New Testament · Gospel

Matthew 18:6

The Greatest and the Lost

But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Matthew 18:6 · Berean Standard Bible
What It Means

Matthew 18:6, in plain English

Jesus gives a frightening warning: if anyone causes one of these little believers to stumble, it would be better for them to have a huge millstone hung around their neck and be drowned in the sea.

Why it's here

God takes the spiritual wellbeing of His children seriously. Leading someone away from faith or damaging their trust in God is one of the gravest things a person can do.

Who's speaking

Jesus delivers one of His most severe warnings.

Where it sits in the story

The tenderness toward children gives way to fierce protection. Jesus will defend the vulnerable with terrifying intensity.

A Closer Look

The scholarly reading

The warning about causing mikrōn toutōn ('these little ones') to sin uses skandalisē ('to cause to stumble'). The proposed punishment, mylos onikos ('a donkey-driven millstone') around the neck and drowning in the sea, describes something worse than execution.

Language and setting

The mylos onikos was a heavy commercial millstone (turned by a donkey), distinct from the smaller hand-mill. Its enormous weight ensures inescapable drowning, making the image deliberately extreme.

Voice

Jesus issues a severe warning about causing believers to stumble.

Significance

Jesus' language becomes terrifyingly vivid. Harming the faith of vulnerable believers is so serious that a violent death would be preferable to facing God's judgment for it.

In context

Matthew 18:4–8

4Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me.

6But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

7Woe to the world for the causes of sin. These stumbling blocks must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!

8If 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 and two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire.

Read all of Matthew 18 — Who is the greatest? A child. What matters most? The one who wandered off. Forgiveness isn't optional — it's the air the kingdom breathes.

Understand every verse, not just this one

This page covers one. BibleKey does all 31,102 — tap any verse for its meaning, any word for its Hebrew or Greek root, and keep reading without leaving the chapter.

Get BibleKey

Understand every verse.

Not just the famous ones. BibleKey is free on iPhone and iPad.

Download on the App Store

Free on iPhone & iPad