Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 6:27
Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
27. can add one cubit unto his stature ] As the word translated “stature” also=duration of life, the meaning may be “add a cubit to his life.” Comp. Psa 39:6 (P. B.), “Thou hast made my days as it were a span long.” This rendering falls in better with the connection. With all his anxiety man cannot add to his length of days, or clothe himself like the flowers.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Which of you, by taking thought – The third argument is taken from their extreme weakness and helplessness. With all your care you cannot increase your stature a single cubit. God has ordered your height. Beyond his appointment your powers are of no avail, and you can do nothing. So of raiment. He, by His providence, orders and arranges the circumstances of your life. Beyond that appointment of His providence, beyond his care for you, your efforts avail nothing. Seeing, then, that he alike orders your growth and the supply of your needs, how obvious is the duty of depending upon him, and of beginning all your efforts, feeling that He only can grant you the means of preserving life.
One cubit – The cubit was originally the length from the elbow to the end of the middle finger. The cubit of the Scriptures is not far from 22 inches. Terms of length are often applied to life, and it is thought by many to be so here. Thus, it is said, Thou hast made my days as a handbreadth Psa 39:5; Teach me the measure of my days Psa 39:4. In this place it is used to denote a small length. You cannot increase your stature even a cubit, or in the smallest degree. Compare Luk 12:26.
Stature – This word means height. The original word, however, means oftener age, Joh 9:21; He is of age; so also Joh 9:23. If this be its meaning here, as is probable (compare Robinson, Lexicon), it denotes that a man cannot increase the length of his life at all. The utmost anxiety will not prolong it one hour beyond the time appointed for death.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 27. Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?] The third reason against these carking cares is the unprofitableness of human solicitude, unless God vouchsafe to bless it. What can our uneasiness do but render us still more unworthy of the Divine care? The passage from distrust to apostasy is very short and easy; and a man is not far from murmuring against Providence, who is dissatisfied with its conduct. We should depend as fully upon God for the preservation of his gifts as for the gifts themselves.
Cubit unto his stature?] I think should be rendered age here, and so our translators have rendered the word in Joh 9:21, he is of age. A very learned writer observes, that no difficulty can arise from applying a cubit, a measure of extension, to time, and the age of man: as place and time are both quantities, and capable of increase and diminution, and, as no fixed material standard can be employed in the mensuration of the fleeting particles of time, it was natural and necessary, in the construction of language, to apply parallel terms to the discrimination of time and place. Accordingly, we find the same words indifferently used to denote time and place in every known tongue. Lord, let me know the MEASURE of my days! Thou hast made my days HAND-BREADTHS, Ps 39:5. Many examples might be adduced from the Greek and Roman writers. Besides, it is evident that the phrase of adding one cubit is proverbial, denoting something minute; and is therefore applicable to the smallest possible portion of time; but, in a literal acceptation, the addition of a cubit to the stature, would be a great and extraordinary accession of height. See Wakefield.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
How vain a thing is it to distract yourselves with anxious thoughts about your body and your life! All your thinking will not add a cubit to your stature: as your being and existence derives from God, so the increase of your stature depends upon him; likewise he maketh the child to grow to the just proportion which he hath intended him, and beyond that he cannot pass. If Gods blessing be necessary to this, and so necessary that no thoughts, no means, will add any thing without the Divine blessing, what reason have you to take any such thoughts, as you cannot expect he should bless to their desired effect and issue?
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
27. Which of you, by takingthoughtanxious solicitude.
can add one cubit unto hisstature?“Stature” can hardly be the thing intendedhere: first, because the subject is the prolongation of life,by the supply of its necessaries of food and clothing: and next,because no one would dream of adding a cubitor a foot and ahalfto his stature, while in the corresponding passage in Luke(Luk 12:25; Luk 12:26)the thing intended is represented as “that thing which isleast.” But if we take the word in its primary sense of”age” (for “stature” is but a secondarysense) the idea will be this, “Which of you, however anxiouslyyou vex yourselves about it, can add so much as a step to the lengthof your life’s journey?” To compare the length of life tomeasures of this nature is not foreign to the language of Scripture(compare Psa 39:5; 2Ti 4:7,&c.). So understood, the meaning is clear and the connectionnatural. In this the best critics now agree.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Which of you by taking thought,…. As Christ argued before, from the unnecessariness of anxious thoughts and cares, about the provisions of life; so here, from the unprofitableness of them; it being impossible for a man, with all his care and thought, to
add one cubit unto his stature, or “to his age”; so the word is rendered, Joh 9:21 to the days of his life, he is so solicitous about; for a cubit may as well be applied to a man’s age, as an “hand’s breadth” is to his days, Ps 39:5. Nor is it so reasonable to think, that Christ should be speaking of making such an addition to a man’s height; though that, to be sure, is an impossible thing: since the far greater part of Christ’s hearers must be come to their full growth, and could not hope to have any addition made to their height; though they might hope to add to their days; much less such a monstrous one as that of a cubit, and which is a strong reason against the other sense of the word, and for this: for our Lord is speaking of something very small, which men cannot do; as appears from what Luke says, Lu 12:26 “If ye then be not able to do that which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?” Whereas, to add a cubit to a man’s height, is a great deal:
“the stature of a middling man (says f Bartenora) is three cubits.”
