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Matthew 6:31

New Testament Gospel ASV (1901)

What does Matthew 6:31 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Be not therefore anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Be not therefore anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
Matthew 6:31 — American Standard Version

Context — Matthew 6

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
28And why are ye anxious concerning raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30But if God doth 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?
31Be not therefore anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32For after all these things do the Gentiles seek; for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34Be not therefore anxious for the morrow: for the morrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Therefore take no thought, etc.] That is, for the morrow, as it is explained, (<420634>Luke 6:34) for it is lawful to take proper care and thought for present food, drink, and raiment; but not to be anxiously concerned for futurity; saying, what shall we eat? or what shall we drink? or wherewithal shall we be clothed? These are a repetition of the several things instanced in, and are the very language and expressions of men of little faith; as in the above citation, rjml lkwa hm, “what shall I eat tomorrow?””
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Therefore take no thought--solicitude. saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Therefore take not thought - How kind are these precepts! The substance of which is only this, Do thyself no harm! Let us not be so ungrateful to him, nor so injurious to ourselves, as to harass and oppress our minds with that burden of anxiety, which he has so graciously taken off. Every verse speaks at once to the understanding, and to the heart. We will not therefore indulge these unnecessary, these useless, these mischievous cares. We will not borrow the anxieties and distresses of the morrow, to aggravate those of the present day. Rather we will cheerfully repose ourselves on that heavenly Father, who knows we have need of these things; who has given us the life, which is more than…”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“What shall we eat: Mat 4:4, Mat 15:33; Lev 25:20-22; Ch2 25:9; Psa 37:3, Psa 55:22, Psa 78:18-31; Luk 12:29; Pe1 5:7 Matthew 6:32”
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Related study paths

Read Matthew 6 in contextBrowse Greek word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification