Matthew 18:4

Matthew 18:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
• New International Version (NIV)Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Context of Matthew 18:4

2And He called a child to Himself and set him among them, 3and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you change and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. So whoever will humble himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5And whoever receives one such child in My name, receives Me; 6but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Matthew 18:4 word by word

ὅστις οὖν ταπεινώσει ἑαυτὸν ὡς τὸ παιδίον τοῦτο, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ μείζων ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν.Read the interlinear

• Soοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
• whoeverὅστιςhostis hētis ho6ti · who/whichG3748
• will humbleταπεινόωtapeinoō · to humbleG5013
• himselfἑαυτοῦheautou · themselfG1438
• likeὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
• thisοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• childπαιδίονpaidion · childG3813
• he is the greatestμέγαςmegas · greatG3173
• in the kingdomβασιλείαbasileia · kingdomG932
• of heavenοὐρανόςouranos · heavenG3772

Cross-references for Matthew 18:4

• Matthew 23:11But the greatest of you shall be your servant.
• Psalms 131:1Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes arrogant; Nor do I involve myself in great matters, Or in things too difficult for me.
• Isaiah 57:15For this is what the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, says: “I dwell in a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite.
• Luke 14:11For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
• 1 Peter 5:5You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God is opposed to the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.
• James 4:10Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
• Matthew 18:1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
• Matthew 20:26It is not this way among you, but whoever wants to become prominent among you shall be your servant,
• Mark 10:43But it is not this way among you; rather, whoever wants to become prominent among you shall be your servant;
• Luke 9:48and He said to them, “Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me; for the one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great.”

Commentaries on Matthew 18:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Whosoever therefore shall humble himself - So great is the disparity between the kingdom of Christ and the kingdoms of this world, that there is no way of rising to honors in the former, but by humility of mind, and continual self-abasement. The same is greatest - Thus our Lord shows them that they were all equal, and that there could be no superiority among them, but what must come from the deepest humility; he intimates also, that wherever this…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-6Verses 1-6 See also Mark 9:33-41; Luke 9:46-50. Who is the greatest in the kingdom, of heaven? - By the kingdom of heaven they meant the kingdom which they supposed he was about to set up - his kingdom as the Messiah. They asked the question because they supposed, in accordance with the common expectation of the Jews, that he was about to set up a temporal kingdom of great splendor, and they wished to know who should have the principal offices, and posts…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-35This fourth major teaching in Matthew (see study note on Matthew 5:1–7:29) focuses on how people responded to the Messiah. The disciples accepted him, while the Jewish leaders and most people did not. As this division increased, Jesus taught his disciples about community life. To follow the standards of Jesus, a community should live with: humility (18:1–5), sensitivity (18:6–9), compassion (18:10–14), discipline (18:15–18), and forgiveness (18:21–35)…Read the comment

Topics related to Matthew 18:4

• Babes
• Children
• Humility
• Jesus, the Christ
• Worldliness

In the dictionaries

• Gain
• Owe
• Patience
• Baptism (lutheran Doctrine)
• Great; Greatness
• Humility
• Jesus Christ
• Matthew, the Gospel of
• Papyrus
• bind, bond, bound

Commentaries on Matthew 18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings