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The NET Bible®

Matthew 18:7

Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! It is necessary that stumbling blocks come, but woe to the person through whom they come.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Jesus, the Christ;   Temptation;   Wicked (People);   Scofield Reference Index - Parables;   Thompson Chain Reference - Helps-Hindrances;   Offences;   Woes;   The Topic Concordance - Despisement;   Hell;   Offense;   World;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Offence;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Offence;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Child;   Stumbling block;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Hutchinsonians;   Necessity;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Offence;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Hart;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Matthew, the Gospel of;   Offense;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Offence;   Text of the New Testament;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Adultery ;   Brotherhood (2);   Character;   Childhood;   Children of God;   Discourse;   Elect, Election ;   Heathen;   Hindrance;   Ideas (Leading);   Little Ones;   Matthew, Gospel According to;   Meals;   Necessity;   Neighbour (2);   Offence (2);   Quotations (2);   Sermon on the Mount;   Trinity (2);   Woe;   World ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Stumbling Block,;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Divorce;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Jesus Christ (Part 2 of 2);   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Didascalia;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for February 18;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Woe to the world because of offenses. For offenses will inevitably come, but woe to that person by whom the offense comes.
King James Version (1611)
Woe vnto the world because of offences: for it must needs be that offences come: but wo to that man by whom the offence commeth.
King James Version
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!
English Standard Version
"Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!
New American Standard Bible
"Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to the person through whom the stumbling block comes!
New Century Version
How terrible for the people of the world because of the things that cause them to sin. Such things will happen, but how terrible for the one who causes them to happen!
Amplified Bible
"Woe (judgment is coming) to the world because of stumbling blocks and temptations to sin! It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to the person on whose account or through whom the stumbling block comes!
Geneva Bible (1587)
Wo be vnto the world because of offences: for it must needes be that offences shall come, but wo be to that man by whome the offence commeth.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!
Legacy Standard Bible
"Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; nevertheless, woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!
Berean Standard Bible
Woe to the world for the causes of sin. These stumbling blocks must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!
Contemporary English Version
The world is in for trouble because of the way it causes people to sin. There will always be something to cause people to sin, but anyone who does this will be in for trouble.
Complete Jewish Bible
Woe to the world because of snares! For there must be snares, but woe to the person who sets the snare!
Darby Translation
Woe to the world because of offences! For it must needs be that offences come; yet woe to that man by whom the offence comes!
Easy-to-Read Version
I feel sorry for the people in the world because of the things that make people sin. These things must happen, but it will be very bad for anyone who causes them to happen.
George Lamsa Translation
Woe to the world because of offences! Offences are bound to come; but woe to the man by whose hand the offences come!
Good News Translation
How terrible for the world that there are things that make people lose their faith! Such things will always happen—but how terrible for the one who causes them!
Lexham English Bible
Woe to the world because of causes for stumbling, for it is a necessity that causes for stumbling come; nevertheless, woe to the person through whom the cause for stumbling comes.
Literal Translation
Woe to the world from its offenses! It is a necessity for the offenses to come, yet woe to that man through whom the offense comes!
American Standard Version
Woe unto the world because of occasions of stumbling! for it must needs be that the occasions come; but woe to that man through whom the occasion cometh!
Bible in Basic English
A curse is on the earth because of trouble! for it is necessary for trouble to come; but unhappy is that man through whom the trouble comes.
Hebrew Names Version
"Woe to the world because of occasions of stumbling! For it must be that the occasions come, but woe to that person through whom the occasion comes!
International Standard Version
How terrible it will be for the world because it causes people to sin! Temptations to sin are bound to happen, but how terrible it will be for that person who causes someone to sin!Matthew 26:24; Luke 17:1; 1 Corinthians 11:19;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
Woe to the world from causes of offence ! for it is unavoidable that causes of offence will come;
Murdock Translation
Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks ! For it must be, that stumbling blocks come. But, woe to the person by whose means the stumbling blocks come.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Wo vnto the worlde, because of offences. It must nedes be, that offences come: But wo to that man, by whom the offence commeth.
English Revised Version
Woe unto the world because of occasions of stumbling! for it must needs be that the occasions come; but woe to that man through whom the occasion cometh!
World English Bible
Woe to the world because of occasions of stumbling! For it must be that the occasions come, but woe to that person through whom the occasion comes!
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Wo to the world because of offences: for it must needs be that offences come; but wo to that man by whom the offence cometh.
Weymouth's New Testament
"Alas for the world because of causes of falling! They cannot but come, but alas for each man through whom they come!
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Woo to the world, for sclaundris; for it is nede that sclaundris come; netheles wo to thilke man bi whom a sclaundre cometh.
Update Bible Version
Woe to the world because of occasions of stumbling! for it must surely be that the occasions come; but woe to the man through whom the occasion comes!
Webster's Bible Translation
Woe to the world because of offenses! for it must needs be that offenses come; but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh!
New King James Version
Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!
New Living Translation
"What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting.
New Life Bible
"It is bad for the world because of that which makes people sin. Men will be tempted to sin. But it is bad for the one who is the reason for someone to sin.
New Revised Standard
Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes!
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Alas for the world! by reason of the causes of stumbling; for it is, necessary, that the causes of stumbling come, - nevertheless, alas for the man through whom the cause of stumbling cometh!
Douay-Rheims Bible
Woe to the world because of scandals. For it must needs be that scandals come: but nevertheless woe to that man by whom the scandal cometh.
Revised Standard Version
"Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the man by whom the temptation comes!
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Wo be vnto the world because of offences. How be it it cannot be avoided but yt offences shalbe geven. Neverthelesse woo be to ye man by who the offence cometh.
Young's Literal Translation
`Wo to the world from the stumbling-blocks! for there is a necessity for the stumbling-blocks to come, but wo to that man through whom the stumbling-block doth come!
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Wo vnto the worlde because of slauders. Yee there must slaunders come: but wo vnto that man, by whom slaunder commeth.
Mace New Testament (1729)
wo unto the world, because of such scandals: tho' it cannot be, but that such occasions of relapsing should happen: yet wo to that man by whom the scandal cometh.
Simplified Cowboy Version
"This whole world is headin' straight for a cliff because of their sins. It's sure enough gonna happen, but I feel sorry for the man who causes one of my little cowboys to sin.

