Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not think about tomorrow:

Spoken to
audience

Sermon on Mount, law and fulfillment, visible and hidden, temporary and permanent, worry and trust

KJV

Matthew 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

NIV

Matthew 6:34  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

LISTENERS HEARD

You really shouldn't worry as far as that tomorrow because tomorrow will worry about itself. Adequate on this today, the trouble during it.

LOST IN TRANSLATION

Lots of surprising things here. Another of those text with anomalies that point toward Jesus speaking in a dialogue rather than a sermon, especially a disagreement in gender at the end of the verse.

This KJV verse has three different "for" clauses in a row, but each clause has a different reason for the "for." The first two came from two different prepositions and the third from the case of an article, that is not in the current source.

The initial "take no thought/do not worry" is not a command, but a statement about what you "should" not do. Notice in this clause the phase is

Both major clauses here end on the same word but that word is translated a number of different ways.  "Of itself" and "thereof" in the KJV, and "about itself" and "of its" in the NIV. While all these translated can be justified, the form of the word perhaps should be translated with a "during" when it related to tome as it does here. In any case, the fact that Jesus used the same word makes a point that is lost by translating it differently in each clause.

The Greek adjective translated as "sufficient/enough" does not match the gender of the word translated as "evil/troubles." Both words are in the form of a subject (though "sufficient/enough" could also be an object) but there is no verb associated with either. Equating them is impossible in Greek if their gender does not match.

The word translated here as "evil/troubles" is used by Jesus uniquely here. It is not the word commonly translated as "evil" in the NT. It, however, does mean both "evil" and "trouble" in a way that the more common word translated as "evil" does not. See this article for more information about the terms translated as "evil."

The pronoun translated as "thereof/of it" on the end of this verse can refer either to "day" or to "evil/trouble." As the nearest noun, it would normally refer to the "evil/trouble" because it is the nearest one preceding it.

MY TAKE

Troubles are always with us and always temporary. Our troubles arise out of the nature of reality.

GREEK ORDER

μὴ    οὖν μεριμνήσητε        εἰς          τὴν  αὔριον,
You really shouldn't worry as far as that tomorrow

     γὰρ         αὔριον      μεριμνήσει           αὑτῆς:
that because, tomorrow  will worry about itself.

ἀρκετὸν         τῇ ἡμέρᾳ     κακία            αὐτῆς.
Sufficient for this today, this trouble about itself.

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES
6
  • WF - Wrong Form -  The "take" is not a command but a possibility, something that "should" happen.
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "for" is a different "for" than the first "for" here.
  • OS -- Outdated Source -- The Greek word translated as "for the things" existed in the KJV Greek source but not the source we use today.
  • WF - Wrong Form -  The "sufficient" is the wrong gender to modify "evil."
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "of" from the genitive case can be "during" when used with time.
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "thereof" is the same word translated as "of itself" earlier in the verse.
# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES
12
  • WF - Wrong Form -  The "worry" is not a command but a possibility, something that "should" happen.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "tomorrow" is not shown in the English translation.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before the second  "tomorrow" is not shown in the English translation.
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The word form creating the "about " could also be "during" with indicating time
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "each" doesn't exist in the source.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "day" is not shown in the English translation.
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "has" doesn't exist in the source.
  • WF - Wrong Form -  The "enough" is the wrong gender to modify "trouble."
  • WF - Wrong Form -  The "trouble" is the wrong form to be the objects of "has."
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "of" from the genitive case can be "during" when used with time.
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "its own" is the same word translated as "of itself" earlier in the verse.
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "own" doesn't exist in the source.
EACH WORD of KJV

Therefore -- The Greek word translated as "therefore" either emphasizes the truth of something ("certainly," "really") or it simply continues an existing narrative, "then," "therefore.

take  - (WF) "Take," with the word "thought" after the negative,  is a Greek verb that means "to care for," "be anxious about," and "to meditate upon." It has most of the sense of the way we use "worry" in English. In earlier verses, this verb has been a common, but here is either the future tense or a form of probability that requires a "should" or "might."

no  --The negative used here is the Greek negative of a subjective opinion, commands, and requests. The sense is that "you don't want" to do something, not that it isn't done. If it wasn't done, the objective negative of fact would be used. More about the Greek negative in this article.

thought -- This noun completes the idea of the verb, but there is no separate noun in the Greek.

for -- The word translated as "for" is a preposition that primarily means "into" a place, "until" a time," but it also means "as far as" regarding a limit.

the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.  This article makes the following word act like a noun.

morrow: -- The term translated as "morrow," may be the closest Greek comes to "tomorrow," but the form is an adverb. However, it is introduced by an article ("the") which allows it to act like a noun. The word is an adverb meaning something more like "until tomorrow," "until the morning" meaning "shortly" or "presently." Unlike the English noun "tomorrow" in English, this adverb doesn't take in the entire future like we use "tomorrow" to mean "the future." This Greek word always communicates the idea of "in a short time." The term indicates not now but the immediate future.

for  -  (CW) The next "for" is a different Greek word than the previous preposition translated as "for." This Greek word indicates a phrase that provides an explanation or a cause, so "since" or "because."

