Matthew 18:9

“And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter into life with one eye than having two eyes to be thrown into fiery Gehenna.”

Matthew 18:9 · direct translation from the Greek
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9

Matthew 18:9, word by word

your eyeὀφθαλμόςophthalmos

eye

The organ of sight, in the face.

Where else “ophthalmos” appears
causesσκανδαλίζειskandalizei

cause to stumble

To make someone fall into sin or lose faith.

Where else “skandalizei” appears
tearἔξελεexele

tear out

To take out completely, like an eye.

Where else “exele” appears
throw itβάλεbale

throw

To hurl something or someone away from oneself.

Where else “bale” appears
it isἐστινestin

be

To be: says who or what something is.

Where else “estin” appears
betterκαλόνkalon

beautiful

Lovely to look at.

Where else “kalon” appears
to enterεἰσελθεῖνeiselthein

enter

To go into a house, a town or a place.

Where else “eiselthein” appears
lifeζωὴνzōēn

eternal life

What God gives to live with him without end.

Where else “zōēn” appears
with one eyeμονόφθαλμονmonophthalmon

one-eyed

One-eyed.

Where else “monophthalmon” appears
havingἔχονταechonta

have

To count something or someone as one's own: goods, family, faith, power.

Where else “echonta” appears
twoδύοdyo

two

Two.

Where else “dyo” appears
fieryπυρόςpyros

fire

Fire.

Where else “pyros” appears
Gehennaγέεννανgeennan

Gehenna

Gehenna: the Valley of Hinnom beside Jerusalem, a cursed place because children were sacrificed there to idols; an image of final punishment.

Where else “geennan” appears

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Causes of stumbling

Mark 9:42-50Luke 17:1-2

A similar saying; scholars discuss whether it is the same saying in another setting or a repeated one.

See them side by side

Matthew 18:6-9

6But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it is better for him that a donkey’s millstone be hung around his neck and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea. 7Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! For it is necessary that stumbling blocks come, but woe to the person through whom the stumbling block comes! 8And if your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter into life maimed or lame than having two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter into life with one eye than having two eyes to be thrown into fiery Gehenna.

Mark 9:42-50

42And whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be far better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43And if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life maimed than having the two hands to go away into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. 44where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. 45And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life lame than having the two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. 46where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. 47And if your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than having two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, 48where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. 49For everyone will be salted with fire. 50Salt is good; but if the salt becomes saltless, with what will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

Luke 17:1-2

1And he said to his disciples, “It is impossible that stumbling blocks should not come; but woe to the one through whom they come! 2It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.

The context

8And if your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter into life maimed or lame than having two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire.

9 · This verse (above)

10See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

Read all of Matthew 18

To study Matthew 18 in a group

  1. 1. What it says

    What did Jesus put in the middle of the disciples when they asked who is greatest (vv. 1–3)?

  2. 2. What it means

    Why does Jesus tell the parable of the slave who was forgiven a huge debt (vv. 23–35)?

  3. 3. How I live it

    Peter asked how many times to forgive (v. 21). Whom do you find hard to forgive, and what small first step can you take?

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