See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they?
Parallel translations
- KJV Behold 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?
- BSB Look 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?
- NKJV Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
- NASB Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they?
- NLT Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?
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
God feeds the birds, who neither plant nor harvest, and you are worth far more to him. If he cares for them, he will certainly care for you.
Overview
Jesus points to the birds as a living illustration of the Father's provision: they neither farm nor store, yet God sustains them. Reasoning from lesser to greater, he assures disciples—who bear God's image and are of far more value—of his care. The verse confronts anxiety with confidence in the Father's attentive, fatherly love.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Matt 10:29–31“Aren’t two sparrows sold for an assarion coin? Not one of them falls on the ground apart from your Father’s will,
- Ps 147:9He provides food for the livestock, and for the young ravens when they call.
- Job 38:41Who provides for the raven his prey, when his young ones cry to God, and wander for lack of food?
- Luke 12:24–32Consider the ravens: they don’t sow, they don’t reap, they have no warehouse or barn, and God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than birds!
- Ps 145:15–16The eyes of all wait for you. You give them their food in due season.
- Ps 104:27–28These all wait for you, that you may give them their food in due season.
- Luke 12:6–7“Aren’t five sparrows sold for two assaria coins? Not one of them is forgotten by God.
- Matt 6:32For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
- Matt 7:9Or who is there among you, who, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?
- Gen 1:29–31God said, “Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree, which bears fruit yielding seed. It will be your food.
- Job 35:11who teaches us more than the animals of the earth, and makes us wiser than the birds of the sky?’
- Ps 104:11–12They give drink to every animal of the field. The wild donkeys quench their thirst.
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 6:26 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.