Matthew 6:28 (KJV)

What does Matthew 6:28 mean?

In Matthew 6:28, Jesus asks why people are anxious about clothing and points them to flowers growing in the fields. The flowers have their beauty without doing the work people normally do to make clothing.

Jesus is speaking to his disciples, with a crowd also listening. After speaking about food in the preceding verses, he turns to another ordinary need: “raiment,” an old word for clothing. “Spin” pictures the work of turning fibers into thread for making cloth.

The Greek behind Matthew 6:28

• “thought” — μεριμνάω (merimnaō): The Greek carries the sense of being anxious or worried. In the KJV phrase “take ye thought,” Jesus is asking about worry, rather than simply the act of thinking.
• “Consider” — καταμανθάνω (katamanthanō): This word means to observe or learn about something carefully. Jesus directs his listeners to look closely at how the flowers grow.

Why Matthew 6:28 matters

• The comparison concerns clothing, not just flowers in general. The words “toil” and “spin” connect the lilies’ appearance with the human work involved in making garments.
• Jesus uses a familiar sight to make his point. “Lilies of the field” places the flowers out in open country, rather than in a garden where people tend them.
• The image prepares for the comparison in verse 29. Jesus says that even Solomon, a king known for his splendor, was not dressed like one of these flowers.