Luke 12:25
 
Luke 12:25
(KJV) And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
(1611 KJV) And which of you with taking thought can adde to his stature one cubite?
(1587 Geneva Bible) And which of you with taking thought, can adde to his stature one cubite?
(1526 Tyndale) Which of you with takynge thought can adde to his stature one cubit?
 
Counterfeit Versions
(CSB) Can any of you add one moment to his life-span by worrying?
(NIV) Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
(NASV) "And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life's span?
(THE MESSAGE) "Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch?
(AMP) And which of you by being overly anxious and troubled with cares can add a cubit to his stature or a moment [unit] of time to his age [the length of his life]?
(NLT) Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
(ESV) And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
(CEV) Can worry make you live longer?
(NCV) You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it.
(1901 ASV) And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit unto the measure of his life?
(NIRV) "Can you add even one hour to your life by worrying?
(RSV) And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his span of life?
(NAB-Roman Catholic) Can any of you by worrying add a moment to your lifespan?
(NWT-Jehovah’s Witnesses) Who of YOU by being anxious can add a cubit to his life span?
 
Textus Receptus
tiV de ex umwn merimnwn dunatai prosqeinai epi thn hlikian autou phcun ena
 
Hort-Westcott Critical Text
tiV de ex umwn merimnwn dunatai epi thn hlikian autou prosqeinai phcun
 
Corrupted Manuscripts
This verse is corrupted in the following manuscripts:
Aleph 01 - Sinaiticus - Nineteenth Century Counterfeit
B 03 - Vaticanus - Fourth century
D 05 - Bezae Cantabrigiensis - Fifth century
P 45 - Third Century
P 75 - Third Century
 
Manuscripts which agree with the Textus Receptus for this verse
Byzantine Text (450-1450 A.D.)
Aleph 01 - Sinaiticus - Nineteenth Century Counterfeit
A 02 - Alexandrinus - Fifth century
K 017 - Ninth century
L 019 - Seventh century
W 032 - Fourth/fifth century
Gamma 036 - Ninth or Tenth century
Delta 037 - Ninth century
Theta 038 - Ninth century
1 (Minuscule) - Seventh century
13 (Minuscule) - Eighth century
 
Published Critical Greek Texts with Corruptions
Omit “one” and render “a cubit”
Tischendorf, Constantine - 1869
Tregelles, Samuel - 1857 (In bracket or margin)
Alford, Henry - 1849 revised in 1871
Westcott and Hort - 1881
Nestle - 1927 as revised in seventeenth edition in 1941
Nestle-Aland - 1979 - Twenty Sixth Edition
Nestle-Aland - 1993 - Twenty Seventh Edition
United Bible Societies - 1983 - Fourth Edition
 
Affected Teaching
What time is it? It is one foot and 6 inches! That is about the way the “experts” have confused this verse. A cubit is approximately 18 inches. So when we look at some of the modern versions, how can one add 18 inches to the length of their life? It is confusing time with measurement. Now the Greek word behind the term “stature” is the word “hlikia” (helikia) and it is translated two ways in the New Testament. The first way is in Luke 12:25 where it speaks of a person’s stature, which is a person’s natural height. The second way is “age” which would represent time and we see this in the modern versions. (John 9:21 KJV) But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself. So we see that the meaning of this word is determined by the context. In John 9:21, we read the parents of the blind man made to see was speaking of the age of the man. In Luke 12:25, we interpret it as height because the word “stature” is followed by the words “one cubit.” One cubit is a term of physical measurement and not of time. The modern versions removed the Greek word for “one” which I have underlined in the Hort-Westcott Critical Text. So what we have here in the modern versions again is the neglect of context. If we ignore and neglect context, then we will always come up with an erroneous conclusion just like the modern versions have.

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