The Meaning of Matthew 18:3 Explained

Matthew 18:3

KJV: 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.

YLT: and said, 'Verily I say to you, if ye may not be turned and become as the children, ye may not enter into the reign of the heavens;

Darby: and said, Verily I say to you, Unless ye are converted and become as little children, ye will not at all enter into the kingdom of the heavens.

ASV: and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye turn, and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Matthew 18:3 Mean?

Context Summary

Matthew 18:1-9 - Removing Stumbling-Blocks
Our Lord's transfiguration suggested that the time to take up His Kingdom was near; and the Apostles began to arrange their plans. The Master therefore used a child for His text and preached a sermon on humility. We must not be childish, but childlike. See 1 Corinthians 13:11. The beauty of a little child is its unconsciousness, humility, simplicity, and faith. Christ's kingdom abounds with the rare blending of the warrior and the child. See 2 Kings 5:14. God's best gifts are placed, not on a high shelf for us to reach up to, but on a low one to which we must stoop.
An offence is anything that makes the path of a holy and useful life more difficult for others. Be sure, in all your actions, to consider the weaker ones who are watching and following you. "Father," said a boy, "take the safe path; I am coming." A man, whose arm was caught in a machine, saved his boy from being drawn in by severing the arm with a hatchet. All that hurts us or others, however precious, must be severed. [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 18

1  Jesus warns his disciples to be humble and harmless,
7  to avoid offenses,
10  and not to despise the little ones;
15  teaches how we are to deal with our brothers when they offend us,
21  and how often to forgive them;
23  which he sets forth by a parable of the king who took account of his servants,
32  and punished him who showed no mercy to his fellow servant

Greek Commentary for Matthew 18:3

Except ye turn and become [εαν μη στραπητε και γενηστε]
Third-class condition, undetermined but with prospect of determination. Στραπητε — Straphēte is second aorist passive subjunctive and γενηστε — genēsthe second aorist middle subjunctive. They were headed in the wrong direction with their selfish ambition. “His tone at this time is markedly severe, as much as when He denounces the Pharisaism in the bud He had to deal with” (Bruce). The strong double negative ου μη εισελτητε — ou mē eiselthēte means that they will otherwise not get into the kingdom of heaven at all, let alone have big places in it. [source]
Be converted [στραφῆτε]
The word converted has acquired a conventional religious sense which is fundamentally truthful, but the essential quality of which will be more apparent if we render literally, as Rev., except ye turn. The picture is that of turning round in a road and facing the other way. [source]
Shall not enter [οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθητε]
But the double negative is very forcible, and is given in Rev. in nowise. So far from being greatest in the kingdom of heaven, ye shall not so much as enter. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Matthew 18:3

