The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.
Parallel translations
- WEB Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.
- BSB For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.
- NKJV Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.
- NASB For life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.
- NLT For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Life is more than food and the body more than clothing. Our existence has a greater purpose than meeting physical needs.
Overview
Jesus reminds His disciples that God who gave the greater gift of life and body will surely provide the lesser necessities. Anxiety over food and clothing forgets the larger purpose for which we were made: to know and serve God. This frees believers to seek God's kingdom rather than be consumed with material concerns.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Job 2:6And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.
- Prov 13:8The ransom of a man’s life are his riches: but the poor heareth not rebuke.
- Job 2:4And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
- Acts 27:18–19And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship;
- Job 1:12And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.
- Gen 19:17And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
- Acts 27:38And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 12:23 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.