Look at is not really an order to look at the birds, but is Jesus’ way of drawing attention to them by way of illustration. Some translators have said “Take for example the birds” or “Consider the birds.”
Birds of the air is a typical Jewish expression; it merely means “birds.” The parallel in Luke 12.24 has “crows”; according to Jewish teaching, crows were unclean birds. New Jerusalem Bible and New American Bible have “the birds in the sky,” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “the birds.” Since of the air is simply a part of the idiomatic expression the birds of the air, referring to all birds, it is unnecessary to reproduce the full form in translation. The reference is not to birds that fly in contrast to birds that do not fly; it is an inclusive formula covering all birds.
Of course, in those languages where it is quite natural to say birds of the air, there will be no need to drop of the air. But translators should be sure that it is in fact natural and not just something they have become accustomed to from the Bible.
Sow may need an object, as in “sow seed,” “plant crops,” or “sow seeds in fields.”
Similarly with reap, an object is often required: “harvest crops,” “harvest the fields,” or “gather the crops in when they are ripe (or, ready).”
And so, too, with gather, where it may be necessary to say “gather the crops into the barns” or “gather into barns what they’ve reaped.”
In place of heavenly Father Luke (12.24) has “God.” See the discussion in 5.16. It may have to be “God, your Father in heaven” in some languages.
Feeds may also have the less restricted meaning of “takes care of” (Good News Translation). The context suggests that the wider meaning is intended. In the New Testament this verb occurs elsewhere in Matthew 25.37; Luke 4.16; 12.24; 23.29; Acts 12.20; James 5.5; Revelation 12.6, 14. Translators can render feeds as “gives them what they need” or “makes sure they have what they need to live.”
The rhetorical question, Are you not of more value than they? has a form in Greek which requires the answer “Yes.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch utilizes an exclamatory sentence: “And you are worth much more than all birds!” The intent or thrust of the question can be carried in several ways, including “You are certainly of more value than they,” “You are of more value than they, aren’t you?” and “Don’t you think you are worth more than they are?”
Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .