Matthew 6:28

Why do you worry about clothing? Think about how the flowers ¹  of the field grow; they do not work ²  or spin.

Mt 6:25,31; Mt 10:10; Lu 3:11; Lu 12:27; Lu 22:35,36

¹ tn Traditionally, “lilies.” According to L&N 3.32, “Though traditionally κρίνον has been regarded as a type of lily, scholars have suggested several other possible types of flowers, including an anemone, a poppy, a gladiolus, and a rather inconspicuous type of daisy.” In view of the uncertainty, the more generic “flowers” has been used in the translation.

² tn Or, traditionally, “toil.” Although it might be argued that “work hard” would be a more precise translation of κοπιάω (kopiaw) here, the line in English reads better in terms of cadence with a single syllable.