After these things the LORD appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, where he himself would come.
these.
Matthew 10:1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
Mark 6:7 And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;
other seventy.
Numbers 11:16,24-26 And the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee…
two and.
Acts 13:2-4 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them…
Revelation 11:3-10 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth…
whither.
Luke 1:17,76 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord…
Luke 3:4-6 As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight…
Luke 9:52 And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.
the Lord appointed seventy-two others
The number seventy-two is significant, often associated with the nations of the world as listed in Genesis 10. This may symbolize the universal mission of the Gospel. Some manuscripts mention seventy instead of seventy-two, reflecting variations in ancient texts. The appointment by the Lord underscores His authority and divine initiative in the mission.
and sent them two by two
Sending them in pairs reflects a practical approach for mutual support and accountability. It also aligns with Jewish legal principles requiring two witnesses for a testimony to be considered valid (Deuteronomy 19:15). This method emphasizes the importance of community and partnership in ministry.
ahead of Him
This indicates a preparatory mission, where the seventy-two were to prepare the way for Jesus' arrival. It echoes the role of John the Baptist as a forerunner and highlights the importance of preparing hearts to receive the message of the Kingdom.
to every town and place
The mission was comprehensive, targeting various locations. This reflects the inclusive nature of Jesus' ministry, reaching out to diverse communities. It also suggests a strategic approach to spreading the Gospel, ensuring that no area is overlooked.
He was about to visit
This phrase emphasizes the personal involvement of Jesus in His ministry. The towns and places were not random; they were chosen destinations where Jesus intended to bring His message. It highlights the anticipation of His presence and the transformative impact of His visit.
• Luke marks a clear transition. The Lord has just taught on true discipleship and the cost of following Him (Luke 9:57-62).
• Jesus’ ministry is moving toward Jerusalem (Luke 9:51), so “after this” signals purposeful progression, not a casual next step.
• The phrase reminds us that God’s plan unfolds in deliberate stages, echoing how He led Israel step by step in the wilderness (Exodus 13:21-22).
• “The Lord” underscores Christ’s authority; He is not merely suggesting—He is commissioning (Matthew 28:18).
• “Appointed” reveals personal selection, just as He chose the Twelve earlier (Luke 6:13). God still calls individuals specifically for kingdom work (Acts 13:2).
• “Seventy-two” broadens the mission force. It reflects Numbers 11:16-17, where Moses gathered seventy elders to share the workload, hinting at God’s consistent strategy of multiplying leaders.
• These were “others,” indicating ordinary followers beyond the Twelve. Every believer can be enlisted for gospel advance (Ephesians 4:11-12).
• Sending “two by two” provides:
– Mutual encouragement (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).
– Safety and accountability (Proverbs 27:17).
– Confirmed testimony, since “every matter is to be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses” (Deuteronomy 19:15; see also Mark 6:7).
• The pattern appears again in Acts—Peter and John (Acts 3:1), Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:2)—showing a timeless principle for ministry teams.
• The seventy-two functioned as forerunners, similar to how John the Baptist prepared the way (Luke 1:17; Malachi 3:1).
• Serving “ahead of Him” clarifies that the mission centers on Christ’s arrival, not the messengers’ fame (John 3:30).
• Believers today still go before Him in the sense that our witness prepares hearts for His promised return (2 Peter 3:11-12).
• No corner is overlooked; Jesus cares for “every town and place” (cf. Acts 1:8, “to the ends of the earth”).
• The groundwork included proclaiming peace, healing, and announcing, “The kingdom of God has come near to you” (Luke 10:9).
• This mirrors God’s heart in Jonah 3:2 to reach even reluctant or unlikely audiences, underscoring universal gospel scope.
Luke 10:1 shows the Lord intentionally expanding His mission through ordinary disciples, sending them in pairs, ahead of Him, to prepare every community for His arrival. The verse teaches that Christ commands, equips, and directs His people to share the good news wherever He intends to work next, assuring us that kingdom labor is strategic, relational, and all-inclusive.
