that learning should be considered as superseding the necessity of Divine inspiration. A.C.
And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power — The word signifies both “power,” and “authority” or “right.” Even if it were not evident that here both ideas are included, we find both words expressly used in the parallel passage of Luke (Luk_9:1) - “He gave them power and authority” - in other words, He both qualified and authorized them.
Mat 10:2 Now the names of the twelve Apostles were these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James the son of Zabdi, and his brother John;
Notes:
Now the names of the twelve apostles are these — The other Evangelists enumerate the twelve in immediate connection with their appointment (Mar_3:13-19; Luk_6:13-16). But our Evangelist, not intending to record the appointment, but only the Mission of the Twelve, gives their names here. And as in the Acts (Act_1:13) we have a list of the Eleven who met daily in the upper room with the other disciples after their Master’s ascension until the day of Pentecost, we have four catalogues in all for comparison.
The first, Simon, who is called Peter — (See on Joh_1:42).
and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother — named after James, as the younger of the two.
Notes
Here is the Ex-Fisherman, Peter mentioned first.
Joh 1:40 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard John's exclamation and followed Jesus.
Joh 1:41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah!" --that is to say, the Anointed One.
Joh 1:42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon, son of John: you shall be called Cephas" --that is to say, Peter (or 'Rock').
Cephas - This is a Syriac word, meaning the same as the Greek word Peter, a stone. See the notes at Mat_16:17. The stone, or rock, is a symbol of firmness and steadiness of character - a trait in Peter’s character after the ascension of Jesus that was very remarkable. before the death of Jesus he was rash, headlong, variable; and it is one proof of the omniscience of Jesus that he saw that Peter “would” possess a character that would be expressed appropriately by the word “stone” or “rock.” The word “Jonas” is a Hebrew word, whose original signification is a “dove.” It may be that Jesus had respect to that when he gave Simon the name Peter. “You now bear a name emblematic of timidity and inconstancy. You shall be called by a name denoting firmness and constancy.” Barnes Notes
Mat 10:3 Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax-gatherer, James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;
Notes
Philip and Bartholomew - These two were probably sent out together. Philip was a native of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. He is not the same as Philip the evangelist, mentioned in Act_6:5; Act_21:8. Bartholomew (literally, “the son of Tolmai”).
Thomas - Literally, “a twin,” in reference to which he is also called “Didymus,” Joh_11:16. For his character, see the notes at Joh_20:25. “And Matthew the publican.” See the notes at Mat_9:9. “James the son of Alpheus.” See the note above.
And Lebbeus, called Thaddeus - These two words have the same signification in Hebrew. Luke calls him “Judas,” by a slight change from the name “Thaddeus.” Such changes are common in all writings. MKJV “and Lebbeus, whose surname was Thaddeus;“
Mat 10:4 Simon the Cananaean, and Judas the Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.
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| Simon from Cana in Galilee |
Notes By Adam Clark The Canaanite - This word is not put here to signify a particular people, as it is elsewhere used in the Sacred Writings; but it is formed from the Hebrew קנא kana, which signifies zealous, literally translated by Luke, Luk_6:15, ζηλωτης, zelotes, or the zealous, probably from his great fervency in preaching the Gospel of his Master. But see Luk_6:15.
Judas Iscariot - Probably from the Hebrew איש קריות ish kerioth, a man of Kerioth, which was a city in the tribe of Judah, Jos_15:25, where it is likely this man was born.
As אסכרא iscara, signifies the quinsy, or strangulation, and Judas hanged himself after he had betrayed our Lord, Dr. Lightfoot seems inclined to believe that he had his name from this circumstance, and that it was not given him till after his death.
Who also betrayed him - Rather, even he who betrayed him, or delivered him up; for so, I think, ο και παραδους αυτον should be translated. The common translation, who Also betrayed him, is very exceptionable, as it seems to imply, he was betrayed by some others, as well as by Judas.
Mat 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent on a mission, after giving them their instructions: "Go not," He said, "among the Gentiles, and enter no Samaritan town;
Mat 10:6 but, instead of that, go to the lost sheep of Israel's race. 
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