Matthewchapter 6
34 verses · Matthew, by tradition · AD 50 to 65 · The Gospels
Key verse
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
It stands in How to Pray, and the Prayer He Gave, verses 5 to 15.
The chapter
Chapter summary
Giving, prayer, and fasting. All done for God's eye, not man's. The Lord's Prayer. Treasures in heaven, single eye, two masters. Do not be anxious; consider the lilies of the field; seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
Context
Gospel · Matthew · Matthew overview
The world behind this chapter
Matthew 6The history
Giving to the poor was organised, not casual. The temple treasury held trumpet-shaped collection chests, and synagogues ran a weekly fund and a daily food distribution. A man who wanted his gift noticed had plenty of public places to make it.
The rest of the history, and what it meant to them
Prayer had fixed hours, and pious Jews prayed standing, often in the synagogue or wherever the hour found them, including a street corner. Fasting on the appointed days was marked by unwashed faces and ashes, so a man who wanted credit for it simply had to skip the wash.
The sayings about treasure describe how wealth was actually held. Much of a family's savings sat in fine clothing, which moths ate; the rest in metal, which corroded. Village houses had walls of mud brick, so a thief did not pick a lock, he dug through the wall, which is exactly what the word means.
The last picture is a Galilean field in spring: wild flowers everywhere for a few weeks, then dried and pulled up as fuel for the clay bread oven. That is the point of the comparison, God dresses in glory something that will be burned by Friday.
What it meant to them
The chapter reframes religion as an audience problem. Every act named here was praised in that society; Jesus says the applause is the payment, collected in full, and nothing further is owing.
For readers who had lost standing in their community for following Jesus, the promise of a Father who sees in secret was not a nice sentiment. It was the only reward left to them, and Jesus says it is the real one.
Sources cited
- Joachim Jeremias, Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus
- Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament
Where the chapter sits
Matthew 6 falls in Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5–7). Discourse 1: the kingdom's ethic.
Before it: Prologue: genealogy, birth, preparation, chapters 1–4. After it: Mission of the Twelve, chapters 10.
The whole shape of Matthew→The structure of this chapter
People1
The heads below are this chapter's scenes. The numbered points under each are its verses.
A. Giving Where Only the Father Sees
1. (v. 1)
Matthew 6:1
“Take heed that ye do not your alms before men,.... Some copies read, "take heed that ye do not your righteousness", &c. which is a very good reading: but then, by "righteousness", is not meant righteousness, as comprehending all other righteous acts, as particularly alms, prayer, and fasting, hereafter mentioned; but alms only; nothing being more common with the Jews than to call alms צדקה, "righteousness": and whatever word Matthew made use of, there is no doubt to be made of it, but this was the word Christ used.”
3 more voices on this verseWhat preachers and commentators have said about this verse, in their own words.
Matthew 6:1
“Take heed that ye do not your alms - The word “alms” here denotes liberality to the poor and needy. In the margin, as in the best editions of the Greek it is “righteousness;” either referring to almsgiving as eminently a righteous act, or more probably including all that is specified in this and the following verses - almsgiving, prayer, fasting, Mat. 6:2-18. Our Saviour here does not positively command his disciples to aid the poor, but supposes that they would do it of course, and gives them directions how to do it.”
Matthew 6:1
“To "do" this righteousness, was an old and well-understood expression. Thus, "Blessed is he that doeth righteousness at all times" (Ps 106:3).”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Matthew 6:1
“In the foregoing chapter our Lord particularly described the nature of inward holiness. In this he describes that purity of intention without which none of our outward actions are holy.”
John Wesley· Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
to be seen of them: Verse 1 states the principle the chapter's three examples then illustrate, alms, prayer, and fasting each done to be seen of men forfeiting any reward from the Father. Righteousness done before men is not itself condemned, since 5:16 commands letting good works be seen, but the motive of display is, the same deed judged differently by why it is done. Reward is the word repeated through this section, and the commentators read it as a real principle of divine accounting rather than a figure of speech.
