LUKE 18:16 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT But Jesus summoned them, saying, “Permit the little children to come to me, and do not forbid them. For of such is the kingdom of God.

UST But Jesus called for the children to be brought to him. He said, “Let the little children come to me! Do not stop them, because it is humble and trusting people like these children who let God rule their lives.

BSB But Jesus called [the children] to [Him] [and] said, “Let the little children come to Me, and {do} not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

MSB But Jesus called [the children] to [Him] [and] said, “Let the little children come to Me, and {do} not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

BLB But Jesus, having called them to Him, said, "Permit the little children to come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of the such is the kingdom of God.

AICNT But Jesus called [them],[fn] saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom {of God}.[fn]

18:16, them: Absent from B(03).

18:16, of God: Some manuscripts read “of the heavens.” BYZ TR

OEB Jesus, however, called the little children to him. ‘Let the little children come to me,’ he said, ‘and do not hinder them, for it is to the childlike that the kingdom of God belongs.

WEBBE Jesus summoned them, saying, “Allow the little children to come to me, and don’t hinder them, for God’s Kingdom belongs to such as these.

WMBB Yeshua summoned them, saying, “Allow the little children to come to me, and don’t hinder them, for God’s Kingdom belongs to such as these.

NET But Jesus called for the children, saying, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

LSV and Jesus having called them near, said, “Permit the little children to come to Me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the Kingdom of God;

FBV But Jesus called the children to him. “Let the little children come to me,” he said. “Don't prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to those who are like them.

TCNT but Jesus called for them and said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

T4T But Jesus called the children to come to him. He said to his disciples, “Let the children come to me! Do not stop them! It is people who are humble and trusting like they are who can experience God ruling their lives.

LEB But Jesus called them to himself, saying, “Allow the children to come to me, and do not forbid them, _⌊for to such belongs_⌋[fn] the kingdom of God.

18:16 Literally “for of such is”

BBE But Jesus sent for them, saying, Let the children come to me, and do not keep them away, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

Moff but Jesus called for the infants. "Let the children come to me," he said, "do not stop them: the Realm of God belongs to such as these.

Wymth Jesus however called the infants to Him. "Let the little children come to me," He said; "do not hinder them; for it is to those who are childlike that the Kingdom of God belongs.

ASV But Jesus called them unto him, saying, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for to such belongeth the kingdom of God.

DRA But Jesus, calling them together, said: Suffer children to come to me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

YLT and Jesus having called them near, said, 'Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the reign of God;

Drby But Jesus calling them to [him] said, Suffer little children to come to me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of [fn]God.

18.16 Elohim

RV But Jesus called them unto him, saying, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

SLT And Jesus having called them, said, Leave the young children to come to me, and hinder them not: for of such is time kingdom of God.

Wbstr But Jesus called them to him , and said, Suffer little children to come to me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

KJB-1769 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

KJB-1611 But Iesus called them vnto him, and said, Suffer litle children to come vnto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdome of God.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps But Iesus, when he had called them vnto hym, saide, Suffer chyldre to come vnto me, and forbyd them not: For of such is the kyngdome of God.
(But Yesus/Yeshua, when he had called them unto him, said, Suffer chyldre to come unto me, and forbid them not: For of such is the kingdom of God.)

Gnva But Iesus called them vnto him, and said, Suffer the babes to come vnto mee, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdome of God.
(But Yesus/Yeshua called them unto him, and said, Suffer the babes to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. )

Cvdl Neuertheles Iesus called them vnto him, and sayde: Suffre childre to come vnto me, and forbyd the not, for of soch is ye kyngdome of God.
(Nevertheless Yesus/Yeshua called them unto him, and said: Suffer children to come unto me, and forbid the not, for of such is ye/you_all kingdom of God.)