And to add one more, makes a large addition to his stature; but to apply this to a man’s age, is a small matter, and yet is what men cannot do: the sense of the words is this, that no man, by all the care and thought he can make use of, is ever able to add one cubit, or the least measure to his days; he cannot lengthen out his life one year, one month, one day, one hour; no, not one moment.
f In Misn. Erubim, c. 4. sect. 5. & Negaim, c. 13. sect. 11.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Unto his stature ( ). The word is used either of height (stature) or length of life (age). Either makes good sense here, though probably “stature” suits the context best. Certainly anxiety will not help either kind of growth, but rather hinder by auto-intoxication if nothing more. This is no plea for idleness, for even the birds are diligent and the flowers grow.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
1) “Which of you by taking thought,” (tis de eks humon merimnon) “Then who of you all (by) being anxious,” overanxious or concerned, Luk 12:25-26. So much worry and anxiety over material things constitute sin against God. Luk 17:5, reads, “Lord increase our faith,” 0 that men would ask to have their needs supplied, Mat 7:8; Luk 11:10.
2) “Can add one cubit unto his stature.” (dunatai prostheinai epi ten helikian autou pechun hena) “is able to add even one cubit to his stature?” None could do it. Nor can one add a step to his life’s journey by worrying or being over-anxious about food, raiment, and shelter. The vanity of worry or over anxiety about material needs in here chided, Pro 3:3-5.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
27. Which of you by anxious care, etc ? Here our Lord condemns another fault, which is almost always connected with immoderate anxiety about food: and that is, when a mortal man, claiming more than he has a right to do, does not hesitate, in sacrilegious hardihood, to go beyond his limits.
“
O Lord, I know (says Jeremiah) that the way of man is not in himself it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps,” (Jer 10:23.)
You scarcely meet with one person in a hundred, who does not venture to make any promises that he thinks fit on his own industry and power. The consequence is, that those who take credit to themselves for their prosperity, do not hesitate to lose sight of God, when they enter into any undertaking. To restrain this mad rashness, Christ tells us, that whatever contributes to the support of our life depends wholly on the blessing of God. The meaning is: “It is foolish in men to weary themselves, because all our labors are unnecessary and fruitless, and all our anxieties are to no purpose, unless so far as God blesses them.” This is more clearly expressed by Luke, If you cannot do even that which is least, why are you anxious about the rest? These words show plainly, that Christ reproves not only distrust, but pride, because men ascribe much more than they ought to their own skill.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(27) One cubit unto his stature.The Greek for the last word admits either this meaning (as in Luk. 19:3, and perhaps Luk. 2:52) or that of age (as in Joh. 9:21; Joh. 9:23, and Heb. 11:24). Either gives an adequate sense to the passage. No anxiety will alter our bodily height, and the other conditions of our life are as fixed by Gods laws as that is, as little therefore dependent upon our volition; neither will that anxiety add to the length of life which God has appointed for us. Of the two meanings, however, the last best satisfies the teaching of the context. Men are not anxious about adding to their stature. They are often anxious about prolonging their life. Admit the thought that our days are but as a span long (Psa. 39:5), and then the addition of a cubit becomes a natural metaphor. It is to be noted that in the parallel passage in St. Luke (Luk. 12:26) this appears as that which is least, and which yet lies beyond our power.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
27. Add one cubit to his stature To provide food and to eat food is man’s duty; to regulate the digestive process, the growth, the size, comes within the prerogative of God. We can do our part, and God takes care of the rest.
