Matthew 6:28 (DBY)

Passage

And why are ye careful about clothing? Observe with attention the lilies of the field, how they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin;

Nearby Context

Matthew 6:26 Look at the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, nor reap, nor gather into granaries, and your heavenly Father nourishes them. Are *ye* not much more excellent than they?

Matthew 6:27 But which of you by carefulness can add to his growth one cubit?

Matthew 6:28 And why are ye careful about clothing? Observe with attention the lilies of the field, how they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin;

Matthew 6:29 but I say unto you, that not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed as one of these.

Matthew 6:30 But if God so clothe the herbage of the field, which is to-day, and to-morrow is cast into [the] oven, will he not much rather you, O [ye] of little faith?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "careful", "clothing", "observe", "attention", "lilies", "field", "grow", and "toil". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "careful" and "clothing", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 27's "But which of you by carefulness can..." into verse 29's "but I say unto you that not...", so "careful" and "clothing" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "careful" and "clothing" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.