Bible Strands
Luke 12:26
So if you cannot do such a small thing, why do you worry about the rest?
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses his disciples during a teaching on anxiety, immediately following his declaration that worry cannot extend life by a single hour. He poses a direct rhetorical question to confront their disproportionate concern over material needs.
The words — The Greek οὐδὲ (oude) translates literally as "not even," underscoring impossibility, while δύνασθε (dunasthe) means "you are able," establishing the logical hinge of the argument. These terms frame the text's progression from human limitation to the irrationality of excessive worry.
The thread — The text's warning against futile anxiety and its call to trust God's provision align with 1 Peter 5:7, Psalms 39:6, and Ecclesiastes 7:13. These passages collectively document a consistent biblical trajectory that rejects vain striving in favor of reliance on divine sovereignty.
Why it lands — The verse requires readers to acknowledge their inability to control life's duration and cease disproportionate mental labor over matters they cannot change. It demands a practical shift from anxious speculation to acceptance of human limits and trust in God's care.
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
If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?
Cross-references
- 1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
- Psalms 39:6 Surely every man goes about like a phantom; surely he bustles in vain; he heaps up riches not knowing who will haul them away.
- Ecclesiastes 7:13 Consider the work of God: Who can straighten what He has bent?
- Luke 12:29 And do not be concerned about what you will eat or drink. Do not worry about it.