And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
Parallel translations
- WEB Why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they spin,
- BSB And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin.
- NKJV “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;
- NASB And why are you worried about clothing? Notice how the lilies of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin thread for cloth,
- NLT “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing,
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
Why worry about clothing? Consider how the wildflowers grow without laboring. God adorns even them without their effort.
Overview
Turning from food to clothing, Jesus directs attention to the lilies of the field, which flourish in beauty without toil or spinning. The natural world testifies to a God who lavishes care on even fleeting plants. The illustration prepares for the argument that God will far more readily clothe his children, undercutting anxiety with trust.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Matt 6:25Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
- Phil 4:6Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
- Luke 12:27Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
- Matt 6:31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
- Luke 22:35–36And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing.
- Luke 3:11He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.
- Matt 10:10Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.
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 6:28 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.