Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.
Parallel translations
- WEB “Aren’t five sparrows sold for two assaria coins? Not one of them is forgotten by God.
- KJV Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?
- NKJV “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God.
- NASB Are five sparrows not sold for two assaria? And yet not one of them has gone unnoticed in the sight of God.
- NLT “What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them.
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
Five sparrows sell for next to nothing, yet not one is forgotten by God. God's care extends to the smallest and seemingly least valuable creatures.
Overview
Having just spoken of fearing God, Jesus now reassures His disciples of God's intimate, watchful care. If God remembers even cheap sparrows, His attentiveness to His own people is certain. This balances reverence with comfort, showing that the God to be feared is also the Father who tenderly watches over His children.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Luke 12:24Consider 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!
- Ps 145:15–16The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in season.
- Ps 147:9He provides food for the animals, and for the young ravens when they call.
- Matt 10:29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.
- Ps 50:10–11for every beast of the forest is Mine—the cattle on a thousand hills.
- Ps 113:5–6Who is like the LORD our God, the One enthroned on high?
- Luke 12:27Consider 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.
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 12:6 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.