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suffer to allow, to permit
"Suffer the little children to come unto me" is let them come, not endure them. The King James uses suffer in the modern sense of enduring pain as well, so again the sentence decides.
Means: to allow, to permitIn the KJV: 152 timesStill in use, different meaning
Forms in the text
Where it appears
suffer appears 152 times in the King James Version, mostly in the sense it still carries today. These are the places where it means to allow, to permit.
But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
Common questions
What does "suffer" mean in the Bible?
In the King James Version suffer means to allow, to permit. "Suffer the little children to come unto me" is let them come, not endure them. The King James uses suffer in the modern sense of enduring pain as well, so again the sentence decides.
How many times does "suffer" appear in the King James Version?
152 times, counting its other forms (suffer 96 times, suffered 50 times, suffereth 5 times, sufferest 1 time).
More like this
All 100 words → · Strong's concordance
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