Matthew 19:14 — ExegesisTAB

The verse opens with the nominative phrase ho de Iesous {ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς | ho dè Iē-soûs}, where the article and proper name form the grammatical subject and the conjunction de functions as a mild contrastive link to the preceding scene. The aorist indicative eipen {εἶπεν | eî-pen} introduces direct discourse, shifting from narrative to reported speech. Within the quotation, the aorist imperative aphete {Ἄφετε | Á-phe-te} issues a decisive command to “allow” or “release,” while the coordinated present imperative me koluete {μὴ κωλύετε | mḕ kō-lý-e-te} adds a continuing prohibition, creating a balanced positive–negative pair of instructions. The accusative object ta paidia {τὰ παιδία | tà pai-día} is the focus of these commands, and the complementary infinitive elthein {ἐλθεῖν | el-theîn} governed by pros {πρός | prós} specifies the intended action and direction, “to come to” the speaker, clarified by the first person pronoun me {με | me}. The causal particle gar {γὰρ | gàr} introduces the explanatory clause, where the genitive phrase tōn toioutōn {τῶν τοιούτων | tôn toi-oú-tōn} is placed before the verb estin {ἐστίν | es-tín} for emphasis: “of such ones is the kingdom.” The subject hē basileia tōn ouranōn {ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν | hē ba-si-leía tôn ou-ra-nôn} appears after the verb, a marked order that foregrounds the kind of people characterized as belonging to the kingdom. In translation, this structure is reflected by rendering tōn toioutōn with idiomatic phrases “such as these” and “people like these,” preserving the exemplary character of children as models of those who belong to the kingdom, while retaining the traditional expression “kingdom of heaven” to reflect Matthew’s distinctive theological language.