Psalms 131:1-2

Psalm 131 ¹ 

A song of ascents, ²  by David.

131:1 O Lord, my heart is not proud,

nor do I have a haughty look. ³ 

I do not have great aspirations,

or concern myself with things that are beyond me. ⁴ 

131:2 Indeed ⁵  I am composed and quiet, ⁶ 

like a young child carried by its mother; ⁷ 

I am content like the young child I carry. ⁸ 

Matthew 11:25

Jesus’ Invitation

11:25 At that time Jesus said, ⁹  “I praise ¹⁰  you, Father, Lord ¹¹  of heaven and earth, because ¹²  you have hidden these things from the wise ¹³  and intelligent, and revealed them to little children.

Matthew 18:3

18:3 and said, “I tell you the truth, ¹⁴  unless you turn around and become like little children, ¹⁵  you will never ¹⁶  enter the kingdom of heaven!

Matthew 19:4

19:4 He answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female, ¹⁷ 

Mark 10:15

10:15 I tell you the truth, ¹⁸  whoever does not receive ¹⁹  the kingdom of God like a child ²⁰  will never ²¹  enter it.”

Mark 10:1

Divorce

10:1 Then ²²  Jesus ²³  left that place and went to the region of Judea and ²⁴  beyond the Jordan River. ²⁵  Again crowds gathered to him, and again, as was his custom, he taught them.

Mark 2:2

2:2 So many gathered that there was no longer any room, not even by ²⁶  the door, and he preached the word to them.

[131:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 131. The psalmist affirms his humble dependence on the Lord and urges Israel to place its trust in God.

[131:1]  ² sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[131:1]  ³ tn Heb “and my eyes are not lifted up.”

[131:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “I do not walk in great things, and in things too marvelous for me.”

[131:2]  ⁵ tn Or “but.”

[131:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “I make level and make quiet my soul.”

[131:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “like a weaned [one] upon his mother.”

[131:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “like the weaned [one] upon me, my soul.”

[11:25]  ⁹ tn Grk “At that time, answering, Jesus said.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.

[11:25]  ¹⁰ tn Or “thank.”

[11:25]  ¹¹ sn The title Lord is an important name for God, showing his sovereignty, but it is interesting that it comes next to a reference to the Father, a term indicative of God’s care. The two concepts are often related in the NT; see Eph 1:3-6.

[11:25]  ¹² tn Or “that.”

[11:25]  ¹³ sn See 1 Cor 1:26-31.

[18:3]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[18:3]  ¹⁵ 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]  ¹⁶ tn The negation in Greek (οὐ μή, ou mh) is very strong here.

[19:4]  ¹⁷ sn A quotation from Gen 1:27; 5:2.

[10:15]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[10:15]  ¹⁹ sn On receive see John 1:12.

[10:15]  ²⁰ sn The point of the comparison receive the kingdom of God like a child has more to do with a child’s trusting spirit and willingness to be dependent and receive from others than any inherent humility the child might possess.

[10:15]  ²¹ tn The negation in Greek (οὐ μή, ou mh) is very strong here.

[10:1]  ²² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[10:1]  ²³ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:1]  ²⁴ tc Alexandrian and other witnesses (א B C* L Ψ 0274 892 2427 pc co) read καὶ πέραν (kai peran, “and beyond”), while Western and Caesarean witnesses (C² D W Δ Θ Ë^1,13 28 565 579 1241 al) read πέραν (simply “beyond”). It is difficult to decide between the Alexandrian and Western readings here, but since the parallel in Matt 19:1 omits καί the weight is slightly in favor of including it here; scribes may have omitted the word here to harmonize this passage to the Matthean passage. Because of the perceived geographical difficulties found in the earlier readings (omission of the word “and” would make it seem as though Judea is beyond the Jordan), the majority of the witnesses (A Ï) read διὰ τοῦ πέραν (dia tou peran, “through the other side”), perhaps trying to indicate the direction of Jesus’ travel.

[10:1]  ²⁵ tn “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity. The region referred to here is sometimes known as Transjordan (i.e., “across the Jordan”).

[2:2]  ²⁶ tn Some translations (e.g., NIV, NLT) take the preposition πρός (pro"), which indicates proximity, to mean “outside the door.” Others render it as “in front of the door” (TEV, CEV), and still others, “around the door” (NAB). There is some ambiguity inherent in the description here.