Matthew 18:2-5

18:2 He called a child, had him stand among them, 18:3 and said, “I tell you the truth, ¹  unless you turn around and become like little children, ²  you will never ³  enter the kingdom of heaven! 18:4 Whoever then humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 18:5 And whoever welcomes ⁴  a child like this in my name welcomes me.

Genesis 48:1

Manasseh and Ephraim

48:1 After these things Joseph was told, ⁵  “Your father is weakening.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him.

Genesis 48:9-20

48:9 Joseph said to his father, “They are the ⁶  sons God has given me in this place.” His father ⁷  said, “Bring them to me so I may bless them.” ⁸  48:10 Now Israel’s eyes were failing ⁹  because of his age; he was not able to see well. So Joseph ¹⁰  brought his sons ¹¹  near to him, and his father ¹²  kissed them and embraced them. 48:11 Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected ¹³  to see you ¹⁴  again, but now God has allowed me to see your children ¹⁵  too.”

48:12 So Joseph moved them from Israel’s knees ¹⁶  and bowed down with his face to the ground. 48:13 Joseph positioned them; ¹⁷  he put Ephraim on his right hand across from Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh on his left hand across from Israel’s right hand. Then Joseph brought them closer to his father. ¹⁸  48:14 Israel stretched out his right hand and placed it on Ephraim’s head, although he was the younger. ¹⁹  Crossing his hands, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, for Manasseh was the firstborn.

48:15 Then he blessed Joseph and said,

“May the God before whom my fathers

Abraham and Isaac walked –

the God who has been my shepherd ²⁰ 

all my life long to this day,

48:16 the Angel ²¹  who has protected me ²² 

from all harm –

bless these boys.

May my name be named in them, ²³ 

and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac.

May they grow into a multitude on the earth.”

48:17 When Joseph saw that his father placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, it displeased him. ²⁴  So he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 48:18 Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.”

48:19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a nation and he too will become great. In spite of this, his younger brother will be even greater and his descendants will become a multitude ²⁵  of nations.” 48:20 So he blessed them that day, saying,

“By you ²⁶  will Israel bless, ²⁷  saying,

‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’”

So he put Ephraim before Manasseh. ²⁸ 

Genesis 48:1

Manasseh and Ephraim

48:1 After these things Joseph was told, ²⁹  “Your father is weakening.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him.

Genesis 1:24

1:24 God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: cattle, creeping things, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” ³⁰  It was so.

Psalms 115:14-15

115:14 May he increase your numbers,

yours and your children’s! ³¹ 

115:15 May you be blessed by the Lord,

the creator ³²  of heaven and earth!

Jeremiah 32:39

32:39 I will give them a single-minded purpose to live in a way that always shows respect for me. They will want to do that for ³³  their own good and the good of the children who descend from them.

Mark 10:13

Jesus and Little Children

10:13 Now ³⁴  people were bringing little children to him for him to touch, ³⁵  but the disciples scolded those who brought them. ³⁶ 

Luke 18:15

Jesus and Little Children

18:15 Now people ³⁷  were even bringing their babies ³⁸  to him for him to touch. ³⁹  But when the disciples saw it, they began to scold those who brought them. ⁴⁰ 

Acts 2:39

2:39 For the promise ⁴¹  is for you and your children, and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.”

Acts 2:1

The Holy Spirit and the Day of Pentecost

2:1 Now ⁴²  when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.

Colossians 1:14

1:14 in whom we have redemption, ⁴³  the forgiveness of sins.

[18:3]  ¹ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[18:3]  ² sn The point of the comparison become like little children has more to do with a child’s trusting spirit, as well as willingness to be dependent and receive from others, than any inherent humility the child might possess.

[18:3]  ³ tn The negation in Greek (οὐ μή, ou mh) is very strong here.

[18:5]  ⁴ tn This verb, δέχομαι (decomai), is a term of hospitality (L&N 34.53).

[48:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “and one said.” With no expressed subject in the Hebrew text, the verb can be translated with the passive voice.

[48:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “my.”

[48:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Joseph’s father) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[48:9]  ⁸ tn The cohortative with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose after the imperative.

[48:10]  ⁹ tn Heb “heavy.”

[48:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[48:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “them”; the referent (Joseph’s sons) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[48:10]  ¹² tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Joseph’s father) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[48:11]  ¹³ tn On the meaning of the Hebrew verb פָּלַל (palal) here, see E. A. Speiser, “The Stem pll in Hebrew,” JBL 82 (1963): 301-6. Speiser argues that this verb means “to estimate” as in Exod 21:22.

[48:11]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “your face.”

[48:11]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “offspring.”

[48:12]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and Joseph brought them out from with his knees.” The two boys had probably been standing by Israel’s knees when being adopted and blessed. The referent of the pronoun “his” (Israel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[48:13]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and Joseph took the two of them.”

[48:13]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and he brought near to him.” The referents of the pronouns “he” and “him” (Joseph and his father respectively) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[48:14]  ¹⁹ tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial-concessive here.

[48:15]  ²⁰ tn Heb “shepherded me.” The verb has been translated as an English noun for stylistic reasons.

