MAT 18:2 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, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object.
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).

UST Jesus told a young child to come to him. He had the young child stand among them.

AICNT And calling a child, [[Jesus]][fn] placed it in their midst

18:2, Jesus: Later manuscripts add.

OEB Jesus called a little child to him, and placed it in the middle of them, and then said,

WEBBE Jesus called a little child to himself, and set him in the middle of them

WMBB Yeshua called a little child to himself, and set him in the middle of them

NET He called a child, had him stand among them,

LSV And Jesus having called near a child, set him in the midst of them,

FBV Jesus called over a small child. He had the child stand in front of them.

TCNT So Jesus called over a little child, placed him among them,

T4T Jesus called a child to come, and he placed that child in our midst.

LEB And calling a child to himself, he had him stand in their midst

BBE And he took a little child, and put him in the middle of them,

Moff So he called a child, set it among them,

Wymth So He called a young child to Him, and, bidding him stand in the midst of them,

ASV And he called to him a little child, and set him in the midst of them,

DRA And Jesus calling unto him a little child, set him in the midst of them,

YLT And Jesus having called near a child, did set him in the midst of them,

Drby And Jesus having called a little child to [him], set it in their midst,

RV And he called to him a little child, and set him in the midst of them,

SLT And Jesus, having called a young child, set it in the midst of them,

Wbstr And Jesus called a little child to him, and set him in the midst of them,

KJB-1769 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,

KJB-1611 And Iesus called a little child vnto him, and set him in the midst of them,
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps Iesus called a litle chylde vnto hym, and set hym in the myddest of them,
(Yesus/Yeshua called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,)

Gnva And Iesus called a litle childe vnto him, and set him in the mids of them,
(And Yesus/Yeshua called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, )

Cvdl And Iesus called a childe vnto him, and set him in the myddest amonge them,
(And Yesus/Yeshua called a child unto him, and set him in the midst among them,)

TNT Iesus called a chylde vnto him and set him in the middes of them:
(Yesus/Yeshua called a child unto him and set him in the midst of them: )

Wycl And Jhesus clepide a litil child, and putte hym in the myddil of hem;
(And Yhesus called a little child, and put him in the middle of hem;)

Luth JEsus rief ein Kind zu sich und stellete das mitten unter sie
(Yesus shouted a child to/for itself/yourself/themselves and posed/set the midway/in_the_middle under they/she/them)

ClVg Et advocans Jesus parvulum, statuit eum in medio eorum,[fn]
(And appealing Yesus parvulum, decided him in/into/on in_the_middle their, )

18.2 Et advocans. Secundum Marcum puerum Jesus complectitur, significans humiles dignos suo complexu et dilectione. Parvulum, etc. Parvulum ætate, ut similitudinem demonstraret. Vel se statuit in medio qui non venit ministrari, sed ministrare. Vel parvulum, id est, Spiritum sanctum posuit in cordibus eorum, ut humilitate superbiam vitarent.

18.2 And appealing. After/Second Marcum boy Yesus complectitur, significant humbles worthy his_own complexu and with_love. Parvulum, etc. Parvulum age, as similarity demonstraret. Or himself decided in/into/on in_the_middle who/which not/no he_came ministrari, but to_serve. Or parvulum, that it_is, Spirit holy put in/into/on hearts their, as humility pride avoidnt.

UGNT καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος παιδίον, ἔστησεν αὐτὸ ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν
(kai proskalesamenos paidion, estaʸsen auto en mesōi autōn)

SBL-GNT καὶ ⸀προσκαλεσάμενος παιδίον ἔστησεν αὐτὸ ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν
(kai ⸀proskalesamenos paidion estaʸsen auto en mesōi autōn)

RP-GNT Καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος ὁ Ἰησοῦς παιδίον ἔστησεν αὐτὸ ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν,
(Kai proskalesamenos ho Yaʸsous paidion estaʸsen auto en mesōi autōn,)

TC-GNT Καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος [fn]ὁ Ἰησοῦς παιδίον ἔστησεν αὐτὸ ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν,
(Kai proskalesamenos ho Yaʸsous paidion estaʸsen auto en mesōi autōn, )

18:2 ο ιησους ¦ — CT

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

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 18:1–4: Jesus’ disciples must be humble

Jesus’ disciples were sometimes concerned about their own reputations. They were also concerned about what their roles would be in the kingdom that Jesus announced. In this section, they asked Jesus directly about this concern. (The parallel passage in Mark 9:34 shows that the twelve disciples were arguing among themselves about which one of them would be the greatest in God’s kingdom.) Jesus answered them in a way that showed that the greatest person in the kingdom was not whom they thought. Jesus told them that the greatest person in the kingdom is the person who humbles himself and becomes like a child.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven (NIV)

Who is the greatest?

There are parallel passages for this section in Mark 9:33–37 and Luke 9:46–48.

18:2a

Jesus invited a little child

Jesus called a little child
Jesus asked a small/young child to come,

Jesus invited a little child: This clause indicates that there was a child nearby, but not right next to Jesus. So Jesus called for the child to come close to him.

Here is another way to translate this clause:

Jesus invited a little child to come to him

In some languages it will be more natural to translate this clause as direct speech. For example:

Jesus invited a little child and said, “Come here.”

invited: This word indicates that Jesus asked or summoned the child to come. Jesus did not shout or talk loudly.

little child: The Greek word that the BSB translates as little child refers to a young child. In this context, it refers to a child who was old enough to stand and walk.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

small child (NLT96)

young child

18:2b

to stand among them.

to come stand among them.
and he stood the child in the middle of them.

to stand among them: The Greek clause that the BSB translates as to stand among them means that Jesus stood the child among them. He set or placed the child in a standing position in the middle of the disciples.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

whom he set among them (NJB)

and he placed him standing in the middle of them

among them: The words among them indicates that the child was in the middle of Jesus and the disciples. He was surrounded by them. The child was most likely standing, but the men could have been sitting down. It is very possible that they were all inside of a house.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

in the midst of them (ESV)

in the middle of them all (JBP)

Parallel MAT 18:2

Section 18:1–4: Jesus’ disciples must be humble

18:2a

18:2b