Matthew 6:26 (GNV)

Passage

Behold the foules of the heauen: for they sowe not, neither reape, nor carie into the barnes: yet your heauenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better then they?

Nearby Context

Matthew 6:24 No man can serue two masters: for eyther he shall hate the one, and loue the other, or els he shall leane to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serue God and riches.

Matthew 6:25 Therefore I say vnto you, be not carefull for your life, what ye shall eate, or what ye shall drinke: nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more worth then meate? and the bodie then raiment?

Matthew 6:26 Behold the foules of the heauen: for they sowe not, neither reape, nor carie into the barnes: yet your heauenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better then they?

Matthew 6:27 Which of you by taking care is able to adde one cubite vnto his stature?

Matthew 6:28 And why care ye for raiment? Learne howe the lilies of the fielde doe growe: they are not wearied, neither spinne:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "behold", "foules", "heauen", "sowe", "neither", "reape", "carie", and "barnes". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "behold" and "foules", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 25's "Therefore I say vnto you be not..." into verse 27's "Which of you by taking care is...", so "behold" and "foules" 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 "behold" and "foules" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.