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Today's Verse Analysis

Matthew 18:3 ...Except you be converted,

The Apostles ask who is greatest in realm of the skies.

Spoken to
Apostles

Matthew 18:3 Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἐὰν μὴ στραφῆτε καὶ γένησθε ὡς τὰ παιδία, οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθητε εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν.

KJV Verse

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

NIV Verse:

Matthew 18:3 Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

What His Listeners Heard:

Amen I tell you, unless you are turned around and become like these kiddies, never might you enter into the realm of the skies.

Lost In Translation:

Jesus is saying that we have to turn ourselves around and turn back time, not only to become a child again, but to become a little child again in order to enter into the kingdom of heaven. This is one of the many places where Jesus indicated that the kingdom of heaven is a state of awareness more than it is a place. Note that Jesus doesn't specify which characteristics of a child are important.

KJV w/Translation Issues :

Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted(CW), and become as little children, ye shall(CW) not(CW) enter into the kingdom of (MW) heaven(WN).

KJV List (See full page for word-by-word analysis):
For analysis of each word of original Greek and biblical verses, click here.

Constantly Updated

My analysis standards and methods are constantly improving. New information on each verse is provided as articles are updated. It requires approximately two years for me to work through updating each of Jesus's verses.

What Jesus's Listeners Heard

The everyday meanings of the Greek words Jesus used were different than the definitions they have been given over time in biblical translation. The word translations here are based upon documents of his time such as the Greek Septuagint, not ideas unknown in his time.

About this Site

See what Jesus said in Greek and see how his words are changed in English translation. My goal is to translate Jesus's words as they were heard when he taught, not the way they are interpreted today. The work here resurrects the humor and cleverness of Jesus's words lost in translation.

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Each article provides detailed information on all the Greek words in each verse with links simplifying your own research. It compares the Greek to popular translations to show where words are confused, changed, left out, and added. This site offers research available nowhere else, such as how often Jesus uses a specific Greek word and links to a list of every verse in which he uses a given word.