Contextual Overview

7 Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! It is necessary that stumbling blocks come, but woe to the person through whom they come. 8 If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into fiery hell. 10 "See that you do not disdain one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. What do you think? If someone owns a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go look for the one that went astray? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that one of these little ones be lost. "If your brother sins, go and show him his fault when the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have regained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others with you, so that at the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter may be established . If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. If he refuses to listen to the church, treat him like a Gentile or a tax collector. "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven. Again, I tell you the truth, if two of you on earth agree about whatever you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three are assembled in my name, I am there among them." Then Peter came to him and said, "Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother who sins against me? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, I tell you, but seventy-seven times! "For this reason, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves. As he began settling his accounts, a man who owed ten thousand talents was brought to him. Because he was not able to repay it, the lord ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, children, and whatever he possessed, and repayment to be made. Then the slave threw himself to the ground before him, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you everything.' The lord had compassion on that slave and released him, and forgave him the debt. After he went out, that same slave found one of his fellow slaves who owed him one hundred silver coins. So he grabbed him by the throat and started to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!' Then his fellow slave threw himself down and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you.' But he refused. Instead, he went out and threw him in prison until he repaid the debt. When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were very upset and went and told their lord everything that had taken place. Then his lord called the first slave and said to him, ‘Evil slave! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me! Should you not have shown mercy to your fellow slave, just as I showed it to you?' And in anger his lord turned him over to the prison guards to torture him until he repaid all he owed. So also my heavenly Father will do to you, if each of you does not forgive your brother from your heart." 11Questions About the Greatest At that time the disciples came to Jesus saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a child, had him stand among them, and said, "I tell you the truth, unless you turn around and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven! Whoever then humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a child like this in my name welcomes me. "But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a huge millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the open sea. Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! It is necessary that stumbling blocks come, but woe to the person through whom they come. If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into fiery hell. "See that you do not disdain one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. 12 What do you think? If someone owns a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go look for the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. 14 In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that one of these little ones be lost.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

unto: Genesis 13:7, 1 Samuel 2:17, 1 Samuel 2:22-25, 2 Samuel 12:14, Luke 17:1, Romans 2:23, Romans 2:24, 1 Timothy 5:14, 1 Timothy 5:15, 1 Timothy 6:1, Titus 2:5, Titus 2:8, 2 Peter 2:2

for: Mark 13:7, Acts 1:16, 1 Corinthians 11:19, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12, 1 Timothy 4:1-3, 2 Timothy 3:1-5, 2 Timothy 4:3, 2 Timothy 4:4, Jude 1:4

but: Matthew 13:41, Matthew 13:42, Matthew 23:13-28, Matthew 26:24, John 17:12, Acts 1:18-20, 2 Peter 2:3, 2 Peter 2:15-17, Jude 1:11 -13; Revelation 2:14, Revelation 2:15, Revelation 2:20-23, Revelation 19:20, Revelation 19:21

