complete verse (Matthew 18:2)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 18:2:

  • Uma: “Yesus called a small child, stood him in their midst,” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “So-then Isa told a child to come to them and stood him in the middle of them.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Jesus called a child, and he placed it in the middle of his disciples.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “So then Jesus called a child and had-him-stand in the middle of them.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Before Jesus replied, what he did was, he called a child and caused him to stand in their presence.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Jesus called a boy who stood there and put him standing in the midst of them.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Matthew 18:2

And calling to him a child is unusual word order for English speakers; Good News Translation introduces Jesus by name and restructures: “So Jesus called a child.” The question put to Jesus by the disciples in verse 1 is answered both by deed (verse 2) and word (verses 3-5). Matthew implies that the child was present in the house at the time, so that Jesus was not required to get up and go outside to call for a child. As was customary for Jewish teachers who were engaged in giving instruction, Jesus probably had been sitting, and there is no hint in the text that he moved from this position when calling the child.

The phrase calling to him does not mean that Jesus called out loud to the child, as if he or she were far away, but means simply “summoned” or “asked to come to him.” There are languages where direct discourse will be natural, as in “Jesus said to a child there, ‘Come here.’ ”

Child is the same word used in 2.8 (see there).

He put him in the midst of them (Good News Translation “had him stand in front of them”) may be transformed into direct discourse: “And said to the child, ‘Stand here in front of these people’ ” or “… ‘Stand here where all of these people can see you.’ ” A causative form may be employed: “and caused him….” One may also translate “and placed him in front of his disciples” or “… where all of his disciples could see him.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 18:2



18:2a

Jesus invited a little child: This clause indicates that there was a child nearby, but not right next to Jesus. So Jesus called for the child to come close to him.

Here is another way to translate this clause:

Jesus invited a little child ⌊to come⌋ to him

In some languages it will be more natural to translate this clause as direct speech. For example:

Jesus invited a little child and said, “Come here.”

invited: This word indicates that Jesus asked or summoned the child to come. Jesus did not shout or talk loudly.

little child: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as little child refers to a young child. In this context, it refers to a child who was old enough to stand and walk.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

small child (New Living Translation (1996))
-or-
young child

18:2b

to stand among them: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to stand among them means that Jesus stood the child among them. He set or placed the child in a standing position in the middle of the disciples.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

whom he set among them (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
and he placed him standing in the middle of them

among them: The words among them indicates that the child was in the middle of Jesus and the disciples. He was surrounded by them. The child was most likely standing, but the men could have been sitting down. It is very possible that they were all inside of a house.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

in the midst of them (English Standard Version)

-or-

in the middle of them all (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

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