Again there is a rhetorical question, one that requires no answer but makes a particularly strong statement. Jesus does not want to know which of his hearers can actually lengthen their lives, but he is saying “None of you can” or “No one can.”

The word anxious here is the same as in verse 25. In this context it means “worrying about,” “being concerned about,” or “being distracted by the cares about.”

Add one cubit to his span of life (Good News Translation “live a bit longer”). As RSV’s footnote indicates, to his span of life may also be interpreted to mean “to his stature” (TEV footnote, “grow a bit taller”). One problem of interpretation is that the word which Revised Standard Version renders cubit is normally used of distance rather than of time. However, it may also be used of time, and that meaning is much more satisfactory in the present context. Moreover, the Greek word given the meaning span of life is more frequently used as a measurement of time than height. Needless to say, scholarly opinion is divided, but modern translations tend to accept the meaning represented by Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. If span is used as a measurement of time, it would mean a brief span, whereas if it is used of a person’s height, it would be a significant amount (about 18 inches). New American Bible renders “add a moment to his life-span,” and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “lengthen his life only by one day.”

As for translating cubit, those translators who follow the Good News Translation model will generally have “add a little time to his life,” “live a little longer,” or “make his life last even a little longer.” Some will indicate a specific amount of time, such as “even one day” or “even one hour.”

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 .