Discovery BoxMatthew 6:1-32
Context6:1 “Be 1 careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people. 2 Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven. 6:2 Thus whenever you do charitable giving, 3 do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in synagogues 4 and on streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth, 5 they have their reward. 6:3 But when you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 6:4 so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. 6
6:5 “Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray while standing in synagogues 7 and on street corners so that people can see them. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. 6:6 But whenever you pray, go into your room, 8 close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. 9 6:7 When 10 you pray, do not babble repetitiously like the Gentiles, because they think that by their many words they will be heard. 6:8 Do 11 not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 6:9 So pray this way: 12
Our Father 13 in heaven, may your name be honored, 14
6:10 may your kingdom come, 15
may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
6:11 Give us today our daily bread, 16
6:12 and forgive us our debts, as we ourselves 17 have forgiven our debtors.
6:13 And do not lead us into temptation, 18 but deliver us from the evil one. 19
6:14 “For if you forgive others 20 their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 6:15 But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins.
6:16 “When 21 you fast, do not look sullen like the hypocrites, for they make their faces unattractive 22 so that people will see them fasting. I tell you the truth, 23 they have their reward. 6:17 When 24 you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 6:18 so that it will not be obvious to others when you are fasting, but only to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
6:19 “Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth 25 and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 6:20 But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 6:21 For where your 26 treasure 27 is, there your heart will be also.
6:22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If then your eye is healthy, 28 your whole body will be full of light. 6:23 But if your eye is diseased, 29 your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate 30 the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise 31 the other. You cannot serve God and money. 32
6:25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry 33 about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing? 6:26 Look at the birds in the sky: 34 They do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds 35 them. Aren’t you more valuable 36 than they are? 6:27 And which of you by worrying can add even one hour to his life? 37 6:28 Why do you worry about clothing? Think about how the flowers 38 of the field grow; they do not work 39 or spin. 6:29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these! 6:30 And if this is how God clothes the wild grass, 40 which is here today and tomorrow is tossed into the fire to heat the oven, 41 won’t he clothe you even more, 42 you people of little faith? 6:31 So then, don’t worry saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 6:32 For the unconverted 43 pursue these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
[6:1] 1 tc ‡ Several
[6:1] 2 tn Grk “before people in order to be seen by them.”
[6:2] 3 tn Grk “give alms,” but this term is not in common use today. The giving of alms was highly regarded in the ancient world (Deut 15:7-11).
[6:2] 4 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.
[6:2] 5 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[6:4] 6 tc L W Θ 0250 Ï it read ἐν τῷ φανερῷ (en tw fanerw, “openly”) at the end of this verse, giving a counterweight to what is done in secret. But this reading is suspect because of the obvious literary balance, because of detouring the point of the passage (the focus of vv. 1-4 is not on two kinds of public rewards but on human vs. divine approbation), and because of superior external testimony that lacks this reading (א B D Z Ë1,13 33 al).
[6:5] 7 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.
[6:6] 8 sn The term translated room refers to the inner room of a house, normally without any windows opening outside, the most private location possible (BDAG 988 s.v. ταμεῖον 2).
[6:6] 9 tc See the tc note on “will reward you” in 6:4: The problem is the same and the ms support differs only slightly.
[6:7] 10 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[6:8] 11 tn Grk “So do not.” Here οὖν (oun) has not been translated.
[6:9] 12 sn Pray this way. What follows, although traditionally known as the Lord’s prayer, is really the disciples’ prayer. It represents how they are to approach God, by acknowledging his uniqueness and their need for his provision and protection.
[6:9] 13 sn God is addressed in terms of intimacy (Father). The original Semitic term here was probably Abba. The term is a little unusual in a personal prayer, especially as it lacks qualification. It is not the exact equivalent of “daddy” (as is sometimes popularly suggested), but it does suggest a close, familial relationship.
[6:9] 14 tn Grk “hallowed be your name.”
[6:10] 15 sn Your kingdom come represents the hope for the full manifestation of God’s promised rule.
