Matthew 6:31 (DBY)

Passage

Be not therefore careful, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we put on?

Nearby Context

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?

Matthew 6:31 Be not therefore careful, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we put on?

Matthew 6:32 for all these things the nations seek after; for your heavenly Father knows that ye have need of all these things.

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "careful", "saying", "shall", and "drink". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "careful", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 30's "But if God so clothe the herbage..." into verse 32's "for all these things the nations seek...", so "therefore" and "careful" 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 "therefore" and "careful" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.