Luke 12:24-28

12:24 Consider the ravens: ¹  They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn, yet God feeds ²  them. How much more valuable are you than the birds! 12:25 And which of you by worrying ³  can add an hour to his life? ⁴  12:26 So if ⁵  you cannot do such a very little thing as this, why do you worry about ⁶  the rest? 12:27 Consider how the flowers ⁷  grow; they do not work ⁸  or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these! 12:28 And if ⁹  this is how God clothes the wild grass, ¹⁰  which is here ¹¹  today and tomorrow is tossed into the fire to heat the oven, ¹²  how much more ¹³  will he clothe you, you people of little faith!

[12:24]  ¹ 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]  ² 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]  ³ tn Or “by being anxious.”

[12:25]  ⁴ 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.

[12:26]  ⁵ tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text.

[12:26]  ⁶ tn Or “why are you anxious for.”

[12:27]  ⁷ tn Traditionally, “lilies.” According to L&N 3.32, “Though traditionally κρίνον has been regarded as a type of lily, scholars have suggested several other possible types of flowers, including an anemone, a poppy, a gladiolus, and a rather inconspicuous type of daisy.” In view of the uncertainty, the more generic “flowers” has been used in the translation.

[12:27]  ⁸ tn Traditionally, “toil.” Although it might be argued that “work hard” would be a more precise translation of κοπιάω (kopiaw) here, the line in English scans better in terms of cadence with a single syllable.

[12:28]  ⁹ tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text.

[12:28]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “grass in the field.”

[12:28]  ¹¹ tn Grk “which is in the field today.”

[12:28]  ¹² tn Grk “into the oven.” The expanded translation “into the fire to heat the oven” has been used to avoid misunderstanding; most items put into modern ovens are put there to be baked, not burned.

[12:28]  ¹³ sn The phrase how much more is a typical form of rabbinic argumentation, from the lesser to the greater. If God cares for the little things, surely he will care for the more important things.