Matius 19:14

19:14 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.” ¹ 

Matius 19:1

Questions About Divorce

19:1 Now when ²  Jesus finished these sayings, he left Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan River. ³ 

1 Petrus 2:2

2:2 And ⁴  yearn ⁵  like newborn infants for pure, spiritual milk, ⁶  so that by it you may grow up to ⁷  salvation, ⁸ 

[19:14]  ¹ sn The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. Children are a picture of those whose simple trust illustrates what faith is all about. The remark illustrates how everyone is important to God, even those whom others regard as insignificant.

[19:1]  ² tn Grk “it happened when.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[19:1]  ³ tn “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity. The region referred to here is sometimes known as Transjordan (i.e., “across the Jordan”).

[2:2]  ⁴ tn Here “And” has been supplied in the translation to show clearly the connection between vv. 1 and 2.

[2:2]  ⁵ tn Grk “getting rid of…yearn for.”

[2:2]  ⁶ tn The word for spiritual in Greek is λογικός (logikos), which is a play on words with the reference in 1:23-25 to the living and enduring word (λόγος, logos) of God, through which they were born anew. This is a subtle indication that the nourishment for their growth must be the word of God.

[2:2]  ⁷ tn Or “in, in regard to.” But the focus of “salvation” here, as in 1:5, 9, is the future deliverance of these who have been born anew and protected by God’s power.

[2:2]  ⁸ tc The Byzantine text lacks εἰς σωτηρίαν (ei" swthrian, “to salvation”), while the words are found in the earliest and best witnesses (Ì⁷² א A B C K P Ψ 33 81 630 1241 1505 1739 al latt sy co). Not only is the longer reading superior externally, but since the notion of growing up [in]to salvation would have seemed theologically objectionable, it is easy to see why some scribes would omit it.