the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. 

morrow -- The term translated as "morrow," may be the closest Greek comes to "tomorrow," but the form is an adverb. However, it is introduced by an article ("the") which allows it to act like a noun.

shall -- This helping verb "shall" indicates that the verb is the future tense. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.

take thought   - "Take thought," is a Greek verb that means "to care for," "be anxious about," and "to meditate upon." It has most of the sense of the way we use "worry" in English. In earlier verses, this verb has been a command, but here is either the future tense or a form of probability that requires a "should" or "might."

for the things -- (OS) There is nothing in the Greek that can be translated as "for the things" in the source we use today but an article "the" exists in the source that the KJV translators used. in a form (plural, neuter, dative) that can be translated this way.

of -- (CW) This word "of"  comes from the genitive case of the following word that required the addition of a preposition in English.  The most common is the "of" of possession but with a time, the sense can be "during."

itself.  - -- The word translated as "itself" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English.  The form is feminine to match the form of the "morrow" article.

Sufficient  - (WF) The word translated as "sufficient," means "enough" or "it is enough." In the absence of a verb in this phrase, that seems to be its sense here. However, this gender of this word does not match "evil" below and as an adjective, it should if the translation is correct. This is a rare word for Jesus and in ancient Greek. It only appears after the time of Jesus in a few regional authors.

unto -- This word "unto" comes from the dative case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English, but the translator must decide which preposition to use: a "to" as an indirect object,

the - The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. 

day  - The Greek word translated "day" means "day," generally, or, as other translations offer "each day." It has the specific meaning of the 24-hour day, but it is also used to refer to a time or stage of life as well. It is sometimes translated as "time." It isn't used to contrast "now" with the "future": "today" versus "tomorrow." When the Greek word is used to indicate "today" but usually with the word meaning "this" so you are saying "this day" for "today." This noun is the form of an indirect object, which is used to indicate being within a time or place, so "during the day."

is -- There is no verb "is" in the Greek source. It is implied by a word in the form of a subject ("evil" and possibly "sufficient") without a verb.

the - The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. 

evil   -  The term used for evil here can mean our own concept of moral evil, but it also means "defects," and "bad quality." This is not the usual term that the Bible translates as "evil" which means "second-rate" and "burdened." However, the word used here means plain old "badness" and "evil," specifically moral evil, character flaws and defects. Jesus seems to use it to mean "problems." See this article for more information about the terms translated as "evil."

thereof.  - (CW) And finally, the word translated as "thereof" is the same word translated as "of itself" above, in the same form. Again, its form would normally be translated as "during" or "within" when referring to a span of time. The pronoun is in the right gender to refer either to "day" or "evil."

EACH WORD of NIV

Therefore -- The Greek word translated as "therefore" either emphasizes the truth of something ("certainly," "really") or it simply continues an existing narrative, "then," "therefore.

do -- This helping verb is used to create commands, negative statements, and smooth word flow in English, but the Greek could be either a question or a statement.

not  --The negative used here is the Greek negative of a subjective opinion, commands, and requests. The sense is that "you don't want" to do something, not that it isn't done. If it wasn't done, the objective negative of fact would be used. More about the Greek negative in this article.

worry - (WF) "Worry ," with the word "thought" after the negative,  is a Greek verb that means "to care for," "be anxious about," and "to meditate upon." It has most of the sense of the way we use "worry" in English. In earlier verses, this verb has been a common, but here is either the future tense or a form of probability that requires a "should" or "might."

about -- - The word translated as "about" is a preposition that primarily means "into" a place, "until" a time," but it also means "as far as" regarding a limit. That ssmes to the be the sense here.

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, "the." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. 

tomorrow: -- The term translated as "tomorrow," may be the closest Greek comes to "tomorrow," but the form is an adverb. However, it is introduced by an article ("the") which allows it to act like a noun. The word is an adverb meaning something more like "until tomorrow," "until the morning" meaning "shortly" or "presently." Unlike the English noun "tomorrow" in English, this adverb doesn't take in the entire future like we use "tomorrow" to mean "the future." This Greek word always communicates the idea of "in a short time." The term indicates not now but the immediate future.

for  -   The "for" indicates a phrase that provides an explanation or a cause, so "since" or "because."

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, "the." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. 

tomorrow-- The term translated as "tomorrow," may be the closest Greek comes to "tomorrow," but the form is an adverb. However, it is introduced by an article ("the") which allows it to act like a noun.

will -- This helping verb "will " indicates that the verb is the future tense. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.

worry   - "Worry" is a Greek verb that means "to care for," "be anxious about," and "to meditate upon." It has most of the sense of the way we use "worry" in English. In earlier verses, this verb has been a command, but here is either the future tense or a form of probability that requires a "should" or "might."

about -- (CW) This word "about "  comes from the genitive case of the following word that required the addition of a preposition in English.  The most common is the "of" of possession but with a time, the sense can be "during."

itself.  - -- The word translated as "itself" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English.  The form is feminine to match the form of the "morrow" article.

Each -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "each" in the Greek source.

