Lukas 12:28-31

12:28 And if ¹  this is how God clothes the wild grass, ²  which is here ³  today and tomorrow is tossed into the fire to heat the oven, ⁴  how much more ⁵  will he clothe you, you people of little faith! 12:29 So ⁶  do not be overly concerned about ⁷  what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not worry about such things. ⁸  12:30 For all the nations of the world pursue ⁹  these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 12:31 Instead, pursue ¹⁰  his ¹¹  kingdom, ¹²  and these things will be given to you as well.

[12:28]  ¹ tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text.

[12:28]  ² tn Grk “grass in the field.”

[12:28]  ³ tn Grk “which is in the field today.”

[12:28]  ⁴ tn Grk “into the oven.” The expanded translation “into the fire to heat the oven” has been used to avoid misunderstanding; most items put into modern ovens are put there to be baked, not burned.

[12:28]  sn The oven was most likely a rounded clay oven used for baking bread, which was heated by burning wood and dried grass.

[12:28]  ⁵ sn The phrase how much more is a typical form of rabbinic argumentation, from the lesser to the greater. If God cares for the little things, surely he will care for the more important things.

[12:29]  ⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate a conclusion drawn from the previous illustrations.

[12:29]  ⁷ tn Grk “do not seek,” but this could be misunderstood to mean that people should make no attempt to obtain their food. The translation “do not be overly concerned” attempts to reflect the force of the original.

[12:29]  ⁸ tn The words “about such things” have been supplied to qualify the meaning; the phrase relates to obtaining food and drink mentioned in the previous clause.

[12:30]  ⁹ tn Grk “seek.”

[12:31]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “seek,” but in the sense of the previous verses.

[12:31]  ¹¹ tc Most mss (Ì⁴⁵ A D¹ Q W Θ 070 Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat sy) read τοῦ θεοῦ (tou qeou, “of God”) instead of αὐτοῦ (autou, “his”; found in א B D* L Ψ 579 892 pc co). But such a clarifying reading is suspect. αὐτοῦ is superior on both internal and external grounds. Ì⁷⁵ includes neither and as such would support the translation above since the article alone can often be translated as a possessive pronoun.

[12:31]  ¹² sn His (that is, God’s) kingdom is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.