Matthew 6:12 Debts [ὀφειλήματα]
So, rightly, A. V., and Rev. (compare Luke 11:4). Sin is pictured as a debt, and the sinner as a debtor (compare Matthew 18:28, Matthew 18:30). Accordingly the word represents sin both as a wrong and as requiring satisfaction. In contrast with the prayer, “Forgive us our debts,” Tholuck (“Sermon on the Mount”) quotes the prayer of Apollonius of Tyana, “O ye gods, give me the things which are owing to me.” [source]
Matthew 13:36 Explain unto us [διασαπησον ημιν]
Also in Matthew 18:31. “Make thoroughly clear right now” (aorist tense of urgency). The disciples waited till Jesus left the crowds and got into the house to ask help on this parable. Jesus had opened up the Parable of the Sower and now they pick out this one, passing by the mustard seed and the leaven. [source]
Matthew 14:22 Constrained [ηναγκασεν]
Literally, “compelled” or “forced.” See this word also in Luke 14:23. The explanation for this strong word in Mark 6:45 and Matthew 14:22 is given in John 6:15. It is the excited purpose of the crowd to take Jesus by force and to make him national king. This would be political revolution and would defeat all the plans of Jesus about his kingdom. Things have reached a climax. The disciples were evidently swept off their feet by the mob psychology for they still shared the Pharisaic hope of a political kingdom. With the disciples out of the way Jesus could handle the crowd more easily, till he should send the multitudes away The use of the aorist subjunctive with εως — heōs or εως ου — heōs hou is a neat and common Greek idiom where the purpose is not yet realized. So in Matthew 18:30; Matthew 26:36. “While” sometimes renders it well. The subjunctive is retained after a past tense instead of the change to the optative of the ancient Attic. The optative is very rare anyhow, but Luke uses it with πριν η — prin ē in Acts 25:16. [source]
Matthew 18:34 Till he should pay all [εως ου αποδωι παν]
(εως ου αποδωι παν — heōs[hou] apodōi pan). Just as in Matthew 18:30, his very words. But this is not purgatorial, but punitive, for he could never pay back that vast debt. [source]
Matthew 19:14 Forbid them not [μη κωλυετε]
“Stop hindering them.” The idiom of μη — mē with the present imperative means just that.Of such (των τοιουτων — tōn toioutōn). The childlike as in Matthew 18:3. [source]
Matthew 19:14 Of such [των τοιουτων]
The childlike as in Matthew 18:3. [source]
Matthew 6:12 Our debts [τα οπειληματα ημων]
Luke (Luke 11:4) has “sins” In the ancient Greek οπειλημα — opheilēma is common for actual legal debts as in Romans 4:4, but here it is used of moral and spiritual debts to God. “Trespasses” is a mistranslation made common by the Church of England Prayer Book. It is correct in Romans 4:14 in Christ‘s argument about prayer, but it is not in the Model Prayer itself. See Matthew 18:28, Matthew 18:30 for sin pictured again by Christ “as debt and the sinner as a debtor” (Vincent). We are thus described as having wronged God. The word οπειλη — opheilē for moral obligation was once supposed to be peculiar to the New Testament. But it is common in that sense in the papyri (Deismann, Bible Studies, p. 221; Light from the Ancient East, New ed., p. 331). We ask forgiveness “in proportion as” It means to send away, to dismiss, to wipe off. [source]
Luke 9:47 Took a little child [επιλαβομενος παιδιον]
Second aorist middle participle of the common verb επιλαμβανω — epilambanō Strictly, Taking a little child to himself (indirect middle). Mark 9:36 has merely the active λαβων — labōn of the simple verb λαμβανω — lambanō Set him by his side “In his arms” Mark 9:36 has it, “in the midst of them” Matthew 18:3 says. All three attitudes following one another (the disciples probably in a circle around Jesus anyhow) and now the little child (Peter‘s child?) was slipped down by the side of Jesus as he gave the disciples an object lesson in humility which they sorely needed. [source]
John 13:14 If I then [ει ουν εγω]
Argumentative sense of ουν — oun (therefore). Condition of first class, assumed to be true, with first aorist active indicative of νιπτω — niptō “If I, being what I am, washed your feet” (as I did). Ye also ought The obligation rests on you a fortiori. Present active indicative of the old verb οπειλω — opheilō to owe a debt (Matthew 18:30). The mutual obligation is to do this or any other needed service. The widows who washed the saints‘ feet in 1 Timothy 5:10 did it “as an incident of their hospitable ministrations” (Bernard). Up to 1731 the Lord High Almoner in England washed the feet of poor saints (pedilavium) on Thursday before Easter, a custom that arose in the fourth century, and one still practised by the Pope of Rome. [source]
Romans 13:7 Dues [οπειλας]
Debts, from οπειλω — opheilō to owe. Often so in the papyri, though not in Greek authors. In N.T. only here, Matthew 18:32; 1 Corinthians 7:3. Paying debts needs emphasis today, even for ministers. [source]
James 2:13 Without mercy [ανελεος]
Found here only save a doubtful papyrus example (ανελεως — aneleōs) for the vernacular ανιλεως — anileōs and the Attic ανηλεης — anēleēs For this principle of requital see Matthew 5:7; Matthew 6:14; Matthew 7:1.; Matthew 18:33. [source]

What do the individual words in Matthew 18:3 mean?

and said Truly I say to you if not you turn become as the little children no shall you enter into the kingdom of the heavens
καὶ εἶπεν Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ἐὰν μὴ στραφῆτε γένησθε ὡς τὰ παιδία οὐ εἰσέλθητε εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν

εἶπεν  said 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
Ἀμὴν  Truly 
Parse: Hebrew Word
Root: ἀμήν  
Sense: firm.
λέγω  I  say 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
ὑμῖν  to  you 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative 2nd Person Plural
Root: σύ  
Sense: you.
στραφῆτε  you  turn 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Subjunctive Passive, 2nd Person Plural
Root: στρέφω  
Sense: to turn, turn around.
γένησθε  become 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Subjunctive Middle, 2nd Person Plural
Root: γίνομαι  
Sense: to become, i.
παιδία  little  children 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Neuter Plural
Root: παιδίον  
Sense: a young child, a little boy, a little girl.
οὐ  no 
Parse: Adverb
Root: οὐ  
Sense: no, not; in direct questions expecting an affirmative answer.
εἰσέλθητε  shall  you  enter 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Subjunctive Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: εἰσέρχομαι  
Sense: to go out or come in: to enter.
εἰς  into 
Parse: Preposition
Root: εἰς  
Sense: into, unto, to, towards, for, among.
βασιλείαν  kingdom 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: βασιλεία  
Sense: royal power, kingship, dominion, rule.
τῶν  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
οὐρανῶν  heavens 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: οὐρανός  
Sense: the vaulted expanse of the sky with all things visible in it.