Luke 12:25
What does Luke 12:25 mean?
A plain-English look at Luke 12:25 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Luke 12:25 means
Jesus asks who can, by worrying, add a cubit to his lifespan. Anxiety promises control but produces nothing. It consumes energy without extending life or improving outcomes. This rhetorical question punctures worry’s illusion of usefulness. The concern here is not responsible foresight but the inner churn that seeks mastery over time and circumstances. Recognizing that anxiety cannot secure even a small increase in life helps the heart release its grip and turn to faith in God, who alone numbers our days and provides what we need within them.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit unto the measure of his life?
KJV
King James Version · 1611And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit unto the measure of his life?
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949And which of you by taking thought is able to make himself any taller?
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862and who of you, being anxious, is able to add to his age one cubit?
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752And which of you by taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890But which of you by being careful can add to his stature one cubit?
Context
Building on God’s care for ravens, Jesus shows that worry is not only faithless but fruitless. The argument moves from divine provision to human limitation. If anxiety cannot accomplish even the smallest increase in life, then it is senseless to let it dominate. The next verse draws the inference and turns to another creation lesson, the lilies, to shape a faith-filled imagination.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Matthew 5:36
Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, for thou canst not make one hair white or black.
- Matthew 6:27
And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit unto the measure of his life?
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