Imagine standing before a mirror, fretting over your future, and suddenly gaining 18 inches in height. Absurd, right? Yet that is exactly the kind of imagery Jesus used in one of His most puzzling and provocative questions:
“Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?” (Matthew 6:27, KJV).
For centuries, this verse has stirred debate. Is Jesus talking about height? Lifespan? Or both?
Why do some Bibles say “stature” while others say “hour”?
What does a cubit (an ancient measuring stick) have to do with our modern-day anxieties?
Beneath the odd question lies a profound truth that transcends translation: worry adds nothing to what God has already ordained. Yet to fully grasp the impact of Jesus’ words, we must journey through ancient languages, idioms, and the anxious impulse to manage what only God can govern. If you have ever wrestled with anxiety, ministry pressures, or the temptation to micromanage your life (or others’), you will find rich insight in this single sentence from Christ. The passage may seem simple, but it contains layers of rhetorical brilliance, theological depth, and pastoral comfort.
Let’s explore why Jesus asked such a strange question, and what it means for those called to lead God’s people in a world obsessed with outcomes and overwhelmed by worry.
Matthew 6:27 reads in the KJV, “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?”
Modern versions, for example the NIV, render the same sentence, “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”
The difference turns on two Greek terms: hēlikia (Strong’s G2244) and pēchys (Strong’s G4083).
Cubit (18 in) or Hour: the word pēchys #
A pēchys is a cubit, the distance from elbow to fingertip, roughly 18 inches. Although a unit of length, the cubit sometimes appears in Jewish rhetoric to measure life. Psalm 39:5 (LXX 38:6) compares the brevity of human days to a handbreadth. Hence a physical measurement can figuratively quantify time (NET Bible, 2022, Ps 39 note).
Physical Height or Chronological Age: the word hēlikia #
In Koine Greek hēlikia can denote either physical height or chronological age and, by extension, the length of one’s life. BDAG lists both senses, giving examples such as Luke 2:52, where Jesus “increased in … hēlikia” (clearly height), and John 9:21, where the healed man is “of hēlikia” (clearly adult age) (Danker, 2000).
Why the KJV chose “stature” #
a. Sixteenth-century English commonly used “stature” to mean height. The translators opted for the literal pairing: length unit added to vertical size.
b. The parallel in Luke 12:25 uses the same Greek, and the Geneva Bible (an important predecessor) likewise chose “stature,” reinforcing the tradition.
c. From a rhetorical vantage, adding eighteen inches to a grown man’s height is absurd, which heightens Jesus’ argument about the futility of anxiety. The hyperbole functions even if the audience pictures height rather than lifespan.
Why many recent translations prefer “lifespan” #
a. Modern scholarship weighs the idiom against the immediate context. Matthew 6:25-34 is concerned with life (psychē) and daily needs. Extending that life seems more fitting thematically than sudden height growth.
b. Classical and rabbinic parallels show hēlikia meaning life span. Louw and Nida group the term under “extent of life” as well as “bodily size” (Louw & Nida, 1996).
c. Translators observe that cubit and hour share the metaphor of measuring. The NIV, ESV, and NET thus render the verse “add a single hour to his life,” preserving the measurement idea while clarifying the target (life length).
Which reading is better? #
Both are grammatically permissible. The key pastoral takeaway is identical: human worry cannot extend what God alone governs, whether the subject is height or years. Ministers may remind congregants that anxious effort cannot secure even a trivial advance in God’s timetable.
Pastoral application, with a wink of hyperbolic humor
Tell your flock, “Try as you might, no diet, no Pilates, no midnight fretting will stretch you an elbow’s length taller or tack an extra hour onto God’s calendar.” The rhetorical punch line lands whether the mental image is a lanky parishioner sprouting a foot overnight or a clock stubbornly refusing to budge.
As a Minister, which is your preferred reading of this passage: Taller or Live Longer? #
References
Danker, F. W. (Ed.). (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed.). University of Chicago Press.
Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament based on semantic domains (2nd ed.). United Bible Societies.
NET Bible. (2022). New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press.
The Holy Bible, Authorized King James Version. (1769).
The Holy Bible, New International Version. (2011). Bible Gateway.
