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 .