Matthew 6:27
New International Version
Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

New Living Translation
Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

English Standard Version
And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

Berean Standard Bible
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

Berean Literal Bible
And who of you by worrying is able to add one cubit to his stature?

King James Bible
Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

New King James Version
Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

New American Standard Bible
And which of you by worrying can add a single day to his life’s span?

NASB 1995
“And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?

NASB 1977
“And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life’s span?

Legacy Standard Bible
And who of you by being worried can add a single cubit to his life span?

Amplified Bible
And who of you by worrying can add one hour to [the length of] his life?

Christian Standard Bible
Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Can any of you add a single cubit to his height by worrying?

American Standard Version
And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit unto the measure of his life?

Contemporary English Version
Can worry make you live longer?

English Revised Version
And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit unto his stature?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Can any of you add a single hour to your life by worrying?

Good News Translation
Can any of you live a bit longer by worrying about it?

International Standard Version
Can any of you add a single hour to the length of your life by worrying?

Majority Standard Bible
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

NET Bible
And which of you by worrying can add even one hour to his life?

New Heart English Bible
"And which of you, by being anxious, can add one cubit to his height?

Webster's Bible Translation
Which of you by anxious care can add one cubit to his stature?

Weymouth New Testament
Which of you by being over-anxious can add a single foot to his height?

World English Bible
“Which of you by being anxious, can add one moment to his lifespan?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And who of you, being anxious, is able to add to his age one cubit?

Berean Literal Bible
And who of you by worrying is able to add one cubit to his stature?

Young's Literal Translation
'And who of you, being anxious, is able to add to his age one cubit?

Smith's Literal Translation
Which of you, being anxious, can add one cubit to his size?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And which of you by taking thought, can add to his stature by one cubit?

Catholic Public Domain Version
And which of you, by thinking, is able to add one cubit to his stature?

New American Bible
Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?

New Revised Standard Version
And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Who is among you who by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But who of you, while taking pains, is able to add a foot and a half to his stature?
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
Which of you, by his anxiety, can add one span to his life?

Godbey New Testament
And which one of you being solicitous is able to add one moment to his existence?

Haweis New Testament
But which of you, by his cares, can add one cubit to his stature?

Mace New Testament
who by all his sollicitude can add one moment to his age?

Weymouth New Testament
Which of you by being over-anxious can add a single foot to his height?

Worrell New Testament
And who of you, by being anxious, can add to his stature one cubit?

Worsley New Testament
And which of you by all his thought can add one cubit to his stature?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Do Not Worry
26Look 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? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin.…

Cross References
Luke 12:25-26
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? / So if you cannot do such a small thing, why do you worry about the rest?

Psalm 39:5
You, indeed, have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing before You. Truly each man at his best exists as but a breath. Selah

Psalm 39:6
Surely every man goes about like a phantom; surely he bustles in vain; he heaps up riches not knowing who will haul them away.

Psalm 39:11
You discipline and correct a man for his iniquity, consuming like a moth what he holds dear; surely each man is but a vapor. Selah

Job 14:5
Since his days are determined and the number of his months is with You, and since You have set limits that he cannot exceed,

Job 14:14
When a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, until my renewal comes.

Ecclesiastes 3:14
I know that everything God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God does it so that they should fear Him.

Ecclesiastes 6:12
For who knows what is good for a man during the few days in which he passes through his fleeting life like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will come after him under the sun?

Ecclesiastes 7:13-14
Consider the work of God: Who can straighten what He has bent? / In the day of prosperity, be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider this: God has made one of these along with the other, so that a man cannot discover anything that will come after him.

Ecclesiastes 8:7-8
Since no one knows what will happen, who can tell him what is to come? / As no man has power over the wind to contain it, so no one has authority over his day of death. As no one can be discharged in wartime, so wickedness will not release those who practice it.

Ecclesiastes 9:11
I saw something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; neither is the bread to the wise, nor the wealth to the intelligent, nor the favor to the skillful. For time and chance happen to all.

Proverbs 27:1
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.

James 4:13-15
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business, and make a profit.” / You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. / Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.”

1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

Philippians 4:6-7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. / And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.


Treasury of Scripture

Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to his stature?

by.

Matthew 5:36
Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.

Psalm 39:6
Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.

Ecclesiastes 3:14
I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

Jump to Previous
Able Add Age Anxious Care Carefulness Cubit Foot Growth Height Hour Measure Moment Over-Anxious Single Span Stature Taller Thought Worried Worrying
Jump to Next
Able Add Age Anxious Care Carefulness Cubit Foot Growth Height Hour Measure Moment Over-Anxious Single Span Stature Taller Thought Worried Worrying
Matthew 6
1. Giving to the Needy
5. The Lord's Prayer
16. Proper Fasting
19. Store up Treasures in Heaven
25. Do Not Worry
33. but seek God's kingdom.














