But Jesus called them unto him
Not the disciples, as the Ethiopic version reads, nor the persons
that brought the children, but the children themselves; for the
antecedent to the relative (auta) , "them", can be no other; which shows, that
these infants were not new born babes, or children at the breast,
but such as were more grown up, since they were capable of being
called to, and of coming to Christ:
and said;
that is, to the disciples; so the Persic version expresses it:
suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them
not;
(See Gill on Matthew
19:14)
for of such is the kingdom of God;
or "of heaven", as the Syriac version reads, and as in ( Matthew
19:14 ) that is, the kingdom of God belongs to such, "who are
as these"; or, "like to these": as the Syriac, Arabic, and Persic
versions render the words; ((See Gill on Matthew
19:14).)