10:14a
He was indignant: The word indignant means “angry” or “upset.” Jesus was upset or angry because the disciples told the parents not to bring the children to him.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
he became angry (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
he was greatly displeased (New King James Version)
10:14b–c
Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them!: There are two commands in this part of the verse: Let the little children come to Me and do not hinder them. These commands have similar meanings. Jesus repeated his meaning in two different ways to emphasize what he said.
In some languages it may be more natural to give the negative command first. For example:
Do not forbid the children to come to me. Allow them to come….
In other languages it may be more natural to combine the two commands. For example, the God’s Word has:
Don’t stop the children from coming to me.
Translate these two commands in a natural way in your language.
Let: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Let means “allow” or “permit.” For example:
Allow the little children to come to me.
hinder: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as hinder means “forbid” or “stop.”
Here are some other ways to translate this command:
do not stop them (Good News Bible)
-or-
do not forbid their coming to me
10:14d
For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For introduces the reason for Jesus’ commands to his disciples in 10:14c. Another way to translate this conjunction is “because.”
the kingdom of God belongs to such as these: The phrase kingdom of God refers to God’s activity of ruling and caring for his people as their king. It does not refer to a land or country that he rules over. It refers to the relationship that he has with his people. He leads, protects, and cares for them. They obey, trust, and submit to him as their king.
The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the kingdom of God belongs to such as these means “people like this have the right/privilege to be included in the group of people whom God rules.” It does not mean that such people own the kingdom of God. See also kingdom of God, Context 2, in the Glossary.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
Children like these are part of the kingdom of God. (God’s Word)
-or-
…it is people like these children who will live under God’s chieftaincy.
-or-
…it is people like these children who are citizens of the kingdom of God.
-or-
…God cares for little ones like these as their king.
such as these: The phrase such as these means “people like these children.” It probably refers to people who are humble and depend on God. They are like children who depend on their parents. In some languages it may be necessary to make some of this information explicit. For example:
…because the kingdom of God belongs to people who depend on God like these children depend on their parents.
-or-
…for it is people who are trustful/trusting like these children who will live in the kingdom of God.
General Comment on 10:14c–d
In these verses, 10:14d expresses the reason for the result in 10:14c. In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of these clauses. For example:
14dThe kingdom of God belongs to little children as these, 14cso let them come to me, and do not hinder them.
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