Matthew 18:4 (GNV)

Passage

Whosoeuer therefore shall humble himselfe as this litle childe, the same is the greatest in the kingdome of heauen.

Nearby Context

Matthew 18:2 And Iesus called a litle childe vnto him, and set him in the mids of them,

Matthew 18:3 And sayd, Verely I say vnto you, except ye be conuerted, and become as litle children, ye shall not enter into the kingdome of heauen.

Matthew 18:4 Whosoeuer therefore shall humble himselfe as this litle childe, the same is the greatest in the kingdome of heauen.

Matthew 18:5 And whosoeuer shall receiue one such litle childe in my name, receiueth me.

Matthew 18:6 But whosoeuer shall offend one of these litle ones which beleeue in me, it were better for him, that a milstone were hanged about his necke, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whosoeuer", "therefore", "shall", "humble", "himselfe", "litle", "childe", and "same". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whosoeuer" and "therefore", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "And sayd Verely I say vnto you..." into verse 5's "And whosoeuer shall receiue one such litle...", so "whosoeuer" and "therefore" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "whosoeuer" and "therefore" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.