2. (vv. 2-4)
Matthew 6:2
“Therefore when thou doest thine alms - In the first verse the exhortation is general: Take Ye heed. In this verse the address is pointed - and Thou - man - woman - who readest - hearest. Do not sound a trumpet - It is very likely that this was literally practised among the Pharisees, who seemed to live on the public esteem, and were excessively self-righteous and vain.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
3 more voices on this verse
Matthew 6:2
“Now, when our service is rendered to the eyes of men, we do not submit our life to the judgment and approbation of God. Justly, therefore, does Christ say, that those persons, who exhibit themselves in this manner, have their reward: for they whose eyes are held by such vanity cannot look upon God. For the same reason, all who are desirous of vain-glory are called hypocrites.”
John Calvin· Commentaries (1554)reformed
Matthew 6:2
“Is it to please the brethren, or God Himself? If God Himself, He is as capable of beholding whatever is done in secret, as He is just to remunerate what is done for His sole honour. In fine, He enjoins us not to trumpet forth any one of those things which will merit reward in His sight, nor get compensation for them from men.”
Tertullian· written before 220· On the Veiling of Virginspatristic
Matthew 6:2
“Hence our expression to "trumpet." as the hypocrites do--This word--of such frequent occurrence in Scripture, signifying primarily "one who acts a part"--denotes one who either pretends to be what he is not (as here), or dissembles what he really is (as in Lu 12:1, 2). in the synagogues and in the streets--the places of religious and secular resort. that they may have glory of men.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Matthew 6:3
“But when thou dost alms,.... Do it so privately, and with so much secrecy, that, if it was possible, thou mightest not know it thyself, much less make it known to others: let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth; acquaint not thy nearest and dearest friend with it; let not one that sits at thy left hand know what thou art doing with thy right hand; it is a proverbial and hyperbolical phrase, expressing the secrecy of the action.”
2 more voices on this verse
Matthew 6:3
“Let not thy left hand know ... - This is a proverbial expression, signifying that the action should be done as secretly as possible. The Hebrews often attribute actions to members which properly belong to persons. The encouragement for performing our acts of charity in secret is that it will be pleasing to God; that he will see the act, however secret it may be, and will openly reward it. If the reward is not granted in this life, it will be in the life to come.”
Matthew 6:3
“Self-conceit and self-complacency, and an adoring of our own shadow, are branches of pride, as dangerous as vain-glory and ostentation before men. We find those had their good works remembered to their honour, who had themselves forgotten them: When saw we thee an hungered, or athirst? What is the promise to those who are thus sincere and humble in their alms-giving.”
Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Matthew 6:4
“Which seeth in secret - We should ever remember that the eye of the Lord is upon us, and that he sees not only the act, but also every motive that led to it. Shall reward thee openly - Will give thee the fullest proofs of his acceptance of thy work of faith, and labor of love, by increasing that substance which, for his sake, thou sharest with the poor; and will manifest his approbation in thy own heart, by the witness of his Spirit.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Matthew 6:4
“That thine alms may be in secret,.... May be done in secret, and be kept a secret. The allusion seems to be to the secret chamber, where money was brought privately for the relief of the poor. "There were two chambers in the sanctuary, the one was לשכת חשאים, "the chamber of secrets", and the other the chamber of vessels: the chamber of secrets was that into which pious persons put בחשאי, "in secret", and the poor children of good men were maintained out of it privately (q).'' The Jews say many things in favour of doing alms privately.”
Matthew 6:4
“For it is impossible that God should leave in obscurity any good work of man; but He makes it manifest in this world, and glorifies it in the next world, because it is the glory of God; as likewise the Devil manifests evil, in which is shown the strength of his great wickedness. But God properly makes public every good deed only in that world the goods of which are not common to the righteous and the wicked; therefore to whomsoever God shall there show favour, it will be manifest that it was as reward of his righteousness.”
Pseudo-Chrysostom· written before 500· Catena Aurea by Aquinaspatristic
sound a trumpet before thee: No trumpet literally sounded in the synagogue offering box, and the bench reads it as a figure for the deliberate self-advertisement of a showy giver, though some note the ram's-horn-shaped chests, called trumpets for their shape, that stood in the temple court for contributions. Left hand not knowing what the right hand does is hyperbole for a giving so free of self-congratulation that the giver himself scarcely tallies it. The Father who sees in secret answers openly, the same phrase repeated for prayer and fasting, framing all three as transactions with God rather than performances for a crowd.
B. How to Pray, and the Prayer He Gave
1. (vv. 5-6)
Matthew 6:5
“And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites,.... As the Scribes and Pharisees; whose posture in prayer, the places they chose to pray in, and the view they had therein, are particularly taken notice of: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues, and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. It was their usual custom to pray "standing"; nay, it is established by their canons.”