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, "the." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. 

day  - The Greek word translated "day" means "day," generally, or, as other translations offer "each day." It has the specific meaning of the 24-hour day, but it is also used to refer to a time or stage of life as well. It is sometimes translated as "time." It isn't used to contrast "now" with the "future": "today" versus "tomorrow." When the Greek word is used to indicate "today" but usually with the word meaning "this" so you are saying "this day" for "today." This noun is the form of an indirect object, which is used to indicate being within a time or place, so "during the day."

has -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "has" in the Greek source.

enough - (WF) The word translated as "enough ," means "enough" or "it is enough." In the absence of a verb in this phrase, that seems to be its sense here. This word could be an object, but its form does not match "trouble" which it modifies here because it is the wrong gender. This is a rare word for Jesus and in ancient Greek. It only appears after the time of Jesus in a few regional authors.

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, "the." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.

trouble - (WF) The term used for "trouble" here can mean our own concept of moral evil, but it also means "defects," and "bad quality."  However, the word used here means plain old "badness" and "evil," specifically moral evil, character flaws and defects. Christ seems to use it to mean "problems." See this article for more information about the terms translated as "evil." However, the NIV makes this word an object and its form is an subject.

of. -- (CW) This word "of"  comes from the genitive case of the following word that required the addition of a preposition in English.  The most common is the "of" of possession but with a time, the sense can be "during." This was translated as "about" at end of previous clause.

its .  - (CW) And finally, the word translated as "its" is the same word translated as "itself" above, in the same form. The pronoun is in the right gender to refer either to "day" or "evil." If the pronoun refers to "day" as it seems to its form would normally be translated as "during" or "within" when referring to a span of time, where "day" is the noun represented by "it." However, it could also refer to "evil" which it follows.

own -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "own" in the Greek source.

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV

μὴ (partic) "No" is from me, which is the negative used in prohibitions and expressions of doubt meaning "not" and "no." As οὐ (ou) negates fact and statement; μή rejects, οὐ denies; μή is relative, οὐ absolute; μή subjective, οὐ objective.

οὖν (adv) "Therefore" is from oun, which means "certainly," "in fact," "really," "in fact," "so" and "then" (continuing a narrative), and "then" and "therefore."

μεριμνήσητε  [6 verses] (2nd pl aor subj act) "Take...thought" is from merimnao , which means to "care for," "be anxious about," "meditate upon," "to be cumbered with many cares,"and "to be treated with anxious care [passive]."

εἰς (prep) "For" is from eis, which means "into (of place)," "up to (of time)," "until (of time)," "as much as (of measure olimit)," "as far as (of measure or limit)," "towards (to express relation)," "inregard to (to express relation)," "of an end or limit," and "for (of purpose or object)."

τὴν (article sg fem acc) "The" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."

αὔριον (adv) "Morrow" is from aurion, which means "tomorrow," "tomorrow at this time," and, as an adverb, "on the morrow," "till morning," "presently," and "shortly."

(article sg fem nom) ""The" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."

γὰρ (partic ) "For" comes from gar which is the introduction of a clause explaining a reason or explanation: "for," "since," and "as." In an abrupt question, it means "why" and "what."

αὔριον (adv) "Morrow" is aurion, which means "tomorrow at this time," "on the morrow," "till morning," "presently," and "shortly."

μεριμνήσει [6 verses] (3rd sg fut ind act or verb 3rd sg aor subj act ) "Shall take thought" is merimnao , which means to "care for," "be anxious about," "meditate upon," "to be cumbered with many cares,"and "to be treated with anxious care [passive]."

αὑτῆς: (adj sg fem gen) "Of itself" is autos, which means "the same," and the reflexive pronouns, "myself," "yourself," "himself," "herself," "itself," or the oblique case of the pronouns, "him," "her," and "it."

ἀρκετὸν [2 verses](adj sg neut nom/acc) "Sufficient" is from arketos, which means "sufficient," "satisfactory [of people]," and "enough." It is the adjective form of arkeo, which means "to ward off," and "to keep off" and which is used to mean "to be strong enough," "to be a match for," and "to be satisfied with."

τῇ (article sg fem dat) "The" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."

ἡμέρᾳ (noun sg fem dat) "Unto the day" is from hemera, which, as a noun, means "day" "a state or time of life," "a time (poetic)," "day break" and "day time." It is also and also has a second meaning, of "quiet," "tame (animals)," "cultivated (crops)," and "civilized (people)."

(article sg fem nom) ""The" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."

κακία [unique](noun sg fem nom) "Evil" is from kakia, which means "badness in quality," "incapacity," "defects," "cowardice," "faint-heartedness," "moral badness," "vice," "ill-repute," "dishonor," "hurt," "damage done or suffered," “wicked,” “slanderous,” and “cowardly.”

αὐτῆς. (adj sg fem gen) "Thereof" is from autos, which means "the same," and the reflexive pronouns, "myself," "yourself," " - himself," "herself," "itself," or the oblique case of the pronouns, "him," "her," and "it." It also means "one's true self," that is, "the soul" as opposed to the body and "of one's own accord."

Wordplay

This uses three different ways to say "during" a span of time, repeating one of them. 

Front Page Date