The word cubit (Latin, cubitus) signifies primarily the human arm, from the elbow to the end of the longest finger. This part of the human frame (like the foot) became, very anciently, a measure of external objects. The ancient Egyptian cubit was six handbreadths, or two spans, a span being the measure from the end of the thumb to the end of the little finger of the extended hand. These are somewhat variable measures, but the cubit was about eighteen inches.
Some have rendered the word stature here by the word life, and would improve the meaning by making our Lord ask whether we can add a cubit to life a very odd phrase indeed. Dr. Stier, in his learned work, The Words of Jesus, supposes himself to have settled the question in favour of this meaning by showing that in Mat 6:26-27 our Lord illustrates the life alone, and in Mat 6:28-30 the body alone. This is true; but it proves just the reverse of Dr. Stier’s conclusions. The body, as the subject of clothing only, is spoken of in 28-30. In 27 the life is, indeed, the subject, but the life as developing the growth and stature attained. The Greek word for stature does not properly signify life, except as measured by the growth. It is derived from a word signifying how great, and the reference to size and growth is never lost from the word. Cubit is a very uncommon measurement of time, though the ordinary one of stature. The obvious meaning is, man may provide food, but God regulates the growth.
Upon the phraseology of this verse Mr. Roberts remarks:
“This form of speech is sometimes used to humble those of high pretensions. Thus a man of low caste who has become rich, and who assumes authority over his better born though poor neighbours, will be asked: ‘What, has your money made you a cubit higher?’ that is, in the scale of being. Is a man ambitious of rising in society? a person who wishes to annoy him will put his finger to his elbow, and showing him that part to the tip of the middle finger, ask: ‘Friend, will you ever rise thus much [a cubit] after all your cares?’ ‘Yes, yes; the low caste thinks himself a cubit taller, because he has got the favour of the king.’”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
How unprofitable is worry:
v. 27. Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
In whose case will the fact that he worries about the question continually be of any aid in increasing his height, or rather, in lengthening his life? Psa 39:5. It is simply impossible for a person, by taking thought of the matter, both to produce the growth that comes from food and to extend the days of his life. Why, then, not leave these matters to Providence? Christ even points to the inanimate creatures as examples of God’s loving care:
v. 28. And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin.
v. 29. And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. To worry about clothing to cover one’s nakedness must seem strange in view of the thousand miracles surrounding us. Consider, observe well, take a lesson from the lilies, He says, including in this term all flowers, since those of Palestine are very beautiful. They grow, they become large; and yet they do nothing to provide a suitable dress for themselves; neither heavy nor light work is on their daily program. The situation demands a strong statement, and Jesus deliberately gives it. Solomon, whose riches and luxury were proverbial among the Jews as the climax and pinnacle of gorgeousness, in the very height of his glory and wealth and magnificence, could not be compared, in the splendor of his attire, with one of these flowers. Nothing on earth can equal the rich blending of colors, the velvety texture of the petals of some of the commonest blossoms that are overlooked as weeds by the heedless.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Mat 6:27. Which of you, by taking thought, &c. Who of you, by his solicitude, can prolong his life one hour? A version strictly literal would be, can add any length to his age; for the Greek word signifies both age and stature, and is to be rendered by either, as the occasion requires. Our translators, have rendered it by age, Joh 9:21; Joh 9:23 and Heb 11:11. The Greek word indeed commonly means a cubit; but it is not unfrequent to transfer the measures of space to express those of time, as Psa 39:5. Thou hast made my days as it were a span long. Dr. Hammond upon the place shews, that cubit has been used in the same manner. Thus far we have seen what senses the terms are capable of: what their proper sense is here, we must gather from the context. At Mat 6:25 our Lord dissuades from anxiety about food and clothing; food for the life ( in the original, that is, soul, or animal life), and clothing for the body. He then treats of these separately. The words under consideration conclude whathe said concerning the maintenance of life, to which stature is not applicable, but age. What he adds concerning the body begins at the next verse. Besides, he was speaking to adult persons, who probably had no solicitude about their stature, and certainly had no imagination that such solicitude could make them grow a foot and a half taller, but a care for the maintenance of life is the common care of all men, and apt to run into excess, where it is not moderated by religion. See Luk 12:25 and Heylin.