Luke 12:25-26

12:25 And which of you by worrying ¹  can add an hour to his life? ²  12:26 So if ³  you cannot do such a very little thing as this, why do you worry about ⁴  the rest?

Luke 10:41

10:41 But the Lord ⁵  answered her, ⁶  “Martha, Martha, ⁷  you are worried and troubled ⁸  about many things,

Luke 12:11

12:11 But when they bring you before the synagogues, ⁹  the ¹⁰  rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how you should make your defense ¹¹  or what you should say,

Luke 12:22

Exhortation Not to Worry

12:22 Then ¹²  Jesus ¹³  said to his ¹⁴  disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry ¹⁵  about your ¹⁶  life, what you will eat, or about your ¹⁷  body, what you will wear.

¹ tn Or “by being anxious.”

² tn Or “a cubit to his height.” A cubit (πῆχυς, phcu") can measure length (normally about 45 cm or 18 inches) or time (a small unit, “hour” is usually used [BDAG 812 s.v.] although “day” has been suggested [L&N 67.151]). The term ἡλικία (Jhlikia) is ambiguous in the same way as πῆχυς. Most scholars take the term to describe age or length of life here, although a few refer it to bodily stature (see BDAG 435-36 s.v. 1.a for discussion). Worry about length of life seems a more natural figure than worry about height. However, the point either way is clear: Worrying adds nothing to life span or height.

³ tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text.

⁴ tn Or “why are you anxious for.”

⁵ tc Most mss (A B* C D W Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 Ï it) read “Jesus” instead of “the Lord” here, but κύριος (kurios, “Lord”) has the support of some weighty papyri, uncials, and other witnesses (Ì^3,[45],75 א B² L 579 892 pc lat sa).

⁶ tn Grk “answering, said to her.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “answered her.”

⁷ sn The double vocative Martha, Martha communicates emotion.

⁸ tn Or “upset.” Here the meanings of μεριμνάω (merimnaw) and θορυβάζομαι (qorubazomai) reinforce each other (L&N 25.234).

⁷ sn The saying looks at persecution both from a Jewish context as the mention of synagogues suggests, and from a Gentile one as the reference to the rulers and the authorities suggests.

⁸ tn Grk “and the,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

⁹ tn Grk “about how or what you should say in your defense,” but this is redundant with the following clause, “or what you should say.”

⁹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative. Jesus’ remarks to the disciples are an application of the point made in the previous parable.

¹⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹¹ tc αὐτοῦ (autou, “his”) is lacking in Ì^45vid,75 B 1241 c e. Although the addition of clarifying pronouns is a known scribal alteration, in this case it is probably better to view the dropping of the pronoun as the alteration in light of its minimal attestation.

¹² tn Or “do not be anxious.”

¹³ tc Most mss (Ì⁴⁵ Ψ 070 ˹³ 33 Ï) supply the pronoun ὑμῶν (Jumwn, “your”) here, although several important and early witnesses omit it (Ì⁷⁵ א A B D L Q W Θ Ë¹ 700 2542 al lat). Externally, the shorter reading is superior. Internally, the pronoun looks to be a scribal clarification. In context the article can be translated as a possessive pronoun anyway (ExSyn 215), as it has been done for this translation.

¹⁴ tc Some mss (B 070 ˹³ 33 1424 al) supply the pronoun ὑμῶν (Jumwn, “your”) here, although the witnesses for the omission are early, important, and varied (Ì^45vid,75 א A D L Q W Θ Ψ Ë¹ Ï lat). See previous tc note for more discussion.