Matthew 18:1–4
Asked who is greatest, he puts a child in the middle
Study it word by word1At that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2And calling to him a child, he set him in their midst
3and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter into the kingdom of heaven.
4Whoever then humbles himself like this child, this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
In its context
…
5And whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.
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.
Its words in the original
- ὥρᾳhōrai· hour
Hour; also moment, time.
- προσῆλθονprosēlthon· come to, approach
Come up to, approach someone.
- μαθηταὶmathētai· disciple
Disciple: someone who learns from a teacher and follows him in order to live as he does.
- ἸησοῦIēsou· Jesus
Jesus, the Greek form of the Hebrew Yehoshua (Joshua), which means "YHWH saves". It is the name the angel told Joseph to give him (Matthew 1:21).
- λέγοντεςlegontes· say
Say, speak; in the passive, "be called".
- ἄραara· then, so
So then, therefore.
- μείζωνmeizōn· great
Great, large.
- ἐστὶνestin· be
Be, exist.
- βασιλείᾳbasileiai· kingdom
Kingdom: the reign of a king and the place where he reigns. "The kingdom of heaven" is the reign of God.
- οὐρανῶνouranōn· heaven, sky
Heaven: the sky and, above all, the place of God. "The heavens" is sometimes a respectful way of saying "God".
- προσκαλεσάμενοςproskalesamenos· summon
Call to oneself, summon.
- παιδίονpaidion· little child
Little child.
- ἔστησενestēsen· stand, set
Stand, stand still, stop; also set, establish.
- μέσῳmesōi· middle
Middle, in the midst.
- ἈμὴνAmēn· truly, amen
Amen: a Hebrew word meaning "so it is", "it is firm". Jesus uses it at the start of a saying to affirm what he is about to say: "truly".
- στραφῆτεstraphēte· turn
Turn, turn around; change.
- γένησθεgenēsthe· become, happen
Become, happen, come about; be born.
- εἰσέλθητεeiselthēte· enter, go in
Enter, go in, come in.
- ταπεινώσειtapeinōsei· humble, bring low
Humble, bring low, abase; humble oneself, make oneself small.