Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
Parallel translations
- WEB Therefore don’t be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows.
- BSB So do not be afraid; you are worth more 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: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?
- Ps 8:5For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
- Matt 6:26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
- Matt 12:11–12And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
- 1 Cor 9:9–10For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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.