The Meaning of Luke 12:7 Explained

Luke 12:7

KJV: But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

YLT: but even the hairs of your head have been all numbered; therefore fear ye not, than many sparrows ye are of more value.

Darby: But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore, ye are better than many sparrows.

ASV: But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But  even the very  hairs  of your  head  are  all  numbered.  Fear  not  therefore:  ye are of more value  than many  sparrows. 

What does Luke 12:7 Mean?

Context Summary

Luke 12:1-12 - The Secret Of Fearlessness
The program of this paragraph seems dark. The leaven of evil always at work; the body tortured and killed; confession difficult, denial easy; the trials before synagogues and rulers; the anxiety of witnessing a good confession. The Lord never hesitated in stating the heavy tribulation through which His disciples must come to the Kingdom.
But what infinite compensations! Not forgotten by God; our hairs numbered; confessed before the angels; taught how to speak; all sin forgiven! With such comforts, who of us need fear, except only the power of Satan! What infinite sympathy and care our Father has for us! He knows our sorrows, marks every lurch of the boat, and will supply His gracious comfort and help. Why should we flinch before a world in arms, so long as the Son of man stands for us, as He did for Stephen, at "the right hand of God?" The outward man may decay, but the inward man is renewed day by day. [source]

Chapter Summary: Luke 12

1  Jesus preaches to his apostles to avoid hypocrisy
13  and warns against covetousness, by the parable of the man who set up greater barns
22  We must not worry about earthly things,
31  but seek the kingdom of God;
33  give alms;
35  be ready at a knock to open to our Lord whensoever he comes
41  Jesus' disciples are to see to their charges,
49  and look for persecution
54  The people must take this time of grace;
57  because it is a fearful thing to die without reconciliation

Greek Commentary for Luke 12:7

Numbered [ηριτμηνται]
Perfect passive indicative. Periphrastic form in Matthew 10:30 which see for details about sparrows, etc. [source]
Confess me []
Lit., “confess in meSee on Matthew 10:32. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 12:7

Luke 16:21 Yea, even the dogs [αλλα και οι κυνες]
For αλλα και — alla kai see also Luke 12:7; Luke 24:22. Αλλα — Alla can mean “yea,” though it often means “but.” Here it depends on how one construes Luke‘s meaning. If he means that he was dependent on casual scraps and it was so bad that even the wild dogs moreover were his companions in misery, the climax came that he was able to drive away the dogs. The other view is that his hunger was unsatisfied, but even the dogs increased his misery.Licked his sores (επελειχον τα ελκη αυτου — epeleichon ta helkē autou). Imperfect active of επιλειχω — epileichō a late vernacular Koiné verb, to lick over the surface. It is not clear whether the licking of the sores by the dogs added to the misery of Lazarus or gave a measure of comfort, as he lay in his helpless condition. “Furrer speaks of witnessing dogs and lepers waiting together for the refuse” (Bruce). It was a scramble between the dogs and Lazarus. [source]
Revelation 7:9 Which no man could number [ον αριτμησαι αυτον ουδεις εδυνατο]
Redundant repetition of the pronoun αυτον — auton after the relative ον — hon as in Revelation 7:5; Revelation 3:8. Εδυνατο — Edunato imperfect indicative and αριτμησαι — arithmēsai first aorist active infinitive of αριτμεω — arithmeō old verb, in N.T. only here, Matthew 10:30; Luke 12:7. See Revelation 5:9 (also Revelation 11:9; Revelation 13:7; Revelation 14:10; Revelation 17:15) for the list of words after εκ — ek (the spiritual Israel carried on all over the world), “a polyglott cosmopolitan crowd” (Swete). [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 12:7 mean?

But even the hairs of the head of you all have been numbered Not fear than many sparrows you are more valuable
ἀλλὰ καὶ αἱ τρίχες τῆς κεφαλῆς ὑμῶν πᾶσαι ἠρίθμηνται μὴ φοβεῖσθε πολλῶν στρουθίων διαφέρετε

καὶ  even 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: καί  
Sense: and, also, even, indeed, but.
τρίχες  hairs 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Plural
Root: θρίξ 
Sense: the hair of the head.
τῆς  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
κεφαλῆς  head 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: κεφαλή  
Sense: the head, both of men and often of animals.
ὑμῶν  of  you 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 2nd Person Plural
Root: σύ  
Sense: you.
ἠρίθμηνται  have  been  numbered 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Indicative Middle or Passive, 3rd Person Plural
Root: ἀριθμέω  
Sense: to number.
φοβεῖσθε  fear 
Parse: Verb, Present Imperative Middle or Passive, 2nd Person Plural
Root: φοβέομαι 
Sense: to put to flight by terrifying (to scare away).
πολλῶν  than  many 
Parse: Adjective, Genitive Neuter Plural
Root: πολύς  
Sense: many, much, large.
στρουθίων  sparrows 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Neuter Plural
Root: στρουθίον  
Sense: a little bird, esp.
διαφέρετε  you  are  more  valuable 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: διαφέρω  
Sense: to bear or carry through any place.