TNT But Iesus called the vnto him and sayde: Suffre chyldren to come vnto me and forbidde the not. For of soche is the kyngdome of God.
(But Yesus/Yeshua called the unto him and said: Suffer children to come unto me and forbidde the not. For of such is the kingdom of God. )

Wycl But Jhesus clepide togider hem, and seide, Suffre ye children to come to me, and nyle ye forbede hem, for of siche is the kyngdom of heuenes.
(But Yhesus called togider hem, and said, Suffer ye/you_all children to come to me, and won’t ye/you_all forbid hem, for of such is the kingdom of heavens.)

Luth Aber JEsus rief sie zu sich und sprach: Lasset die Kindlein zu mir kommen und wehret ihnen nicht; denn solcher ist das Reich Gottes.
(But Yesus shouted they/she/them to/for itself/yourself/themselves and spoke: Let the little_child to/for to_me coming and defend to_them not; because/than such is the kingdom God’s.)

ClVg Jesus autem convocans illos, dixit: Sinite pueros venire ad me, et nolite vetare eos: talium est enim regnum Dei.[fn]
(Yesus however convocans those, he/she_said: Sinite boys to_come to me, and don't vetare them: of_such it_is because kingdom of_God. )

18.16 Sinite pueros. Nemo prohibeat languidos venire ad medicum. Isti in ramo nihil adhuc commiserunt, sed in radice perierunt. Qui pro se agere non possunt, causam suam majoribus commiserunt. Tangat medicus, et benedicat pusillis cum majoribus Psal. 113.. Talium est enim. Non ait istorum, sed qui habent ex studio innocentiam et simplicitatem quam isti habent per naturam, quia non ætas regnat, sed mores. Non enim est virtus non posse peccare, sed nolle. Sicut puer non perseverat in ira, læsus non meminit, non concupiscit mulierem, non cogitat vel loquitur malum, sic vos nisi talem innocentiam et animi puritatem habueritis, non intrabitis in regnum cœlorum.

18.16 Sinite boys. Nobody prohibeat languidos to_come to doctor. These in/into/on ramo nothing still commiserunt, but in/into/on root they_perished. Who for himself to_act not/no they_can, cause his_own to_the_elders commiserunt. Tangat medicus, and bless little_ones when/with to_the_elders Psal. 113.. Talium it_is because. Not/No he_said to_thisrum, but who/which they_have from studio innocence and simplicity how these they_have through nature, because not/no ætas kingdomst, but mores. Not/No because it_is virtue not/no posse to_sin, but nolle. Like child not/no perseveres in/into/on anger/rage, læsus not/no meminit, not/no desires woman, not/no thinks or speaks evil, so you(pl) except such_a_one innocence and of_the_soul puritatem has_hadis, not/no you_will_enter in/into/on kingdom of_the_heavens.

UGNT ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς προσεκαλέσατο αὐτὰ λέγων, ἄφετε τὰ παιδία ἔρχεσθαι πρός με, καὶ μὴ κωλύετε αὐτά; τῶν γὰρ τοιούτων ἐστὶν ἡ Βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ.
(ho de Yaʸsous prosekalesato auta legōn, afete ta paidia erⱪesthai pros me, kai maʸ kōluete auta; tōn gar toioutōn estin haʸ Basileia tou Theou.)

SBL-GNT ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ⸂προσεκαλέσατο αὐτὰ λέγων⸃· Ἄφετε τὰ παιδία ἔρχεσθαι πρός με καὶ μὴ κωλύετε αὐτά, τῶν γὰρ τοιούτων ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ.
(ho de Yaʸsous ⸂prosekalesato auta legōn⸃; Afete ta paidia erⱪesthai pros me kai maʸ kōluete auta, tōn gar toioutōn estin haʸ basileia tou theou.)

RP-GNT Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς προσκαλεσάμενος αὐτὰ εἶπεν, Ἄφετε τὰ παιδία ἔρχεσθαι πρός με, καὶ μὴ κωλύετε αὐτά· τῶν γὰρ τοιούτων ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ.
(Ho de Yaʸsous proskalesamenos auta eipen, Afete ta paidia erⱪesthai pros me, kai maʸ kōluete auta; tōn gar toioutōn estin haʸ basileia tou theou.)

