Matthew 10:29 kjv
Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
Matthew 10:29 nkjv
Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will.
Matthew 10:29 niv
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care.
Matthew 10:29 esv
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.
Matthew 10:29 nlt
What is the price of two sparrows ? one copper coin ? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.
Matthew 10 29 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Prov 16:33 | The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD. | God's sovereignty over chance. |
| Dan 4:35 | He does according to his will...and none can stay his hand... | God's absolute sovereignty and power. |
| Acts 17:28 | For in him we live and move and have our being... | God's sustaining power in all existence. |
| Job 38-41 | God challenges Job, revealing His sovereignty over creation and its details. | God's vast knowledge and control of nature. |
| Psa 36:6 | O LORD, you preserve man and beast. | God's preservation of all life. |
| Psa 104:27-28 | These all look to you, to give them their food in due season. | God provides for all living creatures. |
| Psa 145:15-16 | The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food... | God's universal provision. |
| Psa 147:9 | He gives to the beast its food, and to the young ravens that cry. | God's specific care for birds and animals. |
| Jonah 4:11 | And should not I pity Nineveh...in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle? | God's compassion extending to animals. |
| Psa 139:1-4 | O LORD, you have searched me and known me! ...you discern my thoughts... | God's comprehensive knowledge of individuals. |
| Psa 139:16 | Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me... | God knows life's entire span before it begins. |
| Luke 12:7 | Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. | God's infinitely detailed knowledge of His people. |
| Matt 6:8 | ...for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. | God's pre-knowledge of needs. |
| Jer 1:5 | Before I formed you in the womb I knew you... | God's intimate knowledge even before birth. |
| Matt 10:26 | So have no fear of them... | Jesus commands His disciples not to fear. |
| Matt 10:28 | And do not fear those who kill the body...but rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body... | Distinguish between human and divine fear. |
| Matt 10:31 | Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. | Directly reinforces the implication of value. |
| Luke 12:4-7 | Jesus instructs disciples not to fear persecutors, elaborating on the sparrows. | Parallel account emphasizing comfort. |
| Heb 13:6 | So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear..." | Trust in God overcomes fear. |
| 1 Pet 5:7 | casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. | God's care encourages release of worry. |
| Psa 56:3-4 | When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise... | Trust in God amidst fear. |
| Matt 6:26 | Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. | God provides for birds, demonstrating His general care. |
| Matt 12:12 | Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! | Humans have greater value than animals. |
| Luke 12:24 | Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap... and yet God feeds them... | God's providence extending to raven. |
Matthew 10 verses
Matthew 10 29 Meaning
Matthew 10:29 declares God's meticulous, sovereign care extends to even the most seemingly insignificant details of creation. It asserts that not even a lowly sparrow, sold for the lowest coin, falls to the ground without the Heavenly Father's full knowledge and permissive will. This highlights God's omnipresence, omniscience, and omnipotence, assuring believers that if He cares for such tiny creatures, He supremely cares for them. The rhetorical question emphasizes the absolute certainty of this truth.
Matthew 10 29 Context
Matthew 10 details Jesus' commissioning of His twelve apostles. He sends them out with authority to preach, heal, and cast out demons. Interspersed with this commission are stern warnings about the severe opposition, persecution, and rejection they will face for proclaiming the Gospel. Jesus speaks of being delivered up to councils, scourged, hated by all, and even put to death for His name's sake. It is within this immediate context of impending suffering, vulnerability, and potential death that Jesus offers powerful reassurances and exhortations against fear (Matt 10:26, 28, 31). Verse 29, along with verses 30-31, provides the theological ground for why they need not fear men, affirming God's comprehensive sovereignty and protective care over His devoted followers.
Matthew 10 29 Word analysis
- Are not: This forms a rhetorical question, which in Greek, implies an expected affirmative answer. It means, "Surely two sparrows are sold..." This strengthens the certainty of the statement that follows.
- two sparrows: (Greek: dyo strouthia) The word strouthion refers to any small, ordinary bird, particularly a sparrow, known for being common and inexpensive. The "two" implies the smallest imaginable commercial transaction involving these birds, underscoring their negligible economic value to people. They were food for the poor.
- sold: (Greek: prasketai) Implies a commercial transaction, indicating their widespread availability and low market worth.
- for a penny: (Greek: hen assarion) The assarion was a small Roman copper coin, the smallest unit mentioned in the New Testament currency, worth about 1/16th of a denarius (a typical day's wage for a laborer). This emphasizes the sparrows' extremely low value, so insignificant they could be bought in bundles for such a meager price.
- And not one of them: This phrase strongly asserts the absolute comprehensiveness of the statement. Not a single, seemingly insignificant sparrow is excluded from what follows.
- will fall to the ground: (Greek: pesountai epi tēn gēn) The verb pesountai means "to fall," which in this context often carries the connotation of falling dead or collapsing due to injury. Given the context of persecution and fear for life, it points to God's awareness even of the death of these birds, not just their mundane activities. It highlights God's sovereignty over life and death.
- apart from: (Greek: aneu) This crucial preposition means "without" or "apart from." It indicates that no such event, not even the falling of a tiny sparrow, occurs outside of God's knowledge or permission. It signifies divine oversight and sovereign allowance, not necessarily direct causation in every instance, but that nothing happens outside His ultimate will.
- your Father: (Greek: tou patros hymōn) The intimate address "your Father" emphasizes a personal, caring, and relational God. For Jesus' disciples, God is not merely a distant Creator but an involved parent who meticulously cares for His children, much more so than for birds. This term invokes covenant relationship and divine care.
- Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?: This phrase sets up the profound contrast between human estimation of worth (valuing sparrows almost as nothing) and God's expansive knowledge and care that extends even to the "worthless." It challenges a worldly perspective that only values what is seen as grand or significant.
- And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father: This entire clause conveys the core message of God's ultimate sovereignty and detailed providence. It assures the listener that even seemingly random or accidental events in the natural world, particularly concerning the life and death of creatures, are under the benevolent purview of God. It directly addresses anxiety by grounding confidence in God's total knowledge and control.
Matthew 10 29 Bonus section
The concept of God's "permissive will" is implicit here. While God may not directly cause every single sparrow to fall, nothing occurs without His ultimate awareness and allowance. This verse beautifully bridges the chasm between divine sovereignty and human anxiety. It subtly refutes notions of fate, chance, or gods who are either indifferent or unknowable. Instead, it presents the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as personally engaged, omniscient, and caring, a Father who exercises perfect oversight even when circumstances appear chaotic or threatening from a human perspective. The specific mention of "your Father" differentiates His care for His adopted children from His general sustenance of creation. This passage encourages believers not to fear circumstances or the actions of hostile people, because their Father is ultimately in control and has them in His watchful care.
Matthew 10 29 Commentary
Matthew 10:29 serves as a profound statement on divine providence. Jesus uses the lowliest and cheapest of creatures—sparrows—to illustrate the immense scope of God's sovereign knowledge and care. If God's attention extends to the death of such an inexpensive bird, which human beings hardly notice, how much more intensely and intimately does He care for His beloved children, especially in moments of persecution or tribulation? The verse assures disciples facing intense opposition that their lives, their struggles, and even their deaths are not random or outside God's watchful eye. Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens to them that is not permitted or known by their Heavenly Father. This truth dismantles fear and instills confidence, grounding assurance in the meticulous care of a personal God who is sovereign over all circumstances, big or small. This offers deep comfort amidst life's uncertainties and trials, including facing hostility for Christ's sake.