Matthew 6:33

A
B
C

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Matthew 6:33 (KJV)

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

Matthew 6:33 (NLT)

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Matthew 6:33 (ESV)

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.

Matthew 6:33 (NASB)

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right — the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.

Matthew 6:33 (AMP)

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.

Matthew 6:33 (AMPC)

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMPC), Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

Matthew 6:33 (MSG)

Scripture quotations from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.

New Covenant Meaning

"Seek First" Is the Corrective to Anxiety

Matthew 6:33 does not exist in isolation. It is the conclusion of a passage about anxiety that begins in verse 25. Jesus has been listing the things people worry about: food, clothing, the body, the future. His argument is not that those things do not matter. It is that anxious pursuit of them as primary objects reveals a misaligned order of priority. The command to seek first is the solution to the anxiety of verses 25-32. When God's kingdom is genuinely first, provision follows. The sequence matters. Anxiety comes from placing provision before the Provider.

"His Righteousness" Is Both a Gift and a Way of Life

The righteousness (dikaiosune) in view here carries a double weight. In Paul's theology it is primarily the righteousness imputed to the believer through faith. In Matthew's use, it often carries the sense of a way of living aligned with God's character and kingdom values. Both are relevant here. You seek the position of right standing that God gives and you seek to live in alignment with the King whose kingdom you are pursuing. These are not opposed. One flows from the other.

The phrase "all these things will be added to you" is significant. The things you would have anxiously pursued are not withheld when you seek first. They are added. The Greek prostethsetai carries the sense of being supplied as a supplement to what is primary. Jesus is not telling you to stop caring about practical needs. He is telling you to stop making them primary, because the Father who knows you have need of them (v. 32) is fully capable of adding them when your orientation is right.

Application for Your Life

Reorder the Morning, Reorder the Day

Seeking first is a posture established at the start, not a value held in the abstract. The practical application is about what gets your attention and priority at the beginning of your day and your decisions. Not as a religious ritual to earn provision, but as an orientation that keeps the right things primary. When you begin from awareness of God's kingdom and His righteousness available to you, the day's concerns fit into that frame rather than consuming it.

This Is a Promise, Not Just an Instruction

"All these things will be added to you" is a covenant promise attached to a condition. The condition is not perfection. It is priority: seek His kingdom first. Many believers know this verse as an instruction and forget it is also a guarantee. If you are genuinely placing God's kingdom above provision, security, and advancement, you are living under the terms of a promise. The addition is God's responsibility. The orientation is yours.

Prayer Based on This Verse

Father, I choose right now to put Your kingdom first. Not as a formula to unlock provision but as a genuine reordering of what matters most to me. I acknowledge that anxiety about my needs is a symptom of a priority problem, not just a stress problem. You know what I need before I ask. You are not withholding anything I require. I seek Your kingdom and Your righteousness today. I trust You to add what needs to be added. I am not chasing what You have promised to provide. I am seeking what only You can give. In Jesus' name. Amen.