For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing.
Parallel translations
- WEB Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.
- KJV The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.
- 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.
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 2:6Yahweh said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand. Only spare his life.”
- Prov 13:8The ransom of a man’s life is his riches, but the poor hear no threats.
- Job 2:4Satan answered Yahweh, and said, “Skin for skin. Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.
- Acts 27:18–19As we labored exceedingly with the storm, the next day they began to throw things overboard.
- Job 1:12Yahweh said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power. Only on himself don’t stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of Yahweh.
- Gen 19:17It came to pass, when they had taken them out, that he said, “Escape for your life! Don’t look behind you, and don’t stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be consumed!”
- Acts 27:38When they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing 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.