Matthew 6:31 (KJV)

Passage

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

Nearby Context

Matthew 6:29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Matthew 6:30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

Matthew 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

Matthew 6:32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth 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", "take", "thought", "saying", "shall", "drink", and "wherewithal". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "take", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 30's "Wherefore if God so clothe the grass..." into verse 32's "For after all these things do the...", so "therefore" and "take" 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 "take" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.