Who of you
This phrase directly addresses the audience, inviting personal reflection. In the context of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, He speaks to a diverse group, including His disciples and the broader crowd. The Greek word "tis" (τίς) is used here, which is an interrogative pronoun meaning "who" or "which one." It emphasizes individual responsibility and introspection, urging each listener to consider their own life and actions.

by worrying
The Greek word for "worrying" is "merimnaō" (μεριμνάω), which means to be anxious or to care for. This term conveys a sense of being pulled in different directions, a mental state of distraction and unease. In the historical context, Jesus addresses a common human condition—anxiety about daily needs and future uncertainties. The conservative Christian perspective sees this as a call to trust in God's providence rather than being consumed by worldly concerns.

can add
The verb "add" comes from the Greek "prostithēmi" (προστίθημι), meaning to put to or to increase. This word suggests an attempt to enhance or extend something by one's own effort. Theologically, it underscores the futility of human efforts to control life’s outcomes, contrasting human limitations with divine sovereignty.

a single hour
The phrase "single hour" is translated from the Greek "hēlikia" (ἡλικία), which can mean age, stature, or time span. In this context, it refers to the duration of life. The conservative interpretation often sees this as a reminder of the brevity and fragility of human life, encouraging believers to focus on eternal values rather than temporal concerns.

to his life
The Greek word "zōē" (ζωή) is used here, which means life. It encompasses both physical existence and the quality of life. In the biblical context, life is a gift from God, and its length and quality are ultimately in His hands. This phrase challenges believers to trust in God's plan and timing, rather than attempting to extend life through anxious striving.

(27) One cubit unto his stature.--The Greek for the last word admits either this meaning (as in Luke 19:3, and perhaps Luke 2:52) or that of age (as in John 9:21; John 9:23, and Hebrews 11:24). Either gives an adequate sense to the passage. No anxiety will alter our bodily height, and the other conditions of our life are as fixed by God's laws as that is, as little therefore dependent upon our volition; neither will that anxiety add to the length of life which God has appointed for us. Of the two meanings, however, the last best satisfies the teaching of the context. Men are not anxious about adding to their stature. They are often anxious about prolonging their life. Admit the thought that our days are but "as a span long" (Psalm 39:5), and then the addition of a cubit becomes a natural metaphor. It is to be noted that in the parallel passage in St. Luke (Luke 12:26) this appears as "that which is least," and which yet lies beyond our power. . . . Verse 27. - Luke 12:25 almost verbally. While ver. 26 insisted on the needlessness of anxiety, since, though birds show it not, they are provided for, ver. 27 insists on its uselessness, since after all it can effect so little. You wish to lengthen your life by it if only to a trifling extent; but you cannot do so. Which of you by taking thought (ver. 25, note) can add one cubit? "Hic videtur similitude petita esse a studio, quod erat trecentorum cubitorum: ἡλικία est cursus vitae" (Wetstein). Unto his stature. So even the Revised Version; but the Revised Version margin "age," and so most modern commentators (cf. the rendering preferred by the American Committee, "the measure of his life"). "Age"

(1) is so much nearer the immediate subject, preservation of life,

(2) is so much more frequent an object of anxious care,

(3) gives so much more suitable a meaning to "cubit," a most trifling addition (Luke 12:26), that it is, without any doubt, the true meaning of ἡλικία (cf. John 9:21-23; Hebrews 11:11; cf. Psalm 39:5).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Who
τίς (tis)
Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5101: Who, which, what, why. Probably emphatic of tis; an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what.

of you
ὑμῶν (hymōn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

by
ἐξ (ex)
Preposition
Strong's 1537: From out, out from among, from, suggesting from the interior outwards. A primary preposition denoting origin, from, out.

worrying
μεριμνῶν (merimnōn)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3309: To be over-anxious; with acc: To be anxious about, distracted; I care for. From merimna; to be anxious about.

can
δύναται (dynatai)
Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1410: (a) I am powerful, have (the) power, (b) I am able, I can. Of uncertain affinity; to be able or possible.

add
προσθεῖναι (prostheinai)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active
Strong's 4369: To place (put) to, add; I do again. From pros and tithemi; to place additionally, i.e. Lay beside, annex, repeat.

a single
ἕνα (hena)
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 1520: One. (including the neuter Hen); a primary numeral; one.

hour
πῆχυν (pēchyn)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 4083: A cubit, about a foot and a half. Of uncertain affinity; the fore-arm, i.e. a cubit.

to
ἐπὶ (epi)
Preposition
Strong's 1909: On, to, against, on the basis of, at.

his
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

lifespan?
ἡλικίαν (hēlikian)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2244: Age, term of life; full age, maturity; stature. From the same as helikos; maturity.


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Matthew 6:26
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