Paragraph 18:7

18:7a

Woe to the world: This clause means that the world will experience pain and deep sorrow. It is a prediction and warning by Jesus that something bad is going to happen to the world. It implies that God will judge and punish the world. It is not a curse.

Here are some other ways to translate this expression:

How terrible for the world (Good News Translation)
-or-
The world is going to experience great pain and sadness
-or-
Great trouble is waiting for the world

The word Woe also occurs in 11:21a.

the world: This phrase refers to the people in the world. For example:

the people of the world (New Century Version)

These people are opposed to the people of God.

for the causes of sin: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the causes of sin is the noun form of the verb translated as “causes…to stumble” in 18:6a. Here it refers to the people of the world “causing others to sin.” More specifically, it refers to causing to sin these little ones who believe (in 18:6a).

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

because it tempts people to sin (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
because of the way it causes people to sin (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
because they tempt/cause believers to sin

18:7b

Verse 18:7b is the reason that the people of the world will have pain and sorrow (in 18:7a). The Greek introduces this reason with a conjunction that many English versions translate as “For.”

Some English versions, including the Berean Standard Bible, do not translate this conjunction. Instead, they let the context indicate the connection. In some languages, it will not be necessary to translate this conjunction either.

These stumbling blocks must come: The phrase stumbling blocks is the same word translated as “causes of sin” in 18:7a.

In some languages, it will not be natural to say that temptations come. So you may need to use another verb. Or you can translate the noun stumbling blocks as a verb. For example:

These temptations must/will happen
-or-
Such things will always happen (Good News Translation)
-or-
People will always be tempted
-or-
People ⌊of the world⌋ will always tempt/cause ⌊believers⌋ to sin

must come: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as must come indicates that temptations must/will happen. This is because the world is evil.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

must happen (Revised English Bible)
-or-
will always happen (Good News Translation)

18:7c

but: There is a contrast here. The contrast is that, even though temptations will certainly come (18:7b), the person who is the source of them cannot escape responsibility (18:7c). The Berean Standard Bible indicates this contrast with the conjunction but.

woe to the man through whom they come: This is the same sort of clause as “Woe to the world” in 18:7a. However, here Jesus focused his prediction and warning on the person who causes the temptation rather than on the whole world.

This whole clause expresses a passive idea. It refers to the person who is the source of the temptation. He is the person who tempts/causes a believer to sin.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

Great trouble is waiting for the person who tempts/causes ⌊a believer⌋ to sin
-or-
how terrible for the one who causes them to happen (New Century Version)

-or-

God will punish the person who does this.

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