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Mat_10:2. Δώδεκα ] Theophylact: κατὰ τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῶν δώδεκα φυλῶν ; comp. Mat_19:28. On this occasion, when the mission is understood to take place, it is precisely the designation ἀποστόλων (not occurring elsewhere in Matthew, while in Mark it is found only in Mat_6:30) that is made choice of, though doubtless also used by Jesus Himself (Joh_13:16; Luk_6:13), and from that circumstance it gradually came to be employed as the distinguishing official title.
πρῶτος Σίμων ] The first is Simon. The further numbering of them ceases, for Matthew mentions them in pairs. The placing of Peter first in all the catalogues of the apostles (Mar_3:16 ff.; Luk_6:14 ff.; Act_1:13) is not accidental (Fritzsche), but is due to the fact that he and his brother were looked upon as the πρωτόκλητοι (see, however, Joh_1:41). This accords with the pre-eminence which he had among the apostles as primus inter pares (Mat_16:16 ff., Mat_17:1. Mat_24:19, Mat_27:26; Mat_27:37; Mat_27:40; Luk_8:45; Luk_9:32; Luk_22:31 f.; Joh_21:15; Act_1:15; Act_2:14; Act_5:3 f., Mat_8:14, Mat_10:5, Mat_15:7; Gal_1:18; Gal_2:7), and which was recognised by Jesus Himself. For that they were arranged in the order of their rank is perfectly obvious, not only from the betrayer being uniformly put last, but also from the fact that in all the catalogues James and John, who along with Peter were the Lord’s most intimate friends, are mentioned immediately after that apostle (and Andrew). Moreover, a conjoint view of the four catalogues of the apostles (Ewald, Gesch. Chr. p. 395 ff., Bleek, Keim) will confirm Bengel’s observation, that “universi ordines habent tres quaterniones, quorum nullus cum alio quicquam permutat; turn in primo semper primus est Petrus, in secundo Philippus … in tertio Jacobus Alphaei; in singulis ceteri apostoli loca permutant; proditor semper extremus.”
ὁ λεγόμ . Πέτρος ] who is called Peter (Schaeffer, Melet. p. 14); that was his usual apostolic name.
Ἀνδρέας ] Greek name (found even in Herod. vi. 126), like Philippus below. Doubtless both originally had Hebrew names which are not recorded.