Matthew 6:4-6

6:4 so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. ¹ 

Private Prayer

6:5 “Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray while standing in synagogues ²  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, ³  close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. ⁴ 

[6:4]  ¹ 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 Ë^1,13 33 al).

[6:5]  ² sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.

[6:6]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tc See the tc note on “will reward you” in 6:4: The problem is the same and the ms support differs only slightly.