Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me,
Parallel Translations
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Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me,
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And whosoever receaveth suche a chylde in my name receaveth me.
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And whosoeuer shall receiue one such litle childe in my name, receiueth me.
Cross-references (9)
Passages linked to Matthew 18:5 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Matthew 25:40 “The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
- Mark 9:37 “Whoever receives one such little child in my name, receives me, and whoever receives me, doesn’t receive me, but him who sent me.”
- John 13:20 Most certainly I tell you, he who receives whomever I send, receives me; and he who receives me, receives him who sent me.”
- Galatians 4:14 That which was a temptation to you in my flesh, you didn’t despise nor reject; but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.
- Matthew 10:40-42 He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. He who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. Whoever gives one of these little ones just a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, most certainly I tell you he will in no way lose his reward.”
- Matthew 25:45 “Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you didn’t do it to one of the least of these, you didn’t do it to me.’
- Mark 9:41 For whoever will give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you are Christ’s, most certainly I tell you, he will in no way lose his reward.
- Luke 9:48 and said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in my name receives me. Whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For whoever is least among you all, this one will be great.”
- Luke 17:1-2 He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no occasions of stumbling should come, but woe to him through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, rather than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (14 sources)
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 5 And whoso shall receive one such little child…
5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
Ver. 5. And whoso shall receive one such, &c.] St Luke {Luk 9:48} hath it, "whosoever shall receive this child in my name." Meaneth our Saviour the child, or those that were humble as that child? Both surely. See here how highly Christ regards and rewards humility, even the picture of it in little ones. Now, if the shadow of this grace have such a healing virtue, what then hath the body? If the leaves be so sovereign, what then the fruit?
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Mark hath it thus, Mar 9:37, Whosoever shall receive…
Mark hath it thus, Mar 9:37, Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever receiveth me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me. Then he addeth, Mar 9:42, And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. Our Lord having declared that the little ones before mentioned shall be greatest in the kingdom of God, here cometh to show the care which he in his providence will take for them; that their friends shall be his friends, and their enemies his enemies: Whoso receiveth such a little child, that is, a humble Christian. In the next verse it is opened by, one that believeth in me. By receiving I conceive is here to be understood the showing of any favour or kindness to them: Christ declares that he would take it as done to himself. It is much the same with Mat 10:40-42. Mark addeth, He that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me. The reason is, because he and his Father are one, and the Father takes any kindness done to Christ as if it were done to himself, and the Son takes any kindness or unkindness done to any humble, believing soul, as if it were done to himself: see Mat 25:34-46.
But whoso shall offend one of these little ones, &c. As offending signifieth the laying of a stumbling block before any, so it signifieth any motion or temptation to them to sin against God, whether it be by flattering or frowning arguments, though the latter seemeth rather to be understood here; so, by offending, it signifies the doing them any harm upon Christ’s account, because they own him, and make a profession of his gospel, which, besides that it is a stumblingblock upon which they fall and suffer as to their bodies and outward concerns, is also a stumbling block to their souls, such dangers being strong temptations to Christians, to turn them aside from the right paths of truth and holiness.
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It were better for him that a millstone, &c.; mulov onikov, a stone in such a mill as asses were wont to draw, because of the heaviness of it. Some think our Saviour in this phrase alludes to some punishment of notorious malefactors, in use not amongst the Jews, but some other nations, by tying a stone about their necks, and throwing them into the sea: but whether it be such an allusion or no, is of no great moment; the phrase signifieth a certain destruction, both in regard of the weight of the stone and the depth of the sea. He saith, It is better that a millstone, &c., because of the punishment which shall be inflicted on such persons beyond this life.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
William Burkitt 1703 · Public Domain Our Saviour having declared, that the humblest persons should…
Our Saviour having declared, that the humblest persons should be always highest in his esteem; he next declares how exceeding dear and precious such christians are to him, who resemble little children in humility of heart, and innocency of life: assuring the world, that whatever kindness and respect is shewn to such for his sake, he reckons shewn to himself; and all the disrespect and unkindness which is offered to them, be accounts as done unto himself: so near is the union, and so dear the relation, betwixt Christ and his members, that whatever good or evil is done unto them, he reckons as done unto himself.
William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And whoso shall receive one such little child,.... Which…
And whoso shall receive one such little child,.... Which is to be understood, not literally but metaphorically; meaning not such an one in age, but one, as the Syriac renders it, , "that is as this child": like unto it for modesty and humility; one, that is as that, free from pride, ambition, and envy. Christ's sense is, that whoever receives his disciples, that are meek and lowly, into their houses, or into their hearts and affections; that receives their ministry and message, embraces the Gospel preached by them with readiness and cheerfulness, with faith and love,
in my name; on his account, because they are his disciples, believe in him, preach his Gospel, and, as being sent by, and representing him,
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receiveth me: it is so taken by Christ, as if he was personally present, and personally received, and had all the favours shown to his, done to himself in person; yea, such receive Christ in the ministry of the word, he being the sum and substance of it. This is said to encourage modesty and humility; and intimates, that proud and haughty persons will not be received as the disciples and followers of the meek and lowly Jesus; and to encourage persons to receive such that are modest and humble, since the respect shown to them, is all one as if shown to him.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain And all who are in this sense little children…
And all who are in this sense little children are unspeakably dear to me. Therefore help them all you can, as if it were myself in person, and see that ye offend them not; that is, that ye turn them not out of the right way, neither hinder them in it. Matt. x, 40; Luke x, 16; John xiii, 20.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 5. One such little child] As our Lord…
Verse 5. One such little child] As our Lord in the preceding verses considers a little child an emblem of a genuine disciple, so by the term in this verse he means a disciple only. "Whosoever will receive, i.e. show unto such a child-like, unambitious disciple of mine, any act of kindness for my sake, I will consider it as done to myself."
