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?
Parallel translations
- WEB 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?
- 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?
- 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 10:29–31Are 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 147:9He provides food for the animals, and for the young ravens when they call.
- Job 38:41Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God as they wander about for lack of food?
- Luke 12:24–32Consider 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 104:27–28All creatures look to You to give them their food in due season.
- Luke 12:6–7Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.
- Matt 6:32For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
- Matt 7:9Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
- Gen 1:29–31Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food.
- Job 35:11who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the air?’
- Ps 104:11–12They give drink to every beast 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.