Bible Strands
Luke 12:27
Consider how the lilies grow: They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses listeners anxious about daily needs, using agricultural imagery to interrupt their worry during a teaching on provision.
The words — κατανοήσατε (katanoēsate) commands the audience to "do consider" or observe closely, while κοπιάω (kopiaō) denotes the lilies' complete lack of "labor" or strenuous work.
The thread — This observation of cultivated flowers appears in Matthew 6:28, and the argument from lesser to greater provision extends to Luke 12:28 with the grass of the field.
Why it lands — The text states that God clothes transient vegetation with splendor surpassing Solomon's, then asks the listener to recognize their greater value to God. It demands a shift from anxious striving to trust in divine provision.
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 lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Cross-references
- Matthew 6:28 And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin.
- 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!
- 1 Kings 10:1 Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with difficult questions.
- 2 Chronicles 9:1 Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon, she came to test him with difficult questions. She arrived in Jerusalem with a very large caravan—with camels bearing spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones. And she came to Solomon and spoke with him about all that was on her mind.
- James 1:10 But the one who is rich should exult in his low position, because he will pass away like a flower of the field.