Yea, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: you are of more value than many sparrows.
αλλα και αι τριχες της κεφαλης υμων πασαι ηριθμηνται μη ουν φοβεισθε πολλων στρουθιων διαφερετε
14 Church Fathers comment on this verse · 28 commentaries
Observe how our Lord makes His disciples superior to all, by exhorting them to despise that very death which is terrible to all. At the same time also he brings them proofs of the immortality of the soul: adding, I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell.
Here observe, that upon sinners death is sent as a punishment, since they are here tormented by destruction, and afterwards thrust down into hell. But if you will sift the words you will understand something farther. For He says not, “Who casts into hell,” but has power to cast. For not every one dying in sin is forthwith thrust down into hell, but there is sometimes pardon given for the sake of the offerings and prayers which are made for the deada.
Or these five senses are sold for two farthings, that is, the New and Old Testament, and are therefore not forgotten by God. Of those whose senses are given up to the word of life that they may be fit for the spiritual food, the Lord is ever mindful.
Or, by the head of each of the faithful, you must understand a conversation meet for Christ, but by his hair, the works of bodily mortification which are numbered by God, and are worthy of the Divine regard.
For it is not absolutely to every one that this discourse seems to apply, but to those who love God with their whole heart to whom it belongs to say, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? (Rom. 8:3.) But they who are not such, are tottering, and ready to fall down. Moreover our Lord says, Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13.) How then is it not most ungrateful to Christ not to repay Him what we receive?
We must then consider that crowns and honours are prepared for the labours of those upon whom men are continually venting forth their indignation, and to them the death of the body is the end of their persecutions. Whence He adds, And after this have nothing more that they can do.
It is His care then diligently to know the life of the saints. Whence it follows, But the hairs of your heads are all numbered; by which He means, that of all things which relate to them He has most accurate knowledge, for the numbering manifests the minuteness of the care exercised.
Now mystically, indeed, the head of a man is his understanding, but his hairs the thoughts, which are open to the eye of God.
The words of the Lord: A hair of your head shall not be lost (Lk 21:18) can be interpreted not as a reference to the length of hair, but rather to the total count of hairs, as He further clarifies: And the hairs of your head are all numbered (Lk 12:7). My intention in stating this is not to suggest that anything inherent to the body can be lost; rather, I mean to highlight that the imperfections with which the body is born—indicative of our current mortal condition imposed as a consequence—will revert to the body. However, this will occur in a manner that, while the essence of the body remains whole, it will no longer bear these imperfections.
Indeed, just as a skilled artist can remelt a statue, which may have been disfigured for some reason, and reshape it into a flawless rendition without losing any of its original material, they do so by redistributing the material to mask imperfections. If an artist can do this, what can be said of the Almighty Creator? Would He not possess the power to eradicate all forms of imperfections from human bodies—whether common, rare, or grotesque—that are emblematic of our present, tragic existence, which would be incongruous with the future joy of the saints? He would accomplish this in such a way that even the natural but flawed aspects of our bodily existence would be removed without compromising the integrity of the substance itself.
Now I ask the Arians, if God, as if disdaining to make all other things, made only His Son, but deputed all things to His Son; how is it that He extends His providence even to such trifling things as our hair, and the sparrows? For upon whatever things He exercises His providence, of these is He the Creator by His own word.
For our natural death is not the end of punishment: and therefore He concludes that death is the cessation of bodily punishment, but the punishment of the soul is everlasting. And God alone is to be feared, to whose power nature prescribes not, but is herself subject; adding, Yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
Since unbelief springs from two causes, either from a deeply-seated malice or a sudden fear; lest any one from terror should be compelled to deny the God whom he acknowledges in his heart, He well adds, And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, &c.
He tells us also, that that death is not terrible for which at a far more costly rate of interest immortality is to be purchased.
Our Lord then had instilled the virtue of simplicity, had awakened a courageous spirit. Their faith alone was wavering, and well did He strengthen it by adding with respect to things of less value, Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings? and not one of them is forgotten before God. As if He said, If God forgets not the sparrows, how can He man?
But perhaps some one will say, How is it that the Apostle says, Does the Lord care for oxen? (1 Cor. 9:9.) whereas an ox is of more value than a sparrow; but to care for is one thing, to have knowledge another.
