Matthew 18:4 (YLT)

Passage

whoever then may humble himself as this child, he is the greater in the reign of the heavens.

Nearby Context

Matthew 18:2 And Jesus having called near a child, did set him in the midst of them,

Matthew 18:3 and said, `Verily I say to you, if ye may not be turned and become as the children, ye may not enter into the reign of the heavens;

Matthew 18:4 whoever then may humble himself as this child, he is the greater in the reign of the heavens.

Matthew 18:5 `And he who may receive one such child in my name, doth receive me,

Matthew 18:6 and whoever may cause to stumble one of those little ones who are believing in me, it is better for him that a weighty millstone may be hanged upon his neck, and he may be sunk in the depth of the sea.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whoever", "humble", "himself", "child", "greater", "reign", and "heavens". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whoever" and "humble", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "and said Verily I say to you..." into verse 5's "And he who may receive one such...", so "whoever" and "humble" 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 "whoever" and "humble" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.