Luke 12:25 (GNV)

Passage

And which of you with taking thought, can adde to his stature one cubite?

Nearby Context

Luke 12:23 The life is more then meate: and the body more then the raiment.

Luke 12:24 Consider the rauens: for they neither sowe nor reape: which neither haue storehouse nor barne, and yet God feedeth them: how much more are yee better then foules?

Luke 12:25 And which of you with taking thought, can adde to his stature one cubite?

Luke 12:26 If yee then bee not able to doe the least thing, why take yee thought for the remnant?

Luke 12:27 Consider the lilies howe they growe: they labour not, neither spin they: yet I say vnto you, that Salomon himselfe in all his royaltie was not clothed like one of these.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "taking", "thought", "adde", "stature", and "cubite". 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 rauens for they neither sowe..." into verse 26's "If yee then bee 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.