And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him,
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus, perceiving the reasoning of their hearts, took a little child, and set him by his side,
- KJV And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him,
- BSB But Jesus, knowing the thoughts of their hearts, had a little child stand beside Him.
- NASB But Jesus, knowing what they were thinking in their hearts, took a child and had him stand by His side,
- NLT But Jesus knew their thoughts, so he brought a little child to his side.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus, knowing their thoughts, sets a little child beside Him. He uses a child to teach the true measure of greatness.
Overview
Jesus perceives the prideful reasoning of their hearts, showing His insight into the inner person. By placing a child at His side, He prepares an object lesson that overturns their notions of greatness. The act signals that the kingdom values the lowly and overlooked.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Ps 139:23Search me, God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts.
- Luke 5:22But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, answered them, “Why are you reasoning so in your hearts?
- John 16:30Now we know that you know all things, and don’t need for anyone to question you. By this we believe that you came from God.”
- 1 Cor 14:20Brothers, don’t be children in thoughts, yet in malice be babies, but in thoughts be mature.
- John 2:25and because he didn’t need for anyone to testify concerning man; for he himself knew what was in man.
- Heb 4:13There is no creature that is hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.
- Rev 2:23I will kill her children with Death, and all the assemblies will know that I am he who searches the minds and hearts. I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.
- Matt 9:4Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?
- Ps 139:2You know my sitting down and my rising up. You perceive my thoughts from afar.
- Matt 19:13–15Then little children were brought to him, that he should lay his hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them.
- 1 Pet 2:1–2Putting away therefore all wickedness, all deceit, hypocrisies, envies, and all evil speaking,
- John 21:17He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you have affection for me?” Peter was grieved because he asked him the third time, “Do you have affection for me?” He said to him, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I have affection for you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
- Mark 10:14–15But when Jesus saw it, he was moved with indignation, and said to them, “Allow the little children to come to me! Don’t forbid them, for God’s Kingdom belongs to such as these.
- Luke 7:39–40Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, “This man, if he were a prophet, would have perceived who and what kind of woman this is who touches him, that she is a sinner.”
- Jer 17:10“I, Yahweh, search the mind, I try the heart, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.”
- Matt 18:2–4Jesus called a little child to himself, and set him in the middle of them,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 9:47 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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