Luke 12:25 (DRB)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

Luke 12:23 The life is more than the meat: and the body is more than the raiment.

Luke 12:24 Consider the ravens, for they sow not, neither do they reap, neither have they storehouse nor barn, and God feedeth them. How much are you more valuable than they?

Luke 12:25 And which of you by taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?

Luke 12:26 If then ye be not able to do so much as the least thing, why are you solicitous for the rest?

Luke 12:27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they labour not, neither do they spin. But I say to you, not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "taking", "thought", "stature", and "cubit". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "taking" and "thought", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 24's "Consider the ravens for they sow not..." into verse 26's "If then ye be not able to...", so "taking" and "thought" belong inside that flow. In Luke context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

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