Luke 18:14-15

18:14 I tell you that this man went down to his home justified ¹  rather than the Pharisee. ²  For everyone who exalts ³  himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Jesus and Little Children

18:15 Now people ⁴  were even bringing their babies ⁵  to him for him to touch. ⁶  But when the disciples saw it, they began to scold those who brought them. ⁷ 

[18:14]  ¹ sn The prayer that was heard and honored was the one given with humility; in a surprising reversal it was the tax collector who went down to his home justified.

[18:14]  ² tn Grk “the other”; the referent (the Pharisee, v. 10) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:14]  ³ sn Everyone who exalts himself. See Luke 14:11. Jesus often called for humility and condemned those who sought honor.

[18:15]  ⁴ tn Grk “they.”

[18:15]  ⁵ tn The term βρέφος (brefos) here can refer to babies or to toddlers (2:12, 16; Acts 7:19; 2 Tim 3:15; 1 Pet 2:2).

[18:15]  ⁶ tn Grk “so that he would touch them.” Here the touch is connected with (or conveys) a blessing (cf. Mark 10:16; also BDAG 126 s.v. ἅπτω 2.c).

[18:15]  ⁷ tn Grk “the disciples began to scold them.” In the translation the referent has been specified as “those who brought them,” since otherwise the statement could be understood to mean that the disciples began scolding the children rather than their parents who brought them.