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Mat 6:27 . ] the duration of life (Hammond, Wolf, Rosenmller, Kuinoel, Schott, Kuffer, Olshausen, de Wette, Baumgarten-Crusius, Tholuck, Ewald, Bleek, Hilgenfeld). For, after the more comprehensive exhortation of Mat 6:25 , Jesus passes in Mat 6:26 to the special subject of the support of life by means of , with which subject Mat 6:27 is intimately connected. Mat 6:28-30 refer, in the first place, specially to the body itself, regarded by itself and as an outward object. The duration of life determined by God is set forth under the figure of a definite lineal measure . Comp. Psa 39:6 ; Mimnermus in Stobaeus, 98. 13. In opposition to this, the only true connection, others (Euth. Zigabenus, Erasmus, Luther, Maldonatus, Jansen, Bengel, Fritzsche), following the Vulgate and Chrysostom, interpret: the height of the body, the stature , Luk 19:3 ; Luk 2:52 . But what an absurd disproportion would there be in such a relation in representing a very trifling addition (Luk 12:26 ) by ! For , , is equivalent to the whole length of the lower part of the arm, two spans or six handbreadths, Bckh, metrol. Unters. p. 210 ff. Fenneberg, b. d. Lngen-, Feld- u. Wegemaasse d. Vlk. d. Alterth. 1859, who thinks, however, without any reason, that the sacred ell (seven handbreadths) is meant.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
Ver. 27. Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? ] And as little able are we (though we take never so much care and pains) to add one mite to that dimension of our estate, which God by his wise and powerful providence hath allotted unto us. Every man shall have his height ( , Luk 12:2 ; cf. Gen 47:12 ), his stint and proportion in his estate, as well as in his stature, to the which he shall come and not exceed. All carking care therefore is bootless and unprofitable. Men may eat up their hearts thereby, and trouble their houses, Pro 15:27 ; (what with labour, and what with passion, a covetous man and his household never live at heart’s ease, all is continually on a tumult of haste and hurry), but cannot add anything to their stature or estate, much less to their spiritual growth, which is hereby exceedingly hindered and hidebound: as we see in the recusant guests, the rich young Pharisee, and those other, that being called to be Christ’s disciples, were so taken up with the care of their worldly business, that they could find no present leisure to follow Christ.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
27. ] These words do not relate to the stature , the adding a cubit to which (= a foot and a half) would be a very great addition, instead of a very small one, as is implied here, and expressed in Luk 12:26 , , . . ., but to the time of life of each hearer; as Theophylact on Luk 12:26 , , . So Hammond, Wolf, Rosenm., Kuinoel, Olsh., De Wette, Meyer, Stier, Tholuck, &c. &c.: and the context seems imperatively to require it: for the object of food and clothing is not to enlarge the body , but to prolong life. The application of measures of space to time is not uncommon. See Psa 39:5 ; Job 9:25 ; 2Ti 4:7 . In Stobus, xcviii. 13, we have cited from Mimnermus, | , , | , | . Alcus (Athen [84] x. 7) says, : and Diog. Laert. viii. 16 (Thol.) .
[84] Athenagoras of Athens, 177
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mat 6:27 . , etc. The question means: care is as bootless as it is needless. But there is much difference of opinion as to the precise point of the question. Does it mean, who by care can add a cubit to his height, or who can add a short space of time, represented by a cubit, to the length of his life? admits of either sense. It means stature in Luk 19:3 ; age in Joh 9:21 , Heb 11:11 . Most recent commentators favour the latter interpretation, chiefly influenced by the monstrosity of the supposition as referring to stature. Who could call adding a cubit, 1 feet, to his height a very small matter, the expression of Lk. ( , Mat 12:26 )? The application of a measure of length to length of days is justified by Psa 39:5 : “Thou hast made my days as handbreadths”. But Dr. Field strongly protests against the new rendering. Admitting, of course, that is ambiguous, and that in classic authors it oftener means age than stature, he insists that is decisive. “ ,” he remarks (Ot. Nor.), “is not only a measure of length, but that by which a man’s stature was properly measured.” Euthy. on this place remarks: “ (half a cubit) (a 24th part): , . Thus a short man is , a tall man .” But how are we to get over the monstrosity of the supposition? Lutteroth helps us here by finding in the question of Jesus a reference to the growth of the human body from infancy to maturity. By that insensible process, accomplished through the aid of food, Gods adds to every human body more than one cubit. “How impossible for you to do what God has done without your thinking of it! And if He fed you during the period of growth, can you not trust Him now when you have ceased to grow?” Such is the thought of Jesus.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
of = from among. Greek. ek.
add = prolong.
