Matthew 18:7 Meaning and Explanation
“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!”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Jesus laments the snares in the world and warns the one who sets them.
What Does Matthew 18:7 Mean?
Jesus broadens His gaze to the whole world and grieves over it. In a fallen world, temptations and stumbling-blocks are bound to come; that is the sorrowful reality. Yet their inevitability excuses no one who becomes the cause of another's fall.
Two woes sound here, one over the world that is full of snares, and one over the person who lays them. The first is lament; the second is warning. Jesus feels the weight of how easily souls are tripped, and He calls each hearer to make sure the stumbling does not begin with us. Love refuses to be the reason a brother falls.
Matthew 18:7 in the Original Language
ouai (οὐαί), 'woe' -- a cry of grief and warning over coming sorrow.
Frequently Asked Questions About Matthew 18:7
What does Matthew 18:7 mean?
Jesus laments the snares in the world and warns the one who sets them.