Matthew6
New American Standard
1“Take care not to practice your righteousness in the sight of people, to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
2“So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, so that they will be praised by people. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
3But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4so that your charitable giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
5“And when you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they will be seen by people. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
6But as for you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
7“And when you are praying, do not use thoughtless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.
8So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
9“Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father, who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
10Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
11Give us this day our daily bread.
12And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’
14For if you forgive other people for their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15But if you do not forgive other people, then your Father will not forgive your offenses.
16“Now whenever you fast, do not make a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they distort their faces so that they will be noticed by people when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
17But as for you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
18so that your fasting will not be noticed by people but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
21for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22“The eye is the lamp of the body; so then, if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.
23But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
25“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing?
26Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they?
27And which of you by worrying can add a single day to his life’s span?
28And why are you worried about clothing? Notice how the lilies of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin thread for cloth,
29yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.
30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!
31Do not worry then, saying, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear for clothing?’
32For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
33But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.
34“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Matthew 6.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Against hypocrisy in almsgiving. (1–4). Against hypocrisy in prayer. (5–8). How to pray. (9–15). Respecting fasting. (16–18). Evil of being worldly-minded. (19–24). Trust in God commended. (25–34).
vv1-4
Our Lord next warned against hypocrisy and outward show in religious duties. What we do, must be done from an inward principle, that we may be approved of God, not that we may be praised of men. In these verses we are cautioned against hypocrisy in giving alms. Take heed of it. It is a subtle sin; and vain-glory creeps into what we do, before we are aware. But the duty is not the less necessary and excellent for being abused by hypocrites to serve their pride. The doom Christ passes, at first may seem a promise, but it is their reward; not the reward God promises to those who do good, but the reward hypocrites promise themselves, and a poor reward it is; they did it to be seen of men, and they are seen of men. When we take least notice of our good deeds ourselves, God takes most notice of them. He will reward thee; not as a master who gives his servant what he earns, and no more, but as a Father who gives abundantly to his son that serves him.
vv5-8
It is taken for granted that all who are disciples of Christ pray. You may as soon find a living man that does not breathe, as a living Christian that does not pray. If prayerless, then graceless. The Scribes and Pharisees were guilty of two great faults in prayer, vain-glory and vain repetitions. “Verily they have their reward;” if in so great a matter as is between us and God, when we are at prayer, we can look to so poor a thing as the praise of men, it is just that it should be all our reward. Yet there is not a secret, sudden breathing after God, but he observes it. It is called a reward, but it is of grace, not of debt; what merit can there be in begging? If he does not give his people what they ask, it is because he knows they do not need it, and that it is not for their good. So far is God from being wrought upon by the length or words of our prayers, that the most powerful intercessions are those which are made with groanings that cannot be uttered. Let us well study what is shown of the frame of mind in which our prayers should be offered, and learn daily from Christ how to pray.
vv9-15
Christ saw it needful to show his disciples what must commonly be the matter and method of their prayer. Not that we are tied up to the use of this only, or of this always; yet, without doubt, it is very good to use it. It has much in a little; and it is used acceptably no further than it is used with understanding, and without being needlessly repeated. The petitions are six; the first three relate more expressly to God and his honour, the last three to our own concerns, both temporal and spiritual. This prayer teaches us to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and that all other things shall be added. After the things of God's glory, kingdom, and will, we pray for the needful supports and comforts of this present life. Every word here has a lesson in it. We ask for bread; that teaches us sobriety and temperance: and we ask only for bread; not for what we do not need. We ask for our bread; that teaches us honesty and industry: we do not ask for the bread of others, nor the bread of deceit, Pr 20:17; nor the bread of idleness, Pr 31:27, but the bread honestly gotten. We ask for our daily bread; which teaches us constantly to depend upon Divine Providence. We beg of God to give it us; not sell it us, nor lend it us, but give it. The greatest of men must be beholden to the mercy of God for their daily bread. We pray, Give it to us. This teaches us a compassion for the poor. Also that we ought to pray with our families. We pray that God would give it us this day; which teaches us to renew the desires of our souls toward God, as the wants of our bodies are renewed. As the day comes we must pray to our heavenly Father, and reckon we could as well go a day without food, as without prayer. We are taught to hate and dread sin while we hope for mercy, to distrust ourselves, to rely on the providence and grace of God to keep us from it, to be prepared to resist the tempter, and not to become tempters of others. Here is a promise, If you forgive, your heavenly Father will also forgive. We must forgive, as we hope to be forgiven. Those who desire to find mercy with God, must show mercy to their brethren. Christ came into the world as the great Peace-maker, not only to reconcile us to God, but one to another.
Key Words
ποιέω (poiéō): to make or do (in a very wide application, more or less direct)
ὑμῶν (hymōn): of (from or concerning) you
ἐλεημοσύνη (eleēmosýnē): compassionateness, i.e. (as exercised towards the poor) beneficence, or (concretely) a benefaction
ἔμπροσθεν (émprosthen): in front of (in place (literally or figuratively) or time)
ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos): from G3700 (ὀπτάνομαι)); man-faced, i.e. a human being
πρός (prós): a preposition of direction; forward to, i.e. toward (with the genitive case, the side of, i.e. pertaining to; with the dative case, by the side of, i.e. near to; usually with the accusative case, the place, time, occasion, or respect, which is the destination of the relation, i.e. whither or for which it is predicated)
θεάομαι (theáomai): to look closely at, i.e. (by implication) perceive (literally or figuratively); by extension to visit
αὐτός (autós): the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other persons
δέ (dé): but, and, etc.
εἰ δὲ μή(γε) (ei dè mḗ(ge)): but if not
Cross References
Matthew 6The direct parallel of the Lord's Prayer in Luke's Gospel, showing when/how it was delivered.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
Direct parallel command to sell possessions and make bags that wax not old, providing treasure in heaven.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Luke's parallel passage explaining the single and evil eye as the lamp of the body.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Solomon requested wisdom/righteousness first, and God added riches and honor, illustrating the principle.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
Jehu's invitation to Jonadab exemplifies the hypocrite's desire to display and trumpet his zeal.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The conclusion of the unmerciful servant parable; echoes the warning on refusing to forgive.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Exposes false, hypocritical fasting that aims only at human visibility rather than humbling the soul.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Elijah's challenge to choose between God and Baal parallels serving God and mammon.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The prophets of Baal crying out repeatedly illustrates the 'vain repetitions' of the heathen.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Exhortation to let words be few before God, warning against hasty and rash speech.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Agur's prayer for 'convenient food' mirrors the petition for daily bread and moderation.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Paul's exhortation to seek things above matches Christ's command to lay up heavenly treasures.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The daily gathering of manna teaches relying on God day-by-day for daily bread.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Christ warns his disciples to watch and pray, lest they enter into temptation.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Casting care upon God because he cares for us relates directly to 'take no thought'.
Supported by Matthew Henry