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Mat 18:5-6. And whoso shall receive one such little…
Mat 18:5-6. And whoso shall receive one such little child — Whosoever shall entertain or discover an affectionate regard to any one of my humble and meek followers; receiveth me — I shall take the kindness as done to myself. As if he had said, And all who are in this sense little children, are unspeakably dear to me. Therefore help them all you can, as if it were myself in person, and see that ye offend them not: that is, that ye turn them not out of the right way, neither hinder them in it. The original expression, Ος δ’ αν σκανδαλιση, is literally, Whosoever shall cause to stumble one of these little ones that believe in me — Whosoever shall tempt them to sin, or lay obstructions in their way, and render it rough and difficult, and shall thereby impede their progress in it; it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck — Casaubon and Elsner, not to mention others, have shown at large that drowning in the sea was a punishment used among the ancients, and that the persons condemned had sometimes heavy stones tied about their necks, or were rolled up in sheets of lead. It seems to have grown into a proverb for dreadful and inevitable ruin. The term, μυλος ονικος, (as Erasmus, Grotius, Raphelius, and many others observe,) properly signifies a millstone too large to be turned, as some were, by the hand, and requiring the force of asses to move it; as it seems those animals were generally used by the Jews on these occasions.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain He that shall receive. To receive, in the style…
He that shall receive. To receive, in the style of the Scriptures, is to honour and favour, to be charitable, and kind to any one. (Witham) --- Who does not admire here the great goodness of God! Jesus, knowing that he was soon to leave the world, and that his disciples would no longer have it in their power to manifest their charity for him by their kind services, substitutes the poor in his place, declaring, that if they receive or honour them, they received Christ himself. (Denis the Carthusian) --- What greater proof can we wish for the merit of good works!!!
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 5. Whose shall receive one such little child —…
5. Whose shall receive one such little child — Not the actual child but the spiritual child, whom grace has made. Receiveth me — In receiving him who is my spiritual image. For our Lord here passes from the symbol to the thing symbolized, from the child by nature to the child by grace.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 5, 6. Christ’s Little Ones. Mar_9:37
5, 6. Christ’s Little Ones. Mar_9:37
The thought of Jesus passes from the dispute among His disciples to the care of His little ones, the young in faith, who, if they have the weakness, have also the humility of little children.
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whoso shall receive] It is a sacrament of lovingkindness when Christ Himself is received in the visible form of His little ones. To receive is to welcome, shew kindness to.
a millstone] Literally, a millstone turned by an ass, and so larger than the ordinary millstone. Cp. Ovid (Fasti vi. 318): “Et quæ pumiceas versat asella molas.”
The manner of death alluded to appears to have been unknown to the Jews. But Plutarch mentions this punishment as being common to Greece and Rome. Cp. Juv. Sat. xiv. 16, 17, where, as in other places, it is named rather than the cross as a swift and terrible penalty for crime.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (5) Whoso shall receive one such little child.—The words…
(5) Whoso shall receive one such little child.—The words are memorable as the first utterance of the truth afterwards proclaimed as the law of final judgment in Mat_25:40, and as giving to that law the widest possible range of universality. No child of man is excluded from those whom Christ calls His brethren.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Vers. 5-14. The treatment due to such.
Vers. 5-14. The treatment due to such.
Shall receive (ov eaxhtai). The word is pregnant with meaning. It includes not only the showing of tender affection and the giving of material succour, such as hospitality, shelter, etc., but also the bestowal of help and support in spiritual things, encouragement in holiness, instruction in Divine lore. One such little child. Primarily, Jesus refers to children, pure and confiding as the one he had placed in the midst; but his words are applicable to all who have the childlike spirit and character, the graces which he specially loves and rewards. The expressions here and in the next verse must be understood to belong in some cases to the symbol, and in others to the symbolized. In my Name (epi tw onomati mou); for the sake of my Name; because he belongs to me; not merely from natural affection and pity, but from a higher motive, because the child has in him somewhat of Christ is the child of God, and a member of Christ. Receiveth me. That which is done to his little ones Christ regards as done to himself. (comp. Mat_10:40-42) What a blessing waits on those who teach the young, working laboriously in schools, and training souls for heaven! This "receiving" Christ is a far higher and better thing than being "greatest" in an earthly kingdom.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain 5. Whoso shall receive one such little child in…
5. Whoso shall receive one such little child in my name. Receiving in my name is serving with Christian love, and as belonging to Christ. Receiveth me. Observe that the true way to receive Christ is to receive into our heart, for Christ's sake, those who need our sympathies.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 18:5 Jesus moved the discussion toward solidarity within the…
18:5 Jesus moved the discussion toward solidarity within the community; to welcome a humble follower of Jesus is to welcome Jesus himself (see 10:40-42).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.