X.(1) After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also.--Some MSS. of importance give "seventy-two," but the evidence preponderates in favour of the reading "seventy." The number had a threefold significance. (1) Seventy elders had been appointed by Moses to help him in his work of teaching and judging the people (Numbers 11:16), and to these the spirit of prophecy had been given that they might bear the burden with him. In appointing the Seventy our Lord revived, as it were, the order or "school" of prophets which had been so long extinct. The existence of such men in every Church is implied in well-nigh every Epistle (e.g., Acts 13:1; Acts 15:32; 1Corinthians 12:28; 1Corinthians 14:29; 1Thessalonians 5:20), and the fact that St. Paul and others join together the "Apostles and Prophets" as having been jointly the foundation on which the Church was built (Ephesians 2:20; Ephesians 3:5; Ephesians 4:11; 2Peter 3:2), makes it probable that the latter words, no less than the former, pointed in the first instance to a known and definite body. The Seventy presented such a body. They, though not sharers in the special authority and functions of the Twelve, were yet endowed with like prophetic powers, and the mysteries of the kingdom were revealed to them (Luke 10:21). (2) As the Sanhedrin or great Council of scribes and priests and elders consisted of seventy members besides the president, the number having been fixed on the assumption that they were the successors of those whom Moses had chosen, our Lord's choice of the number could hardly fail to suggest the thought that the seventy disciples were placed by Him in a position of direct contrast with the existing Council, as an assembly guided, not by the traditions of men, but by direct inspiration. (3) But the number seventy had come to have another symbolical significance which could not fail to have a special interest. Partly by a rough reckoning of the names of the nations in Genesis 10, partly on account of the mystical completeness of the number itself, seventy had come to be the representative number of all the nations of the world; and so, in the Feast of Tabernacles, which in any harmonistic arrangement of the Gospel narrative must have almost immediately preceded the mission of the Seventy (see Note on John 7:2), a great sacrifice of seventy oxen was offered as on behalf of all the non-Israelite members of the great family of mankind (Lightfoot, Hor. Hebr. in Joann. 7). Bearing this in mind, and remembering the words that our Lord had spoken during that feast as to the "other sheep, not of that fold" (John 10:16), which He had come to gather, we may see in what is here recorded a step full of meaning, a distinct and formal witness of the future universality of the Church of Christ. The omission, in the charge addressed to them, of the command given to the Twelve against entering into the way of the Gentiles or any city of the Samaritans (Matthew 10:5) is on this view full of interest. . . .
Verses 1-24. - The mission of the seventy. The Lord's words to them of instruction and direction and warning. Verse 1. - After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also. That is to say, after the events just related which had taken place in the north of the Holy Land. "Alter these things" formally began the solemn marches in the direction of Jerusalem, which ended, as we have stated, in the last Passover. Roughly speaking, the seventy were first sent out about the October of the last year of the public ministry. The manuscripts vary between seventy and seventy two. The preponderance of authority is in favour of seventy. The Sanhedrin numbered seventy-one. The elders appointed by Moses were seventy. There was a Jewish saying also that the number of peoples on earth were seventy or seventy-two. Fourteen descended from Japhet, thirty from Ham, twenty-six from Shem. In the 'Clementine Recognitions,' a writing of the first half of the third century, the number of peoples is given as seventy-two. The Fathers dwell on the sacred symbolism of the desert-wanderings especially mentioned at Elim - "twelve wells and seventy palm trees," alluding to the two groups of Christ-sent missionaries, the twelve apostles and the "seventy" here mentioned. Two and two. As in the case of his apostles sent forth previously, for mutual help and comfort. Before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. By their means, as the time left him was now so short, all the needful preparations should be made before he personally visited the place. Villages and towns, too, where his presence was found, as in the case of the Samaritan village, unwelcome, would be thus carefully noted, and no time would needlessly be lost.