Luke 12:18

12:18 Then ¹  he said, ‘I ²  will do this: I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.

Luke 12:24-25

12:24 Consider the ravens: ³  They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn, yet God feeds ⁴  them. How much more valuable are you than the birds! 12:25 And which of you by worrying ⁵  can add an hour to his life? ⁶ 

[12:18]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[12:18]  ² sn Note how often the first person pronoun is present in these verses. The farmer is totally self absorbed.

[12:24]  ³ tn Or “crows.” Crows and ravens belong to the same family of birds. English uses “crow” as a general word for the family. Palestine has several indigenous members of the crow family.

[12:24]  ⁴ tn Or “God gives them food to eat.” L&N 23.6 has both “to provide food for” and “to give food to someone to eat.”

[12:25]  ⁵ tn Or “by being anxious.”

[12:25]  ⁶ 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.