[6:11] 16 tn Or “Give us bread today for the coming day,” or “Give us today the bread we need for today.” The term ἐπιούσιος (epiousio") does not occur outside of early Christian literature (other occurrences are in Luke 11:3 and Didache 8:2), so its meaning is difficult to determine. Various suggestions include “daily,” “the coming day,” and “for existence.” See BDAG 376-77 s.v.; L&N 67:183, 206.
[6:12] 17 tn Or “as even we.” The phrase ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς (Jw" kai Jhmei") makes ἡμεῖς emphatic. The translation above adds an appropriate emphasis to the passage.
[6:13] 18 tn Or “into a time of testing.”
[6:13] 19 tc Most
[6:14] 20 tn Here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used in a generic sense: “people, others.”
[6:16] 21 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[6:16] 22 tn Here the term “disfigure” used in a number of translations was not used because it could convey to the modern reader the notion of mutilation. L&N 79.17 states, “‘to make unsightly, to disfigure, to make ugly.’ ἀφανίζουσιν γὰρ τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν ‘for they make their faces unsightly’ Mt 6:16.”
[6:16] 23 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[6:17] 24 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[6:19] 25 tn The term σής (shs) refers to moths in general. It is specifically the larvae of moths that destroy clothing by eating holes in it (L&N 4.49; BDAG 922 s.v.). See Jas 5:2, which mentions “moth-eaten” clothing.
[6:21] 26 tn The pronouns in this verse are singular while the pronouns in vv. 19-20 are plural. The change to singular emphasizes personal responsibility as opposed to corporate responsibility; even if others do not listen, the one who hears Jesus’ commands should obey.
[6:21] 27 sn Seeking heavenly treasure means serving others and honoring God by doing so.
[6:22] 28 tn Or “sound” (so L&N 23.132 and most scholars). A few scholars take this word to mean something like “generous” here (L&N 57.107). partly due to the immediate context concerning money, in which case the “eye” is a metonymy for the entire person (“if you are generous”).
[6:23] 29 tn Or “if your eye is sick” (L&N 23.149).
[6:24] 30 sn The contrast between hate and love here is rhetorical. The point is that one will choose the favorite if a choice has to be made.
[6:24] 31 tn Or “and treat [the other] with contempt.”
[6:24] 32 tn Grk “God and mammon.”
[6:25] 33 tn Or “do not be anxious,” and so throughout the rest of this paragraph.
[6:26] 34 tn Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν).
[6:26] 35 tn Or “God gives them food to eat.” L&N 23.6 has both “to provide food for” and “to give food to someone to eat.”
[6:26] 36 tn Grk “of more value.”
[6:27] 37 tn Or “a cubit to his height.” A cubit (πῆχυς, phcu") can measure length (normally about 45 cm or 18 inches) or time (a small unit, “hour” is usually used [BDAG 812 s.v.] although “day” has been suggested [L&N 67.151]). The term ἡλικία (Jhlikia) is ambiguous in the same way as πῆχυς (phcus). Most scholars take the term to describe age or length of life here, although a few refer it to bodily stature (see BDAG 436 s.v. 3 for discussion). Worry about length of life seems a more natural figure than worry about height. However, the point either way is clear: Worrying adds nothing to life span or height.
[6:28] 38 tn Traditionally, “lilies.” According to L&N 3.32, “Though traditionally κρίνον has been regarded as a type of lily, scholars have suggested several other possible types of flowers, including an anemone, a poppy, a gladiolus, and a rather inconspicuous type of daisy.” In view of the uncertainty, the more generic “flowers” has been used in the translation.
[6:28] 39 tn Or, traditionally, “toil.” Although it might be argued that “work hard” would be a more precise translation of κοπιάω (kopiaw) here, the line in English reads better in terms of cadence with a single syllable.
[6:30] 40 tn Grk “grass of the field.”
[6:30] 41 tn Grk “into the oven.” The expanded translation “into the fire to heat the oven” has been used to avoid misunderstanding; most items put into modern ovens are put there to be baked, not burned.
[6:30] 42 sn The phrase even more is a typical form of rabbinic argumentation, from the lesser to the greater. If God cares for the little things, surely he will care for the more important things.
