Matthew 6:31–32

Matthew 6:31 and Matthew 6:32 are the thirty-first and thirty-second verses of the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament and is part of the Sermon on the Mount. This verse continues the discussion of worry about material provisions.

In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, :What shall we eat? or,

What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your

heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

The World English Bible translates the passage as:

31 “Therefore don’t be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’,

‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘With what will we be clothed?’

32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your

heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 6:31-32

Jesus has just been explaining why one need not be anxious, in Matthew 6:26 he presented an argument for why one need not worry about food, and in Matthew 6:28-30 he presents a similar one about clothing. After giving these explanations Jesus in this verse issues the clear command not to be anxious.

The Gentiles had earlier been presented as a bad example in Matthew 6:7. In this case Fowler notes that Gentiles might not be referring to non-Jews, but to all outside Jesus' group of disciples.^[1] In this verse Jesus mentions that such anxiety might be natural for the Gentiles, who have no God that provides for them, or who believe in capricious or unpredictable Gods. Barclay rephrases this verse as stating that anxiety is impious as it represents doubt in God. For the true follower of God there should be no worry as God is aware of their needs and will meet them.^[2] Morris notes that the verse refers to God meeting the needs of his followers, not their desires, an important distinction.^[3]

References

1. Fowler, Harold. The Gospel of Matthew: Volume One. Joplin: College Press, 1968
2. Barclay, William. The Gospel of Matthew: Volume 1 Chapters 1-10. Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press, 1975.
3. Morris, Leon. The Gospel According to Matthew. Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans, 1992.