Lukas 12:6-7

12:6 Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies? ¹  Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. 12:7 In fact, even the hairs on your head are all numbered. Do not be afraid; ²  you are more valuable than many sparrows.

Lukas 12:24

12:24 Consider the ravens: ³  They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn, yet God feeds ⁴  them. How much more valuable are you than the birds!

[12:6]  ¹ sn The pennies refer to the assarion, a small Roman copper coin. One of them was worth one sixteenth of a denarius or less than a half hour’s average wage. Sparrows were the cheapest thing sold in the market. God knows about even the most financially insignificant things; see Isa 49:15.

[12:7]  ² sn Do not be afraid. One should respect and show reverence to God (v. 5), but need not fear his tender care.

[12:24]  ³ tn Or “crows.” Crows and ravens belong to the same family of birds. English uses “crow” as a general word for the family. Palestine has several indigenous members of the crow family.

[12:24]  ⁴ tn Or “God gives them food to eat.” L&N 23.6 has both “to provide food for” and “to give food to someone to eat.”