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Today's Verse Analysis

Matthew 18:5 And whoever shall receive one such little child

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

Spoken to
Apostles

Matthew 18:5 καὶ ὃς ἐὰν δέξηται ἓν παιδίον τοιοῦτο ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου, ἐμὲ δέχεται:

KJV Verse

Matthew 18:5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.

NIV Verse:

Matthew 18:5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

What His Listeners Heard:

Also, whoever welcomes one kid such as this for that name of mine, welcomes me.

Lost In Translation:

The meaning of the verb here depends on whether we consider a child to be a person or a thing. The form of the word used is a thing, that is, a neuter form. The word refers to young children under seven, but Jesus uses it for older children as well. When referring to things, the verb means "receive graciously" or "accept". When referring to people, it means "welcomes." So, this is a play on words where the meaning of the word changes from "accepts" to "welcomes."

KJV w/Translation Issues :

And who(MW) so(CW) shall(CW) receive(CW) one such little child in my (MW) name receiveth(CW) me.

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.