Or else; A good sparrow is one which nature has furnished with the power of flying; for nature has given us the grace of flying, pleasure has taken it away, which loads with meats the soul of the wicked, and moulds it towards the nature of a fleshly mass. The five senses of the body then, if they seek the food of earthly alloy, cannot fly back to the fruits of higher actions. A bad sparrow therefore is one which has lost its habit of flying through the fault of earthly grovelling; such are those sparrows which are sold for two farthings, namely, at the price of worldly luxury. For the enemy sets up his, as it were, captive slaves, at the very lowest price. But the Lord, being the fit judge of His own work, has redeemed at a great price us, His noble servants, whom He hath made in His own image.
Lastly, the numbering of the hairs is not to be taken with reference to the act of reckoning, but to the capability of knowing. Yet they are well said to be numbered, because those things which we wish to preserve we number.
If then such is the majesty of God, that a single sparrow or the number of our hair is not beside His knowledge, how unworthy is it to suppose that the Lord is either ignorant of the hearts of the faithful, or despises them so as to account them of less value. Hence He proceeds to conclude, Fear not then, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
In the same chapter, it is mentioned that while there it states that “two sparrows are sold for a penny,” here it indicates “five sparrows for two pennies.” It is likely that the prices differed then compared to now. Therefore, consider the explanation provided in that passage as well.
Literally, hereby is signified the quickness of the Divine foresight, which reaches even to the least things. But mystically, the five sparrows justly represent the spiritual senses, which have perception of high and heavenly things: beholding God, hearing the Divine voice, tasting of the bread of life, smelling the perfume of Christ’s anointing, handling the Word of Life. And these being sold for two farthings, that is, being lightly esteemed by those who count as perishing whatever is of the Spirit, are not forgotten before God. But God is said to be forgetful of some because of their iniquities.
Their rage then is but useless raving, who cast the lifeless limbs of martyrs to be torn in pieces by wild beasts and birds, seeing that they can in no wise prevent the omnipotence of God from quickening and bringing them to life again.
We must not read, Ye are more, which relates to the comparison of number, but ye are of more value, that is, of greater estimation in the sight of God.
The dipondius is a coin of the lightest weight, and equal to two asses.
The second quality of the human will that God desires is to embrace everything He sends our way, whether it be pleasant or painful, as His kindness or as divine discipline, with thankfulness and without complaint. Essentially, our will ought to remain steadfast in the belief that everything that occurs in our lives is by God’s intention, with an enduring faith that perseveres through toil and tribulation, meaning we must willingly face all challenges with patience and fortitude. If we were fully convinced that all unfolds in accordance with God’s will, our suffering would be lessened.
Beloved, let us turn to God in prayer from our hearts during our trials and afflictions, sincerely admitting our faults before Him and seeking His strength to patiently endure the distress that comes our way, saying: Lord! All that I endure, or all that weighs heavily upon me because of others, has come to me through Your holy will – I am as certain of this as I am of my own existence; grant me, Lord, the strength to bear with courage the burden placed upon me according to Your divine will. When we doubt God's providential care for us and fail to grasp the true reasons behind our hardships, we risk falling into despair or experiencing varying levels of sorrow and hopelessness concerning our salvation. Oh, how frail and uncertain we can be in recognizing our faith in God’s providence, not just for each individual as a rational being but even for the smallest strand of hair that does not fall without His consent! Christ Himself, our Savior and Lord, testifies to this truth, stating, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father’s will," and further emphasizing, "But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows" (Matt. 10:29-31; cf. Lk. 12:6-7). How profound is His mercy! – Even the sparrow falls only by God’s decree. Indeed, God's will is His very essence, continually at work within all His creations. With the fish, He swims; with the birds, He soars; with the serpent, He moves; with other creatures, He walks. God does not neglect any of His beings without providential oversight. Even if countless birds are ensnared, not a single one, however small, will be caught without God's will; not one will perish apart from the heavenly Father’s decree. The same divine care that watches over the tiniest sparrow extends to the majestic eagle, and it is all the more bestowed upon humanity, the pinnacle of His creation. If a single bird cannot fall into a net without God's permission, then how can you, O mankind – fashioned in God’s image and destined to inherit the heavenly