Luke 18 · Verse 16

Luke 18:16

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

Luke 18:16, King James Version

Luke 18:16 in other translations

BSB	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.
WEB	Jesus summoned them, saying, “Allow the little children to come to me, and don’t hinder them, for God’s Kingdom belongs to such as these.
ASV	But Jesus called them unto him, saying, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for to such belongeth the kingdom of God.
YLT	and Jesus having called them near, said, ‘Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the reign of God;
DARBY	But Jesus calling them to him said, Suffer little children to come to me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of God.
BBE	But Jesus sent for them, saying, Let the children come to me, and do not keep them away, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
Webster	But Jesus called them to him, and said, Suffer little children to come to me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

What does Luke 18:16 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

16. But Jesus--"much displeased," says Mark (Mr 10:14); and invaluable addition. said--"Suffer the little children to come unto Me"--"AND FORBID THEM NOT," is the important addition of Matthew (Mt 19:14) and Mark (Mr 10:14). What words are these from the lips of Christ! The price of them is above rubies. But the reason assigned, "For of such is the Kingdom of God," or "of heaven," as in Mt 19:14, completes the previous information here conveyed; especially as interpreted by what immediately follows: "And He took them up in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them" (Mr 10:16). It is surely not to be conceived that all our Lord meant was to inform us, that seeing grown people must become childlike in order to be capable of the Kingdom of God, therefore they should not hinder infants from coming to Him, and therefore He took up and blessed the infants themselves. Was it not just the grave mistake of the disciples that infants should not be brought to Christ, because only grown people could profit by Him, which "much displeased" our Lord? And though He took the irresistible opportunity of lowering their pride of reason, by informing them that, in order to enter the Kingdom, "instead of the children first becoming like them, they must themselves become like the children" [Richter in Stier], this was but by the way; and, returning to the children themselves, He took them up in His gracious arms, put His hands upon them and blessed them, for no conceivable reason but to show that they were thereby made capable, AS INFANTS, of the Kingdom of God. And if so, then "Can any man forbid water that these should not be baptized which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?" (Ac 10:47). But such application of the baptismal water can have no warrant here, save where the infants have been previously brought to Christ Himself for His benediction, and only as the sign and seal of that benediction.

Lu 18:18-30. The Rich Young Ruler and Discourse Thereon.

This case presents some remarkable points. (1) The man was of irreproachable moral character; and this amidst all the temptations of youth, for he was a "young man" (Mt 19:22), and wealth, for "he was very rich" (Lu 18:23; Mr 10:22). (2) But restless notwithstanding, his heart craves eternal life. (3) Unlike the "rulers," to whose class he belonged (Lu 18:18), he so far believed in Jesus as to be persuaded He could authoritatively direct him on this vital point. (4) So earnest is he that he comes "running" and even "kneeling before Him," and that when He was gone forth into the war (Mr 10:17)--the high-road, by this time crowded with travellers to the passover; undeterred by the virulent opposition of the class he belonged to as a "ruler" and by the shame he might be expected to feel at broaching such a question in the hearing of a crowd and on the open road.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Luke 18:15-17

None are too little, too young, to be brought to Christ, who knows how to show kindness to those not capable of doing service to him. It is the mind of Christ, that little children should be brought to him. The promise is to us, and to our seed; therefore He will bid them welcome to him with us. And we must receive his kingdom as children, not by purchase, and must call it our Father's gift.

Read the full comment on Luke 18:15-17 →

Luke 18:16 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ὁho<the>G3588

δὲdeButG1161

ἸησοῦςIēsousJesusG2424

προσεκαλέσατοprosekalesatocalledG4341

αὐτὰautathemG846

λέγων·legōnspeaking;G3004

ἄφετεaphetedo permitG863

τὰtatheG3588

παιδίαpaidialittle childrenG3813

ἔρχεσθαιerchesthaito comeG2064

πρόςprostoG4314

μεmeMeG3165

καὶkaiandG2532

μὴmēnotG3361

κωλύετεkōluetedo forbidG2967

αὐτά·autathem;G846

τῶνtōn<the>G3588

γὰρgarforG1063

τοιούτωνtoioutōnof suchG5108

ἐστὶνestinisG1510

ἡhētheG3588

βασιλείαbasileiakingdomG932

τοῦtou<the>G3588

θεοῦ.theouof God.G2316

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Luke 18:16

Matthew 18:3-4
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. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in 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.
Deuteronomy 31:12
Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do all the words of this law:
1 Corinthians 7:14
For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.
1 Peter 2:2
As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
Genesis 21:4
And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him.
Acts 2:39
For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
Deuteronomy 29:11
Your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water:
2 Chronicles 20:13
And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.
Jeremiah 32:39
And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:
Genesis 47:10-14
And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh. And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father’s household, with bread, according to their families. And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine. …

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Suffer.
Ge 47:10-14; 21:4; De 29:11; 31:12; 2Ch 20:13; Jer 32:39; Ac 2:39
1Co 7:14
for.
Mt 18:3,4; 1Co 14:20; 1Pe 2:2

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Luke 18:15
And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.
Luke 18:16
But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
Luke 18:17
Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.

Read all of Luke 18

Luke 18:16 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Mas Jesús llamándolos, dijo: Dejad los niños venir á mí, y no los impidáis; porque de tales es el reino de Dios.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Mais Jésus, les ayant appelés, dit: Laissez venir à moi les petits enfants, et ne les en empêchez pas; car à de tels est le royaume de Dieu.
German Elberfelder 1871	Jesus aber rief sie herzu und sprach: Lasset die Kindlein zu mir kommen und wehret ihnen nicht, denn solcher ist das Reich Gottes.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Jesus autem convocans illos, dixit: Sinite pueros venire ad me, et nolite vetare eos: talium est enim regnum Dei.