[48:16]  ²¹ sn The Samaritan Pentateuch reads “king” here, but the traditional reading (“angel”) may be maintained. Jacob closely associates God with an angelic protective presence. This does not mean that Jacob viewed his God as a mere angel, but it does suggest that he was aware of an angelic presence sent by God to protect him. Here he so closely associates the two that they become virtually indistinguishable. In this culture messengers typically carried the authority of the one who sent them and could even be addressed as such. Perhaps Jacob thought that the divine blessing would be mediated through this angelic messenger.

[48:16]  ²² tn The verb גָּאַל (ga’al) has the basic idea of “protect” as a near relative might do. It is used for buying someone out of bondage, marrying a deceased brother’s widow, paying off debts, avenging the family, and the like. The meanings of “deliver, protect, avenge” are most fitting when God is the subject (see A. R. Johnson, “The Primary Meaning of √גאל,” Congress Volume: Copenhagen, 1953 [VTSup], 67-77).

[48:16]  ²³ tn Or “be recalled through them.”

[48:17]  ²⁴ tn Heb “it was bad in his eyes.”

[48:19]  ²⁵ tn Heb “fullness.”

[48:20]  ²⁶ tn The pronoun is singular in the Hebrew text, apparently elevating Ephraim as the more prominent of the two. Note, however, that both are named in the blessing formula that follows.

[48:20]  ²⁷ tn Or “pronounce a blessing.”

[48:20]  ²⁸ sn On the elevation of Ephraim over Manasseh see E. C. Kingsbury, “He Set Ephraim Before Manasseh,” HUCA 38 (1967): 129-36; H. Mowvley, “The Concept and Content of ‘Blessing’ in the Old Testament,” BT 16 (1965): 74-80; and I. Mendelsohn, “On the Preferential Status of the Eldest Son,” BASOR 156 (1959): 38-40.

[48:1]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and one said.” With no expressed subject in the Hebrew text, the verb can be translated with the passive voice.

[1:24]  ³⁰ tn There are three groups of land animals here: the cattle or livestock (mostly domesticated), things that creep or move close to the ground (such as reptiles or rodents), and the wild animals (all animals of the field). The three terms are general classifications without specific details.

[115:14]  ³¹ tn Heb “may he add to you, to you and your sons.” The prefixed verbal form is jussive, indicating this is a prayer.

[115:15]  ³² tn Or “maker.”

[32:39]  ³³ tn Heb “I will give to them one heart and one way to [= in order that they may] fear me all the days for good to them.” The phrase “one heart” refers both to unanimity of will and accord (cf. 1 Chr 12:38 [12:39 HT]; 2 Chr 30:12) and to singleness of purpose or intent (cf. Ezek 11:19 and see BDB 525 s.v. ֵלב 4 where reference is made to “inclinations, resolutions, and determinations of the will”). The phrase “one way” refers to one way of life or conduct (cf. BDB 203 s.v. דֶּרֶךְ 6.a where reference is made to moral action and character), a way of life that is further qualified by the goal of showing “fear, reverence, respect” for the Lord. The Hebrew sentence has been broken up to avoid a long complex sentence in English which is contrary to contemporary English style. However, an attempt has been made to preserve all the connections of the original.

[10:13]  ³⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[10:13]  ³⁵ tn Grk “so that he would touch them.” Here the touch is connected with (or conveys) a blessing (cf. v. 16; also BDAG 126 s.v. ἅπτω 2.c).

[10:13]  ³⁶ tc “Those who brought them” (ἐπετιμῶν τοῖς προσφέρουσιν, epetimwn toi" prosferousin) is the reading of most mss (A D W [Θ Ë^1,13] Ï lat sy), but it is probably a motivated reading. Since the subject is not explicit in the earliest and best witnesses as well as several others (א B C L Δ Ψ 579 892 2427), scribes would be prone to add “those who brought them” here to clarify that the children were not the ones being scolded. It could be argued that the masculine pronoun αὐτοῖς (autois, “them”) only rarely was used with the neuter antecedent παιδία (paidia, “children”), and thus the longer reading was not motivated by scribal clarification. However, such rare usage is found in Mark (cf. 5:41; 9:24-26); further, scribes routinely added clarifications when such were not necessary. Thus, both on external and internal grounds, the shorter reading is strongly preferred. Similar motivations are behind the translation here, namely, “those who brought them” has been supplied to ensure that the parents who brought the children are in view, not the children themselves.

[18:15]  ³⁷ tn Grk “they.”

[18:15]  ³⁸ 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]  ³⁹ 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]  ⁴⁰ 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.

[2:39]  ⁴¹ sn The promise refers to the promise of the Holy Spirit that Jesus received from the Father in 2:33 and which he now pours out on others. The promise consists of the Holy Spirit (see note in 2:33). Jesus is the active mediator of God’s blessing.

[2:1]  ⁴² tn Grk “And” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style does not.

[1:14]  ⁴³ tc διὰ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτοῦ (dia tou {aimato" autou, “through his blood”) is read at this juncture by several minuscule mss (614 630 1505 2464 al) as well as a few, mostly secondary, versional and patristic witnesses. But the reading was prompted by the parallel in Eph 1:7 where the wording is solid. If these words had been in the original of Colossians, why would scribes omit them here but not in Eph 1:7? Further, the testimony on behalf of the shorter reading is quite overwhelming: {א A B C D F G Ψ 075 0150 6 33 1739 1881 Ï latt co as well as several other versions and fathers}. The conviction that “through his blood” is not authentic in Col 1:14 is as strong as the conviction that these words are authentic in Eph 1:7.