Mat 10:9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,
Mat 10:10 Nor bag for [your] journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.

This English translation is very misleading. The term translated as "provide" is ktaomai, which means "to acquire," "to get specifically for oneself," and "to possess. It has the special meaning of procuring a wife.

"Gold" is chrusos, which means things made of gold, including stamped coins. "Silver" is arguros, and "brass" is chalkos. Both of these two latter terms mean the metal as well as objects made from the metal, specifically, coins.

"Purses" is zone, which was actually a belt or girdle used to restrain flowing garments. It was a rolled piece of cloth, so it was hollow inside and used for securing money.

In this first verse, Christ was not telling the apostles (and us) not to acquire money for their journey. However, this is a different idea from providing money.

"Bag" is pera, which was specifically a leather bag to carry provisions for traveling. We might call this a knapsack.

"Journey" is hodos, which, as we have discussed before, means "the way," which in Greek has the same two meanings that "way" has in English, both the idea of a road and a way of living, a path you take in life.

"Coats" is really a bad translation. The Greek word is chiton which is an undergarment, not an over garment. Christ is literally saying, "Don't take two pairs of underwear." There is a certain humor in this that I am sure was intentional.

"Shoes" is hupodema, which are sandals you tie on.

"Staves" is rhabdos, which has a lot of meanings. Basically, it means a "rod" or "wand." It is used for a rod that you use to chastise people, a magic wand, and a staff of office. It is not just a walking stick, but very much a sign of power and authority. However, it is also used to describe a fishing rod and a shepard's staff.

Notice that Christ doesn't say not to take two pairs of shoes or two staffs as this verse is often translated in some Bible versions. He says that his apostles should go barefoot and without a staff, which was a sign of authority.

"Workman" is ergates in Greek. It means workers, but it more specifically means a "doer," a "producer," or one who practices an art. As in some many of the words in Matthew, it has a very economic flavor. In this case, it separates people that do the work from those who supervise. Supervisors are the ones with the shoes and staff. There is an important message here for "the church" where the staff became a symbol of a bishop's authority.

Axios is translated here as "worthy," but its literal meaning is "couterbalancing." It is the idea of weighing the sames as something of equal value. From this comes the idea of "being worthy" or "due," not from inherent worth but because you give values for equal value.

"Meat" is from trophe, which means "nourishment" and "food." The Greeks used this word like we say "earning a living" in phrases meaning "earning your keep."

These two verses end up saying that the apostles not only needed to travel and preach, but they needed to make an act of faith. They needed to trust that other people would see the value in what they were doing and reward them for it. They were not to ask for these rewards. They were not to act as if they were in authority and "taxing" the people (like the Jewish priests). Instead, they were simple workmen who must trust that people would recognize the value of the acts they were to perform (see the previous verse.)