Reciprocal: Numbers 32:15 - ye shall Deuteronomy 22:8 - thou bring 1 Samuel 2:24 - ye make 1 Kings 14:16 - who did sin Psalms 73:15 - offend Matthew 5:30 - offend Matthew 11:6 - whosoever Matthew 11:21 - Woe Matthew 16:23 - thou art Mark 14:21 - but Romans 14:13 - put Romans 14:21 - whereby Romans 16:17 - offences 1 Corinthians 8:9 - take Philippians 1:10 - without 1 John 2:10 - occasion of stumbling

Cross-References

Genesis 18:15
Then Sarah lied, saying, "I did not laugh," because she was afraid. But the Lord said, "No! You did laugh."
Genesis 18:16
When the men got up to leave, they looked out over Sodom. (Now Abraham was walking with them to see them on their way.)
Genesis 19:3
But he urged them persistently, so they turned aside with him and entered his house. He prepared a feast for them, including bread baked without yeast, and they ate.
Amos 6:4
They lie around on beds decorated with ivory, and sprawl out on their couches. They eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the middle of the pen.
Malachi 1:14
"There will be harsh condemnation for the hypocrite who has a valuable male animal in his flock but vows and sacrifices something inferior to the Lord. For I am a great king," says the Lord who rules over all, "and my name is awesome among the nations."
Matthew 22:4
Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, "Look! The feast I have prepared for you is ready. My oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet."'
Luke 15:23
Bring the fattened calf and kill it! Let us eat and celebrate,
Luke 15:27
The slave replied, ‘Your brother has returned, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he got his son back safe and sound.'
Luke 15:30
But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!'

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Woe unto the world because of offences!.... By which are meant, not sins, as sometimes, but rather temptations to sin; and so the Ethiopic version renders this word by "temptation" in every clause, as the Arabic does in the next; and may design all the contempt and reproach cast upon the doctrines, ordinances, and people of Christ, and all those afflictions, distresses, and persecutions exercised on them, on purpose to cause them to stumble and fall; to tempt them to deny the truth, drop their profession of religion, and relinquish the service of Christ; things which are displeasing to God, discouraging to his people, and often attended with bad consequences to formal professors; and bring down the judgments of God upon the men of the world; who sooner or later will vindicate his own cause, avenge his own elect, and render tribulation to them that trouble them.

For it must needs be that offences come; considering the implacable malice of Satan, his unwearied and indefatigable pains, the malignity of the men of the world, their aversion and enmity to the Gospel of Christ, and all good men; it cannot be thought, God suffering such things for the trial of such as are truly gracious, and for the discovery of hypocrites, and for the manifestation of his grace, power, and faithfulness in the preservation of his dear children, that it should be otherwise, but that such offences should be:

but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh; for though God, for wise ends and reasons, as above, voluntarily permits such things to be in the world; and though they do not succeed, as to cause the true followers of Christ so to stumble and fall, as to perish, yet this does not excuse their sin and wickedness, in doing all that in them lay to effect it. For though God will, and does overrule all their base designs against his ministers, church, and people, for his glory, and their good, this is no thanks to them; and as it does not in the least extenuate their crime, it will not abate the severity of their punishment.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Woe unto the world because of offences - That is, offences will be the cause of woe or of suffering. Offences, here, mean things that will produce sin: that will cause us to sin, or temptations to induce others to sin. See the notes at Matthew 5:29.

It must needs be ... - That is, such is the depravity of man that there will be always some who are attempting to make others sin; some people of wickedness endeavoring to lead Christians astray, and rejoicing when they have succeeded in causing them to fall. Such, also, is the strength of our native corruption and the force of passion, that our besetting sins will lead us astray.

Woe to that man by whom the offence cometh - He who leads others into sin is awfully guilty - no man can be more guilty. No wickedness can be more deeply seated in the heart than that which attempts to mar the peace, defile the purity, and destroy the souls of others; and yet in all ages there have been multitudes who, by persecution, threats, arts, allurements, and persuasion, have endeavored to seduce Christians from the faith and to lead them into sin.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 18:7. Wo! — Or, alas! ουαι. It is the opinion of some eminent critics, that this word is ever used by our Lord to express sympathy and concern.

Because of offences — Scandals, stumbling-blocks, persecutions, &c.

For it must needs be that offences come — Αναγκε γαρ εϚιν ελθειν τα σκανδαλα, for the coming of offences is unavoidable. Such is the wickedness of men, such their obstinacy, that they will not come unto Christ that they may have life, but desperately continue deceiving and being deceived. In such a state of things, offences, stumbling-blocks, persecutions, &c., are unavoidable.

Wo to that man — He who gives the offence, and he who receives it, are both exposed to ruin.


 
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