Matthew 19:14 - Jesus Blesses the Children (2024)

Audio Crossref Comment Greek

Verse (Click for Chapter)

New International Version
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”New Living Translation
But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.”English Standard Version
but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”Berean Standard Bible
But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”Berean Literal Bible
But Jesus said, "Permit the little children, and do not forbid them to come to Me, for of such is the kingdom of the heavens."King James Bible
But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.New King James Version
But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”New American Standard Bible
But Jesus said, “Leave the children alone, and do not forbid them to come to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”NASB 1995
But Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”NASB 1977
But Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”Legacy Standard Bible
But Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”Amplified Bible
But He said, “Leave the children alone, and do not forbid them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”Christian Standard Bible
Jesus said, “Leave the little children alone, and don’t try to keep them from coming to me, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then Jesus said, “Leave the children alone, and don’t try to keep them from coming to Me, because the kingdom of heaven is made up of people like this.” American Standard Version
But Jesus said, Suffer the little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for to such belongeth the kingdom of heaven.Contemporary English Version
But Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and don't try to stop them! People who are like these children belong to God's kingdom." English Revised Version
But Jesus said, Suffer the little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.GOD'S WORD® Translation
Jesus said, "Don't stop children from coming to me! Children like these are part of the kingdom of God."Good News Translation
Jesus said, "Let the children come to me and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." International Standard Version
Jesus, however, said, "Let the little children come to me, and stop keeping them away, because the kingdom from heaven belongs to people like these." Majority Standard Bible
But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”NET Bible
But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."New Heart English Bible
But Jesus said, "Allow the little children, and do not forbid them to come to me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to ones like these."Webster's Bible Translation
But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not to come to me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.Weymouth New Testament
Jesus however said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them; for it is to those who are childlike that the Kingdom of the Heavens belongs."World English Bible
But Jesus said, “Allow the little children, and don’t forbid them to come to me; for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to ones like these.”

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
But Jesus said, “Permit the children, and do not forbid them to come to Me, for of such is the kingdom of the heavens”;Berean Literal Bible
But Jesus said, "Permit the little children, and do not forbid them to come to Me, for of such is the kingdom of the heavens."Young's Literal Translation
But Jesus said, 'Suffer the children, and forbid them not, to come unto me, for of such is the reign of the heavens;'Smith's Literal Translation
But Jesus said, Let go the young children, and hinder them not, to come to me: for of such is the kingdom of the heavens.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
But Jesus said to them: Suffer the little children, and forbid them not to come to me: for the kingdom of heaven is for such. Catholic Public Domain Version
Yet truly, Jesus said to them: “Allow the little children to come to me, and do not choose to prohibit them. For the kingdom of heaven is among such as these.”New American Bible
but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”New Revised Standard Version
but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.”

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
But Jesus said to them, Allow the little boys to come to me, and do not stop them; for the kingdom of heaven is for such as these.Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But Yeshua said to them, “Let the children come to me and do not forbid them, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.”

NT Translations

Anderson New Testament
But Jesus said: Let the little children come to me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.Godbey New Testament
But Jesus said,

Suffer the little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of the heavens.Haweis New Testament
Then said Jesus, Permit little children, and hinder them not from coming to me; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.Mace New Testament
but Jesus said, let the children alone, and don't hinder them from coming to me: for of such does the gospel-kingdom consist.Weymouth New Testament
Jesus however said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them; for it is to those who are childlike that the Kingdom of the Heavens belongs."Worrell New Testament
But Jesus said, "Permit the little children—and do not forbid them—to come to Me; for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven."Worsley New Testament
but Jesus said, Suffer the children to come to me, and do not hinder them: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

Jesus Blesses the Children
13Then the little children were brought to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them and pray for them. And the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15And after He had placed His hands on them, He went on from there.…

Cross References

Mark 10:14
But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and told them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.Luke 18:16
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.Matthew 18:3
“Truly I tell you,” He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.Mark 9:36-37
Then He had a little child stand among them. Taking the child in His arms, He said to them, / “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in My name welcomes Me, and whoever welcomes Me welcomes not only Me, but the One who sent Me.”Luke 9:48
And He said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in My name welcomes Me, and whoever welcomes Me welcomes the One who sent Me. For whoever is the least among all of you, he is the greatest.”Matthew 11:25
At that time Jesus declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.1 Corinthians 14:20
Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.1 Peter 2:2
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,Psalm 8:2
From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise on account of Your adversaries, to silence the enemy and avenger.Isaiah 11:6
The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat; the calf and young lion and fatling will be together, and a little child will lead them.Isaiah 40:11
He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads the nursing ewes.Deuteronomy 6:7
And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.Joel 2:28
And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.Zechariah 8:5
And the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing there.”

Treasury of Scripture

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

Suffer.

Genesis 17:7,8,24-26 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee…

Genesis 21:4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him.

Judges 13:7 But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.

for.

Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

Matthew 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

1 Corinthians 14:20 Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.

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Matthew 19

1. Jesus heals the sick;
3. answers the Pharisees concerning divorce;
10. shows when marriage is necessary;
13. receives the little children;
16. instructs the young man how to attain eternal life;
20. and how to be perfect;
23. tells his disciples how hard it is for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God;
27. and promises reward to those who forsake all to follow him.

