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Today's Verse Analysis

Matthew 18:7 Woe unto the world because of offences!

After Jesus talks about the fate of those who trip up a child.

Spoken to
group

Matthew 18:7 Οὐαὶ τῷ κόσμῳ ἀπὸ τῶν σκανδάλων: ἀνάγκη γὰρ ἐλθεῖν τὰ σκάνδαλα, πλὴν οὐαὶ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ δι᾽ οὗ τὸ σκάνδαλον ἔρχεται.

KJV Verse

Matthew 18:7 Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!

NIV Verse:

Matthew 18:7 Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!

What His Listeners Heard:

oy vey to the world order from these traps. Because it is natural to show up, these traps, except oy vey for the person through whom that trap shows up.

Lost In Translation:

It may seem strange to claim that the word translated as "woe" in the sense of "to bad" is basically humorous. but that is the way we hear it most frequently, especially in the Jewish form of "oy vey." Jesus is saying that it is sad that there are traps, snares, or "stumbling blocks" in our world, but that it is natural for the world to be this way. However, it is even sadder that people create problems for themselves. However, Jesus says that a person only makes one problem for themselves at a time. I notice in some modern translations this "stumbling block" idea is translated as "temptation," which is no part of its meaning. See the article on this word here.

KJV w/Translation Issues :

Woe unto the world because(CW) of (MW) offences! for it must(IW) needs be that(IW) offences come(WF); but(CW) woe to that man by whom the offence cometh(WV)!

KJV List (See full page for word-by-word analysis):
For analysis of each word of original Greek and biblical verses, click here.

Constantly Updated

My analysis standards and methods are constantly improving. New information on each verse is provided as articles are updated. It requires approximately two years for me to work through updating each of Jesus's verses.

What Jesus's Listeners Heard

The everyday meanings of the Greek words Jesus used were different than the definitions they have been given over time in biblical translation. The word translations here are based upon documents of his time such as the Greek Septuagint, not ideas unknown in his time.

About this Site

See what Jesus said in Greek and see how his words are changed in English translation. My goal is to translate Jesus's words as they were heard when he taught, not the way they are interpreted today. The work here resurrects the humor and cleverness of Jesus's words lost in translation.

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Each article provides detailed information on all the Greek words in each verse with links simplifying your own research. It compares the Greek to popular translations to show where words are confused, changed, left out, and added. This site offers research available nowhere else, such as how often Jesus uses a specific Greek word and links to a list of every verse in which he uses a given word.