Matthew 6:34
Template:Bible chapter Matthew 6:34 is “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” The King James Version phrasing is Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. It implies that we should not worry about the future, since each day contains an ample burden of evils and suffering.
It is the thirty-fourth, and final, verse of the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament and is part of the Sermon on the Mount.[1] This verse concludes the discussion of worry about material provisions.
Versions
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In the King James Version:
- Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
The World English Bible translates the passage as:
- Therefore don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient.
The New American Standard Bible says:
The Good News Bible says:
- There is no need to add to the troubles each day brings.
In the Koine Greek original it is:
- μὴ οὖν μεριμνήσητε εἰς τὴν αὔριον, ἡ γὰρ αὔριον μεριμνήσει ἑαυτῆς· ἀρκετὸν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἡ κακία αὐτῆς.
- mē oun merimnēsēte eis tēn aurion hē gar aurion merimnēsei heautēs arketon tē hēmera hē kakia autēs
Earlier sayings
The same words, in Hebrew, are used to express the same thought in the Rabbinic Jewish saying dyya l'tzara b'shaata (דיה לצרה בשעתה), "the suffering of the (present) hour is enough for it".[4][5]
The Epicurean writers Anacreon and Horace said:
- Quid sit futurum cras, fuge quaerere.
- Avoid asking what the future will bring.
Analysis
Luz notes that there are two interpretations of this verse: an optimistic and a pessimistic one. The optimistic view is that this verse is a rephrasing of the ancient idea of carpe diem, live each day to its fullest because one never knows what will happen tomorrow. The more pessimistic view, which Luz thinks is more likely, is that the evil of each individual day is so great and so overbearing that it is hard enough to get through one day, much less worry about those coming. Luz argues that while the previous verse is optimistic that in the long run the Kingdom of Heaven will be proclaimed and all will be well, in the short run the future is little more than misery.[6]
There are other interpretations of this verse. Fowler argues that one should not worry about tomorrow, as one is being presumptuous that one will live to see tomorrow, when God has not yet granted that extra day.[7] Morris feels that the verse should be read as an argument to always defer worry to tomorrow, and that by doing so one will never have to worry today.[8]
This verse is not found in Luke, and Schwatrs, and other scholars, feel it was most likely a composition of the author(s) of Matthew, a concluding remark for what had gone before. Morrow can either mean the next day in particular, or the future in general. The word here translated as evil (kakia), can mean that, but more likely it simply means trouble or difficulty, rather than the evil of Satan.[9] The verse also had parallels in the wisdom literature of the period.[10][11]
Commentary from the Church Fathers
Glossa Ordinaria: Having forbid anxiety for the things of the day, He now forbids anxiety for future things, such a fruitless care as proceeds from the fault of men, in these words, Be not ye anxious about the morrow.[12]
Jerome: Template:Quote inline[12]
Chrysostom: Template:Quote inline[12]
Pseudo-Chrysostom: Template:Quote inline[12]
Hilary of Poitiers: Template:Quote inline[12]
Thomas Sheridan wrote a sermon upon this verse on the occasion of the death of Queen Anne. His sermon notes being dated August 1st, the date of Anne's death, he later reused it for an anniversary of the accession of King George I. Using a verse discussing the "evils" of the day on such an occasion shocked the audience; Sheridan was accused of Jacobite sympathies and lost his chaplaincy.[13]
The sermon has sometimes been interpreted to mean that God knows everyone's needs.[14]
See also
References
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- ↑ Bible Hub Matthew 6:34
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- ↑ Babylonian Talmud: Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Luz, Ulrich. Matthew 1-7: A Commentary. trans. Wilhlem C. Linss. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortess, 1989.
- ↑ Fowler, Harold. The Gospel of Matthew: Volume One. Joplin: College Press, 1968
- ↑ Morris, Leon. The Gospel According to Matthew. Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans, 1992.
- ↑ Schweizer, Eduard. The Good News According to Matthew. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1975
- ↑ Nolland, John. The Gospel of Matthew: a commentary on the Greek text. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2005 pg. 198
- ↑ Harrington, Daniel J. The Gospel of Matthew. Liturgical Press, 1991 pg. 314
- ↑ a b c d e Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
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| Preceded by Matthew 6:33 |
Gospel of Matthew Chapter 6 |
Succeeded by Matthew 7:1 |