TC-GNT Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς [fn]προσκαλεσάμενος αὐτὰ εἶπεν, Ἄφετε τὰ παιδία ἔρχεσθαι πρός με, καὶ μὴ κωλύετε αὐτά· τῶν γὰρ τοιούτων ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ.
(Ho de Yaʸsous proskalesamenos auta eipen, Afete ta paidia erⱪesthai pros me, kai maʸ kōluete auta; tōn gar toioutōn estin haʸ basileia tou Theou. )

18:16 προσκαλεσαμενος αυτα ειπεν ¦ προσεκαλεσατο αυτα λεγων CT

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 18:15–17: People should enter God’s kingdom humbly like children

Jesus used the story of the tax collector in the previous section to teach that God accepts people who are humble. In this section he used young children to teach the same lesson. People brought their children so that Jesus could bless them. The disciples probably thought that Jesus was too busy as an important teacher to bless the children. So they tried to stop the people from bringing them, but Jesus allowed the children to come to him. He wanted to bless them. He said that the people whom God rules should be like children. The text does not say exactly how they should be like children. Some possibilities are that God’s people should have humble faith like children, they should depend on God, and they should humbly accept God’s authority to rule their lives.

It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it. Some examples of headings for this section are:

Jesus Blesses Little Children (GNT)

The kingdom is for people who are like children

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 19:13–15 and Mark 10:13–16.

18:16a

But Jesus called the children to Him

But Jesus called the children to come to him.
However, Jesus told them to bring their children to him,

But: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as But introduces what Jesus did when the people brought the children to him. What Jesus did contrasted with what the disciples said to the people, so many English versions have “but” here. The NLT has “Then.” Connect this verse to 18:15 in a natural way in your language.

Jesus called the children to Him: The Greek word that the BSB translates as the children is a pronoun, “them.” It refers back to the “babies” in 18:15a.The Greek pronoun is a neuter form that agrees with the word for “babies,” not the masculine noun “disciples.” Here is another way to translate this:

Jesus called the infants to him (GW)

However, 18:16c uses the more general word for “children.” Many English versions, such as the BSB, use the word children here as well. Refer to them in a natural way in your language.

Many of the children were too young to walk, so the phrase called the children to Him implies that Jesus was inviting the parents to bring them. Here is another way to translate this:

Jesus called for the children (NET)

18:16b

and said,

He said to his disciples,
and he told/ordered his disciples,

and said: The Greek word that the BSB translates as and said is literally “saying.” It introduces what Jesus said to the disciples. In some languages it may be helpful to make this explicit. For example:

and said to the disciples

18:16c–d

Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them: These clauses are two commands: Let the little children come to Me and do not hinder them. These commands have similar meanings. Jesus repeated his meaning in two different ways to emphasize what he said.

In some languages it may be more natural to give the negative command first. For example:

Do not forbid the children to come to me. Allow them to come….

In other languages it may be more natural to combine the two commands. For example:

Don’t stop the children from coming to me! (GW)

Translate these two commands in a natural way in your language.

18:16c

“Let the little children come to Me,

“Let^(plur) the children come to me
“Permit^(plur) the children to come to me.

Let the little children come to Me: The Greek verb that the BSB translates as Let means “allow” or “permit.” Here is another way to translate this:

Permit the children to come to Me (NASB)

little children: The Greek word that the BSB translates as little children is a general word for children of any age.

18:16d

and do not hinder them!

and do^(plur) not stop them.
Do^(plur) not prevent them from coming.

do not hinder them: The phrase do not hinder them indicates that the disciples should not prevent the children from coming to Jesus. Other ways to translate this command are:

do not stop them (GNT)

do not forbid their coming to me

18:16e

For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

For the kingdom of God is for people like these children.
For people who are humble/trusting like these children will be the ones to share in the blessings of God’s rule.
For God reigns as king over people like these children.

For: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as For introduces the reason or explanation for Jesus’ commands to his disciples in 18:16c–d. Another way to translate this conjunction is:

because (GNT)

Express the reason or explanation in a natural way in your language. See the General Comment on 18:16c–e below for a suggestion about changing the order of clauses in this verse.

the kingdom of God belongs to such as these: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as the kingdom of God belongs to such as these indicates that people who are like those children have the right/privilege to be included in the group of people whom God rules. It does not mean that such people own the kingdom of God.