cubit = span. Compare Luk 12:26. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Subject), App-6, for a very small thing, as in Psa 39:5, where the Greek pechus is used as the rendering of Hebrew. ‘ammah.
stature. Used elsewhere of age in Joh 9:21, Joh 9:23. Heb 11:11, and of stature in Luk 19:3. Doubtful in Mat 6:27. Luk 2:52. Eph 4:13.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
27.] These words do not relate to the stature, the adding a cubit to which (= a foot and a half) would be a very great addition, instead of a very small one, as is implied here, and expressed in Luk 12:26, , …,-but to the time of life of each hearer; as Theophylact on Luk 12:26, , . So Hammond, Wolf, Rosenm., Kuinoel, Olsh., De Wette, Meyer, Stier, Tholuck, &c. &c.: and the context seems imperatively to require it: for the object of food and clothing is not to enlarge the body, but to prolong life. The application of measures of space to time is not uncommon. See Psa 39:5; Job 9:25; 2Ti 4:7. In Stobus, xcviii. 13, we have cited from Mimnermus, | , , | , | . Alcus (Athen[84] x. 7) says, : and Diog. Laert. viii. 16 (Thol.) .
[84] Athenagoras of Athens, 177
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Mat 6:27. – , which-of you) A mode of speaking frequent with Christ, full of majesty, and yet suited for popular use.-, stature) See Gnomon on Luk 12:25-26.-, a cubit) So as to become of gigantic height.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
the Cure for Anxious Care
Mat 6:27-34
The Lords tone is gentle and tender when He turns to address the poor. He says three times over, Dont be anxious. He never forgot that He sprang, according to His human nature, from the ranks of poverty. His references to patching garments, using old bottle-skins, the price of sparrows, and the scanty pittance of a laborers hire, indicate that He was habituated to the shifts of the poor.
There is all the difference between foresight and foreboding. It is the latter that Jesus chides. The farmer must sow in the autumn that he may reap in the summer, but there is no need for him to lie sleepless through the nights of winter, worrying about the yet distant harvest. Do not be anxious about the supply of your needs, whether of body, mind, or heart. God knows what you need. If He has given life, will He not maintain it? Does He not care for the birds and flowers? Did He not give His Son, and will He withhold any good? Trust Him and be at peace.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
by: Mat 5:36, Psa 39:6, Ecc 3:14, Luk 12:25, Luk 12:26, 1Co 12:18
Reciprocal: Ecc 1:15 – crooked 1Ti 1:19 – made
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
6:27
Undue anxiety will not add the slightest amount to one’s size, hence it is useless to be concerned about the necessities of life to the extent of foolish worry.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mat 6:27. Add one cubit unto his age, prolong his life in the least Age is preferable to stature (the word has both meanings); the reference is not to the body but to the life; further, to add a cubit (18 inches) to the stature would be a very great thing. Our age is conceived of as a race or journey. If then we cannot do what is least by our care, why be anxious?
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Four arguments are here used by our Saviour to dissuade us from the sin of anxious care; it is needless, it is fruitless, it is heathenish, it is brutish.
1. It is needless; Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of these things, and will certainly provide for you; and what need you take care and God too?
2. It is fruitless; Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit his stature? that is, by all our solictous care, we can add nothing either to the length or comfort of our lives.
3. It is heathenish; After all these things do the Gentiles seek.
4. It is brutish; nay, worse than brutish: the fowls of the air, and the beasts of the field, are fed by God; much more shall his children. Has not God a breakfast for every beast in the wilderness, that comes leaping out of its den? and will he not much more provide for you, O ye of little faith? Surely he that feeds the ravens when they cry, will not starve his children when they pray.
Naturalists observe of the raven, that she exposes her young ones as soon as they are hatched, leaves them meatless and featherless, to shift and struggle with hunger as soon as they come into the world; and whether by the dew from heaven, or flies or worms, God feedeth them; when they gape and cry, they are provided for: from whence our Saviour infers, that man being much better, that is, a more considerable creature than the fowls, the providence of God will provide for him, though no solicitude and anxious thoughtfulness of his contributes thereunto.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
Verse 27
Cubit; a measure of length, of about a foot and a half. The meaning of the expression is, that those hidden causes on which the growth and vitality of the body depend, are under God’s control, not under ours.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
6:27 Which of you by {l} taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
(l) He speaks of care which is joined with thought of mind, and has for the most part distrust yoked with it.