Luke - 12:29



29 Don't seek what you will eat or what you will drink; neither be anxious.

Verse In-Depth

Explanation and meaning of Luke 12:29.

Differing Translations

Compare verses for better understanding.
And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
And seek not ye what ye shall eat, and what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
And seek not you what you shall eat, or what you shall drink: and be not lifted up on high.
And ye, seek not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink, and be not in anxiety;
And ye, seek not what ye may eat, or what ye may drink, and be not in suspense,
"Therefore, do not be asking what you are to eat nor what you are to drink; and do not waver between hope and fear.
And do not give overmuch thought to your food and drink, and let not your mind be full of doubts.
And so, do not choose to inquire as to what you will eat, or what you will drink. And do not choose to be lifted up on high.

*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.


Historical Commentaries

Scholarly Analysis and Interpretation.

And be not lifted on high [1] This clause corresponds to the last sentence in the passage taken from Matthew, Be not anxious about tomorrow Our Lord now charges them with another fault. When men wish to make arrangements in their own favor, they would willingly embrace five centuries. [2] The verb meteorizesthai, which Luke employs, properly signifies to survey from a lofty situation, or, as we commonly say, to make long discourses: [3] for the intemperate desires of the flesh are never satisfied without making a hundred revolutions of heaven and earth. The consequence is, that they leave no room for the providence of God. This is a reproof of excessive curiosity; for it leads us to bring upon ourselves uneasiness to no purpose, and voluntarily to make ourselves miserable before the time, (Matthew 8:29.) The expression used by Matthew, its own affliction is sufficient for the day, directs believers to moderate their cares, and not to attempt to carry their foresight beyond the limits of their calling: For, as we have said, it does not condemn every kind of care, but only that which wanders, by indirect and endless circuits, beyond limits. This has the same object with the former doctrine. Believers ought to rely on God's fatherly care, to expect that he will bestow upon them whatever they feel to be necessary, and not to torment themselves by unnecessary anxiety. He forbids them to be anxious, or, as Luke has it, to seek, that is, to seek in the manner of those who look around them in every direction, without looking at God, on whom alone their eye ought to be fixed; who are never at ease, but when they have before their eyes an abundance of provisions; and who, not admitting that the protection of the world belongs to God, fret and tease themselves with perpetual uneasiness.

Footnotes

1 - "Ne soyez en suspens;" -- "be not in suspense."

2 - "Embrasseroyent volontiers beaucoup de cent annees;" -- "would willingly embrace many hundreds of years."

3 - "Regarder en haut, et estendre sa veue bien loin: ce qu'on dit communement, Faire de longs discours, ou estre en suspens, comme aussi nous l'avons traduit." -- "To look from on high, and to extend one's view very far: as we commonly say, To make long discourses, or to be in suspense, as we have also translated it."

Neither be ye of doubtful mind - Or, in anxious suspense, μη μετεωριζεσθε. Raphelius gives several examples to prove that the meaning of the word is, to have the mind agitated with useless thoughts, and vain imaginations concerning food, raiment, and riches, accompanied with perpetual uncertainty.

And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither (i) be ye of doubtful mind.
(i) A metaphor taken of things that hang in the air, for those that care too much for this worldly life, and rely upon the arm of man, always have wavering and doubtful minds, swaying sometimes this way, and sometimes that way.

And seek not what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink,.... That is, in an anxious and distressing manner, with a tormenting and vexatious care; otherwise food is to be both asked of God every day, and to be sought for and after in the use of proper means:
neither be ye of doubtful minds; questioning and distrusting that ye shall have any thing to eat or drink: be not fickle, unstable, and inconstant, and wandering in your thoughts about these things, like the meteors in the air, which are carried about here and there; let not your minds be disturbed and distracted about them; or be anxiously solicitous for them; See Gill on Matthew 6:31.

of doubtful, &c.--unsettled mind; put off your balance.

Neither be ye of a doubtful mind - The word in the original signifies, any speculations or musings in which the mind fluctuates, or is suspended (like meteors in the air) in an uneasy hesitation.

*More commentary available at chapter level.


Discussion on Luke 12:29

User discussion of the verse.






*By clicking Submit, you agree to our Privacy Policy & Terms of Use.