Some other ways to translate this are:

the citizens of the kingdom of God are people like these children

it is people like these children who live/belong in God’s chieftaincy

the people whom God cares for as king are like these little children

the kingdom of God: The phrase kingdom of God refers to God’s activity of ruling and caring for his people as their king. It does not refer to a land or country that he rules over. It refers to the relationship that he has with his people. He leads, protects, and cares for them. They obey, trust, and submit to him as their king. See kingdom of God, Context 2, in the Glossary.

such as these: The phrase such as these means “people like these children.” Here Jesus compared people who are included in his kingdom to children. He did not make explicit how they should be like children.Stein lists several possible characteristics of children that Jesus may have been referring to as necessary for entering the kingdom of God: (1) the humility little children possess because they lack anything to boast of and can make no claim on God (cf. 18:9–14; Matthew 18:4); (2) a simple faith free from doubt (Luke 17:5–6); and (3) a lack of attachment to possessions (18:18–30).” Stein prefers the first view, saying, “In light of the preceding passage (18:9–14) and Matthew’s specific application of ‘childlikeness’ to humility (Matthew 18:4), the first suggestion seems best.” Fitzmyer (p. 1194) says, “Here the child’s qualities of openness, lowliness in society, minority, helplessness, without claim of achievement, and in need of constant maternal or paternal attention are what is being alluded to.” The necessity of depending humbly on God was also a theme of the parable in the preceding section. The tax collector had no righteousness of his own to depend on, and he humbly asked God for mercy. Like him, the children had no power or other qualifications of their own. They were totally dependent on others to take care of them. This willingness to depend totally on God is presented as an essential qualification for entering God’s kingdom. However, many scholars refer to the fact that children must humbly depend on other people to care for them. In a similar way, a person in God’s kingdom must humbly depend on God.

In some languages it may be necessary to make some of this information explicit. For example:

because the kingdom of God belongs to people who depend on God like these children depend on those who care for them.

for it is people who are trusting/humble like these children who will live in the kingdom of God.

General Comment on 18:16c–e

In 18:16e Jesus gave the reason or explanation for his commands in 18:16c–d. In some languages it may be more natural to put the reason/explanation before the commands. For example:

^16eThe kingdom of God belongs to children such as these. ^16cSo let them come to me. ^16dDo not hinder them!

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: writing-pronouns

ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς προσεκαλέσατο αὐτὰ λέγων

¬the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὁ Δέ Ἰησοῦς προσεκαλέσατο αὐτά λέγων Ἄφετε τά παιδία ἔρχεσθαι πρός μέ καί μή κωλύετε αὐτά τῶν γάρ τοιούτων ἐστίν ἡ Βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ)

Alternate translation: [But Jesus called the children to come to him, telling his disciples]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / verbs

ἄφετε τὰ παιδία ἔρχεσθαι πρός με, καὶ μὴ κωλύετε αὐτά

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὁ Δέ Ἰησοῦς προσεκαλέσατο αὐτά λέγων Ἄφετε τά παιδία ἔρχεσθαι πρός μέ καί μή κωλύετε αὐτά τῶν γάρ τοιούτων ἐστίν ἡ Βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ)

The verb in the first phrase indicates a one-time action, while the verb in the second phrase indicates an ongoing action. Alternate translation: [Allow these children to come to me, and do not ever forbid children to come]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

τῶν & τοιούτων ἐστὶν ἡ Βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ

¬the & ˱of˲_such (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὁ Δέ Ἰησοῦς προσεκαλέσατο αὐτά λέγων Ἄφετε τά παιδία ἔρχεσθαι πρός μέ καί μή κωλύετε αὐτά τῶν γάρ τοιούτων ἐστίν ἡ Βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ)

It becomes clear in [18:17](../18/17.md) that this is simile. You could express it as one here. Alternate translation: [the kingdom of God consists of people who are like these little children]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns