Devine Scripture

Matthew 10:42

What does Matthew 10:42 mean?

A plain-English look at Matthew 10:42 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What Matthew 10:42 means

Jesus concludes this section with a tender and expansive promise of reward for even the smallest acts of kindness: "And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you he shall in no wise lose his reward." "These little ones" refers to His humble, perhaps outwardly insignificant, disciples. Giving "a cup of cold water only" represents the simplest, most basic act of compassion. The key is doing it "in the name of a disciple" motivated by their connection to Christ. This assures that no act of genuine charity toward His followers, however small, will go unrewarded by God.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you he shall in no wise lose his reward.

KJV

King James Version · 1611

And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you he shall in no wise lose his reward.

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

And whoever gives to one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he will not go without his reward.

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

and whoever may give to drink to one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say to you, he may not lose his reward.'

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

And whosoever shall give to drink to one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, amen I say to you he shall not lose his reward.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

And whosoever shall give to drink to one of these little ones a cup of cold [water] only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

Context

This verse provides the culminating example of reward for receiving and supporting Christ's disciples, emphasizing that even the smallest act of kindness driven by genuine faith will be honored. It concludes Jesus' extensive instructions and warnings to His twelve apostles, summarizing the profound significance of how one responds to those who bear His message and bringing this pivotal chapter to a close.

v.41He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward: and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.

v.42This passage

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  • Mark 9:41

    For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink, because ye are Christ’s, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

  • Mark 14:7

    For ye have the poor always with you, and whensoever ye will ye can do them good: but me ye have not always.

  • Matthew 18:3

    and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye turn, and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven.

  • Matthew 8:5

    And when he was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,

  • Matthew 18:14

    Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

  • Mark 12:42

    And there came a poor widow, and she cast in two mites, which make a farthing.

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