Berean Study Bible

But Jesus said
This phrase introduces the direct words of Jesus, emphasizing His authority and the importance of His teachings. In the Greek, "Ἰησοῦς" (Iēsous) is the name for Jesus, which is derived from the Hebrew "Yeshua," meaning "Yahweh is salvation." This highlights Jesus' role as the Savior and His divine authority to speak on matters of the kingdom of heaven.

Let the little children come to Me
The word "let" is a translation of the Greek "ἄφετε" (aphete), which means to allow or permit. This is a command from Jesus, indicating His desire for children to approach Him freely. "Little children" translates from "παιδία" (paidia), referring to young children, emphasizing their innocence and purity. The phrase "come to Me" signifies an invitation to approach Jesus, symbolizing the openness and accessibility of Christ to all, regardless of age or status.

and do not hinder them!
"Hinder" comes from the Greek "κωλύετε" (kōlyete), meaning to prevent or obstruct. Jesus is instructing His disciples and followers not to create barriers for children seeking Him. This reflects a broader principle of removing obstacles that prevent anyone from coming to Christ, underscoring the inclusive nature of the gospel.

For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these
The "kingdom of heaven" is a central theme in Matthew's Gospel, representing God's sovereign rule and the realm of eternal life. The phrase "belongs to such as these" indicates that the qualities found in children—such as humility, trust, and dependence—are essential for entering the kingdom. The Greek "τοιούτων" (toioutōn) means "such as these," pointing to the characteristics of children that believers must emulate. This statement by Jesus challenges societal norms that often undervalue children, instead elevating their status as exemplars of the faith required to enter God's kingdom.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(14) Suffer little children, and forbid them not . . .--St. Mark adds that Jesus "was much displeased," and represents Him as reproducing almost verbally the teaching of Matthew 18:3. The tenderness of His sympathy was kindled into indignation at the rough indifference of the disciples. As in thousands of those whose lives have been modelled after His pattern, the love of children was not weaker, but stronger, precisely because it depended on no human relationship, but sprang from His seeing in them the children of His Father.

Of such is the kingdom of heaven.--That is, the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these, is theirs as by inheritance.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 14. - Suffer [the] little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me. He speaks as though the infants were ready and eager to come to him, if they were not prevented. He thus intimates the truth that, though incompetent to undo, stand God's blessing, children were not incompetent to receive it. There was no natural impediment to bar the way. Unconscious intents, under the Mosaic dispensation, were admitted to the privileges of the Jewish Church by the rite of circumcision; in Christ's kingdom analogous mercies were to be extended to them. From this passage has been derived a cogent argument for infant baptism, because Christ herein showed, not only that tender age and immaturity of reason put no obstacle in the way of his blessing, but that children were the standard by which fitness for his kingdom was to be tested. For of such is the kingdom of heaven. They who would enter Christ's kingdom must be pure, simple, obedient, as little children (comp. Matthew 18:3). That is why he says, "of such," not "of these," intimating that it is not to the age, but to the disposition and character, that he refers. Some, not so suitably, confine the saying to such as are dedicated to God in baptism. It is well said that what children now are is God's work; what they shall be hereafter is their own. Parallel Commentaries ...

Greek

But
δὲ (de)
Conjunction
Strong's 1161: A primary particle; but, and, etc.

Jesus
Ἰησοῦς (Iēsous)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2424: Of Hebrew origin; Jesus, the name of our Lord and two other Israelites.

said,
εἶπεν (eipen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2036: Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.

“Let
Ἄφετε (Aphete)
Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 863: From apo and hiemi; to send forth, in various applications.

the
τὰ (ta)
Article - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

little children
παιδία (paidia)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3813: Neuter diminutive of pais; a childling, i.e., an infant, or a half-grown boy or girl; figuratively, an immature Christian.

come
ἐλθεῖν (elthein)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active
Strong's 2064: To come, go.

to
πρός (pros)
Preposition
Strong's 4314: To, towards, with. A strengthened form of pro; a preposition of direction; forward to, i.e. Toward.

Me,
με (me)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

do not hinder
κωλύετε (kōlyete)
Verb - Present Imperative Active - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 2967: To prevent, debar, hinder; with infin: from doing so and so. From the base of kolazo; to estop, i.e. Prevent.

them!
αὐτὰ (auta)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Neuter 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

For
γὰρ (gar)
Conjunction
Strong's 1063: For. A primary particle; properly, assigning a reason.

the
(hē)
Article - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

kingdom
βασιλεία (basileia)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 932: From basileus; properly, royalty, i.e. rule, or a realm.

of
τῶν (tōn)
Article - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

heaven
οὐρανῶν (ouranōn)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 3772: Perhaps from the same as oros; the sky; by extension, heaven; by implication, happiness, power, eternity; specially, the Gospel.

belongs
ἐστὶν (estin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

to
τῶν (tōn)
Article - Genitive Neuter Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

such as these.”
τοιούτων (toioutōn)
Demonstrative Pronoun - Genitive Neuter Plural
Strong's 5108: (including the other inflections); from toi and houtos; truly this, i.e. Of this sort (to denote character or individuality).

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Matthew 19:14 - Jesus Blesses the Children (2024)
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