Matthew 21:16

They thought that Jesus should not be allowing the children to say that, so they asked him, “ How can you tolerate this [RHQ]? Do you hear what these children are shouting?” Then Jesus said to them, “Yes, I hear them, but if you remembered what you have read in the Scriptures about children praising me, you would know that God is pleased [RHQ] with them. The psalmist wrote, saying to God, ‘You have taught infants and other children to praise you perfectly.’”

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

In Context

15The high priests and the men who taught the people the Jewish laws saw the wonderful deeds that Jesus did. They also saw and heard the children shouting in the Temple, “We praise the Messiah, the descendant of King David!” The religious leaders were indignant because they did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah.

17Then Jesus left the city. We disciples went with him to Bethany town, and we slept there that night.

Read all of Matthew 21

Cross References

Matthew 11:25At that time Jesus prayed, “Father, you rule over everything in heaven and on the earth. I thank you that you have prevented people who think that they are wise [IRO] because they are well-educated, from knowing these things. Instead, you have revealed them to people who accept your truth as readily as little children [MET] do.

Matthew 19:4Jesus said to them, “ Because you have read [RHQ] the Scriptures, you should know that at the time God first created people, ‘he made one man, and he made one woman to be that man’s wife.’

Mark 2:25Jesus wanted to show them that the record in the Scriptures indicated that God permitted people to disobey certain religious laws when they needed food. So he said to them, “ It is written in the Scriptures what our revered ancestor, King David, did when he needed food, and both he and the men with him were hungry. You have read about that, but ◄ you do not think about what it implies./why do you not think about what it implies?► [RHQ]

John 11:47So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered all the members of the Jewish Council together. They started saying to each other, “What are we going to do about Jesus? He is performing many miracles!

Matthew Henry on Matthew 21:13-18

The Profaners of the Temple Punished. 12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. 14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them. 15 And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Matthew 21:16