a determination (properly · noun — nominative singular neuter
of
ἔμπροσθενemprosthen
G1715
in front of (in place (literally or figuratively) or ti… · preposition
your
ὑμῶνhymōn
G5216
of (from or concerning) you
Father
πατρὸςpatros
G3962
a "father" (literally or figuratively · noun — genitive singular masculine, a title
which is
τοῦtou
G3588
the (sometimes to be supplied · article — genitive singular masculine
in
ἐνen
G1722
"in · preposition
heaven
οὐρανοῖςouranois
G3772
the sky · noun — dative plural masculine
that
ἵναina
G2443
compare G3588 (ὁ)) · conjunction
one
ἓνhen
G1520
one · adjective — nominative singular neuter
of
μικρῶνmikrōn
G3398
small (in size · adjective — genitive plural neuter
these
τούτωνtoútōn
G5130
of (from or concerning) these (persons or things)
little ones
μικρόςmikrós
G3398
small (in size
should perish
ἀπόληταιapolētai
G622
to destroy fully (reflexively · verb — second aorist middle subjunctive, 3rd person singular
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
John 17:12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of…
John 6:39-40 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at…
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should peri…
Isaiah 40:11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those th…
John 10:27-30 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Zechariah 13:7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall…
Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Matthew 18:1–end
As there never was a greater pattern of humility, so there never was a greater preacher of it, than Christ; he took all occasions to command it, to commend it, to his disciples and followers.
I. The occasion of this discourse concerning humility was an unbecoming contest among the disciples for precedency; they came to him, saying, among themselves (for they were ashamed to ask him, Mar 9:34), Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? They mean not, who by character (then the question had been good, that they might know what graces and duties to excel in), but who by name. They had heard much, and preached much, of the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of the Messiah, his church in this wor…
Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish--How, then, can He but visit for those "offenses" which endanger the souls of these little ones?
John Gill on Matthew 18:14
Even so it is not the will of your father which is in heaven,.... This is the accommodation, or application of the parable of the lost sheep to the present purpose, and is the top of the climax or gradation here made use of. First, Christ observes, in order to deter any from despising and offending any of his disciples, even the meanest, that they have angels to be their guardians, who are continually in the presence of God; and next, that he himself in human nature came to be the author of salvation to these persons; and then rises up to the sovereign will of his Father, and their's, the source and security of their everlasting happiness; which will is, not
that one of these little ones, t…
Matthew 18:11-14
Matthew 18:11-14
Luke 15:1-10
11. For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. 12. What think you? If a man shall have a hundred sheep, and one of them shall go astray, doth he not leave the ninety-nine, and go to the mountains, and seek that which had gone astray? 13. And if he happen to find it, verily, I say to you, he rejoiceth more on account of that sheep than on account of the ninety-nine which had gone astray. 14. So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven, that one of those little ones should perish.
1. And all the publicans and sinners drew near to him to hear him. 2. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinne…
The Church Fathers
What follows, Even so it is not the will, &c. is to be referred to what was said above, Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; and so He shows that this parable was set forth to enforce that same saying. Also in saying, It is not the will of my Father which is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish, He shows that so oft as one of these little ones does perish, it is not by the Father's will that it perishes.
(Verse 14) So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. He refers to the previously stated proposition, of which he said: See that you do not despise one of these little ones; and he teaches this by means of a placed parable, so that the little ones may not be despised. And in what he says: It is not the will of your Father that one of these little ones should perish: whenever one of these little ones perishes, it is shown that it is not by the will of the Father.
The sheep that became lost is the sinner lost from the flock of a hundred. This could refer to the number of the heavenly powers. These powers are capable of speech and reasoning. The one sheep is counted as being among the flock, a part of a great number, as if among "a hundred sheep." His wandering is the consequence of Adam's fall. He is searched for. He is of like nature to those who stay at God's side. He is necessary for their full complement, so that the shepherd may not be deficient and wanting. The summing up of what Paul calls "the whole in Christ" involves the regaining of the deficient part, since the composition of the whole in Christ is not complete because of the deficient and absent one.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
