So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Parallel translations
- WEB Therefore don’t be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows.
- KJV Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
- NKJV Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
- NASB So do not fear; you are more valuable than a great number of sparrows.
- NLT So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.
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
Because they are worth far more than many sparrows, disciples need not be afraid. God's valuing of His people banishes fear.
Overview
Jesus concludes the sparrow analogy with the third 'don't be afraid,' drawing the comfort home: if God cares for sparrows, how much more for His children. The disciples' great value to the Father grounds their courage under persecution. This assurance flows from the Father's love displayed supremely in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- 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 8:5You made him a little lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor.
- Matt 6:26Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns—and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
- Matt 12:11–12He replied, “If one of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out?
- 1 Cor 9:9–10For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it about oxen that God is concerned?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 10:31 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.