kingdom, yet tested by trials and tribulations – lose heart, grieve, and assume that the afflictions that befall you come without God’s will? Our understanding must penetrate deeper to realize that divine providence encompasses not just living beings, but the very fabric of creation, governing things and their management; as the Savior pointed out, "And even the hairs of your head are all counted." When could any man accurately survey the number of his hairs without error? Yet with God, each one is accounted for, both in one individual and in all humanity, and without His divine will, not a single hair can fall to the ground. How frequently we, upon experiencing undesired events, succumb to anger, lose our patience, and unjustly blame others with hurtful words and actions, shifting the blame for our sorrow from one person to another. Just as a tumultuous sea casts forth foam and debris, our hearts may spew forth vile words of disbelief and impatience when confronted with hardships. We fail to recognize the discipline imposed by God's will, instead attributing our troubles either to the malice of others or to causes of our own making. After His resurrection, when our Savior appeared to His disciples on the Sea of Tiberias, the waters were tumultuous, and none recognized Him; only St. John identified Him and declared to the others, "It is the Lord" (John 21:7). Among us are many brothers and sisters who feel weak in spirit and impatient in suffering, unable to recognize the Master who invisibly guides the vessel of our lives amid tumultuous waves of trials and tribulations; neither do they see God Almighty, who leads each of us through various paths toward salvation. In their blindness, they blame those they perceive as adversaries, expressing resentment towards them, accusing them of orchestrating their misfortunes. Conversely, a humble and pure-hearted person perceives differently – they fortify their will to endure challenges, recognizing in them God's guiding hand toward correcting their missteps. They cry out to God, "Merciful God! It is You who seeks my salvation and justly chastises me; may You be praised, O Lord! May Your will be done in my life!"
The Pharisees and scribes, who had invited the Lord into their assembly in an attempt to tempt Him, likely heard His stern admonitions. In response, they tried to twist His words into something deceptive. Meanwhile, a multitude gathered in large numbers at the home of the Pharisee. Turning away from them, Jesus addressed His disciples and the gathered crowd, continuing to impart His teachings related to their earlier discussion. He cautioned His disciples once again to be wary of the leaven of the Pharisees, signifying hypocrisy, which is especially perilous due to its deceptive nature. He provided reassurance that, despite the efforts of the Pharisees to obscure the truth He proclaimed, that truth would ultimately triumph (Luke 12:1-3.
There is nothing hidden that will not be made known, nor secret that will not be understood). To contend against these false zealots for the truth is vital, and those who endure in defense of the truth will receive glory from God. For bearing witness to the Gospel's truth, He promised to grant them words and wisdom.
To face destruction in Gehenna (Matthew 10:28). The value of the assariyah coin may be insignificant, as it is used to buy two tiny birds, yet not a single one of those birds will drop to the earth without the consent of your heavenly Father. You, my chosen ones, are valued far more than many small birds; and if your Father in heaven cares for you to the extent that He counts all your hairs, do not be afraid! Understand that you are under His divine safeguard, and that everything that occurs in your life will happen solely by His will. Do not let fear take hold of you!
He comforted them by recalling the trials He faced and the opposition He encountered. They should not fear their mission. The Almighty, who values even the tiniest sparrows that fall to the ground and who knows the exact number of hairs on each head, is the Sovereign who governs not just life and death, but the promise of everlasting life and eternal damnation. He deserves more reverence than the fiercest beasts of the earth. His presence is with them. He will acknowledge those His Son has embraced and will deny those whom He has turned away.
After cautioning His disciples to be on guard against the leaven of the Pharisees, meaning their hypocrisy, and encouraging them to boldly proclaim the truth of the Gospel with trust in God's Providence, the Lord also alerted them to another flaw among the Pharisees—greed. This warning stemmed from a request made by an individual to Him: Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. The requester believed that with a mere command from Jesus, he would receive what he desired. However, the resolution of such matters rightfully belonged to the courts, and so the Savior, dismissing the process of secular legalities, addressed the root cause of such conflicts—the desire for possessions. Who made Me a judge or arbiter over you? To illustrate and affirm this teaching, He shared a parable that strikingly depicted the folly of those consumed by greed.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 14 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS