9:36a
Then He had a little child stand among them: The words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as He had a little child stand literally means “taking a little child, he made him stand.” These words indicate that Jesus led a nearby child into the group of disciples. He did this perhaps by placing his hands on the child’s shoulders or by taking the child by the hand. For example:
He went and led a child among them
The child probably lived in that house. According to Matthew 18:2, Jesus called the child. Your translation should not imply that Jesus went somewhere else to find a child.
had…stand among them: The verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as had…stand here indicates that Jesus told the child to stay standing in one place. Jesus may have done this with words or gestures.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
put him in the midst of them (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
placed him standing among them
a little child: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a little child refers to a young child, one probably under the age of ten years. Try to use a general term that can refer to either a young boy or a young girl. If you must choose between a boy or girl, you should probably use a word that refers to a young boy.
General Comment on 9:36a
In some languages, it may be more natural to combine the ideas in the phrase “He took a little child” and the phrase “and had him stand among them,” as the Berean Standard Bible does. For example, the Contemporary English Version says:
Then Jesus had a child stand near him.
9:36b
Taking the child in His arms: The phrase Taking the child in His arms probably means that Jesus hugged the boy or put his arm or arms around him. This was a way of showing that Jesus loved and valued him.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
He put his arms around the child (God’s Word)
-or-
and embraced (New Jerusalem Bible)
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