Matthew 6:27 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Which of you, by taking thought, &c.— Who of you, by his solicitude, can prolong his life one hour? A version strictly literal would be, can add any length to his age; for the Greek word ηλικια signifies both age and stature, and is to be rendered by either, as the occasion requires. Our translators, have rendered it by age, John 9:21; John 9:23 and Hebrews 11:11. The Greek word Πηχυς indeed commonly means a cubit; but it is not unfrequent to transfer the measures of space to express those of time, as Psalms 39:5. Thou hast made my days as it were a span long. Dr. Hammond upon the place shews, that cubit has been used in the same manner. Thus far we have seen what senses the terms are capable of: what their proper sense is here, we must gather from the context. At Matthew 6:25 our Lord dissuades from anxiety about food and clothing; food for the life (ψιχη in the original, that is, soul, or animal life), and clothing for the body. He then treats of these separately. The words under consideration conclude whathe said concerning the maintenance of life, to which stature is not applicable, but age. What he adds concerning the body begins at the next verse. Besides, he was speaking to adult persons, who probably had no solicitude about their stature, and certainly had no imagination that such solicitude could make them grow a foot and a half taller, but a care for the maintenance of life is the common care of all men, and apt to run into excess, where it is not moderated by religion. See Luke 12:25 and Heylin.