Luke 12:24

Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storehouse or barn; yet God feeds them. How much more valuable you are than the birds!

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — Jesus addresses listeners anxious about daily provision, placing this illustration between statements that life exceeds food and worry cannot extend lifespan.

The words — κατανοήσατε (katanoēsate) commands careful observation, while σπείρουσιν (speirousin) and θερίζουσιν (therizousin) denote the sowing and reaping labor the ravens omit.

The thread — The pattern of God feeding birds and affirming human worth appears in Luke 12:7, Psalm 147:9, and Matthew 10:31.

Why it lands — The text states that God sustains ravens without agricultural work, then asks whether listeners possess greater value, drawing a logical conclusion rather than an emotional appeal.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Greek words

King James Version

Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?

Cross-references

Luke 12:7 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Psalms 147:9 He provides food for the animals, and for the young ravens when they call.
Matthew 10:31 So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Job 38:41 Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God as they wander about for lack of food?
Psalms 145:15 The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in season.
Job 35:11 who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the air?’
1 Kings 17:1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there will be neither dew nor rain in these years except at my word!”
Luke 12:30 For the Gentiles of the world strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.
Mark 6:26 The king was consumed with sorrow, but because of his oaths and his guests, he did not want to refuse her.