• Will You Walk With God?
    The Watchtower—2005 | November 1

    • 5. Why did Jesus speak of adding a cubit to one’s life span?

      5 The Bible often likens life to a journey or a walk. In some cases, that comparison is direct, but in other cases, it is implied. For instance, Jesus said: “Who of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his life span?” (Matthew 6:27) Something about those words may strike you as puzzling. Why would Jesus speak of adding “one cubit,” which is a measure of distance, to a person’s “life span,” which is measured in terms of time?a Jesus was evidently picturing life as a journey. In effect, he taught that worrying will not help you to add even a small step to the walk of your life.

  • Will You Walk With God?
    The Watchtower—2005 | November 1

    • a Some Bible translations change the “cubit” in this verse to a measurement of time, as in “one moment” (The Emphatic Diaglott) or “a single minute” (A Translation in the Language of the People, by Charles B. Williams). However, the word used in the original text definitely means a cubit, which was about 18 inches [45 cm] in length.