3 more voices on this verse
Matthew 6:5
“And when thou prayest ... - Hypocrites manifested the same spirit about prayer as almsgiving; it was done in public places. The word “synagogues,” here, clearly means, not the place of worship of that name, but places where many were accustomed to assemble - near the markets or courts, where they could be seen of many. Our Lord evidently could not mean to condemn prayers in the synagogues. It might be said that he condemned ostentatious prayer there, while they neglected secret prayer; but this does not appear to be his design.”
Matthew 6:5
“Do the ears of God wait for sound? How, then, could Jonah's prayer find way out unto heaven from the depth of the whale's belly, through the entrails of so huge a beast; from the very abysses, through so huge a mass of sea? What superior advantage will they who pray too loudly gain, except that they annoy their neighbours? Nay, by making their petitions audible, what less error do they commit than if they were to pray in public?”
Tertullian· written before 220· On Prayerpatristic
Matthew 6:5
“Verily I say unto you, They have, &c.--The standing posture in prayer was the ancient practice, alike in the Jewish and in the early Christian Church.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Matthew 6:6
“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet,.... Or "chamber", a secret place, fit for private retirement, meditation, and prayer. And when thou hast shut thy door; see some such like phrases in Isa 26:20 where they are used to express security, here secrecy.”
2 more voices on this verse
Matthew 6:6
“But thou, when thou prayest - This is a very impressive and emphatic address. But Thou! whosoever thou art, Jew, Pharisee, Christian - enter into thy closet. Prayer is the most secret intercourse of the soul with God, and as it were the conversation of one heart with another. The world is too profane and treacherous to be of the secret. We must shut the door against it: endeavor to forget it, with all the affairs which busy and amuse it.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Matthew 6:6
“It may be offered in any circumstances, however open, if not prompted by the spirit of ostentation, but dictated by the great ends of prayer itself. It is the retiring character of true prayer which is here taught. Supplementary Directions and Model Prayer (Mt 6:7-15).”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
the corners of the streets: Standing to pray in synagogues and street corners was ordinary Jewish practice at the fixed hours, and the fault Jesus names is not the posture or the place but praying there in order to be seen, timing devotion to catch an audience. The closet, tameion in the Greek, names an inner storeroom, the most private room a house had, and shutting the door pictures prayer stripped of any possible witness but God. The same reward formula closes the paragraph as closed the alms teaching, reward from the Father who sees in secret.
2. (v. 7)
Matthew 6:7
“With the Jews, says LIGHTFOOT, it was a maxim, that "Every one who multiplies prayer is heard." In the Church of Rome, not only is it carried to a shameless extent, but, as THOLUCK justly observes, the very prayer which our Lord gave as an antidote to vain repetitions is the most abused to this superstitious end; the number of times it is repeated counting for so much more merit.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
2 more voices on this verse
Matthew 6:7
“On this there starts up a heresy of certain Philosophers who taught the mistaken dogma, that If God knows for what we shall pray, and, before we ask, knows what we need, our prayer is needlessly made to one who has such knowledge. (Epicureans.) To such we shortly reply, That in our prayers we do not instruct, but entreat; it is one thing to inform the ignorant, another to beg of the understanding: the first were to teach; the latter is to perform a service of duty.”
Jerome· written before 420· Catena Aurea by Aquinaspatristic
Matthew 6:7
“Use not vain repetitions - The original word here is supposed to be derived from the name of a Greek poet, who made long and weary verses, declaring by many forms and endless repetitions the same sentiment. Hence, it means to repeat a thing often; to say the same thing in different words, or to repeat the same words, as though God did not hear at first.”
vain repetitions, as the heathen do: Vain repetitions translates battalogeo, a rare word the bench reads as babbling or heaping up empty phrases, the kind of invocation the prophets of Baal practiced at Carmel, crying from morning until noon in 1 Kings 18:26. The fault named is thinking much speaking itself moves God, as though prayer were a formula to be worked rather than a request made to a Father who already knows the need. The warning does not forbid repeated prayer, since Jesus himself prays the same words three times at Gethsemane in 26:44, but repetition used as a substitute for faith.
3. (v. 8)
Matthew 6:8
“Be not ye therefore like unto them,..... Do not be imitators of them, and follow their ways, who have only the dim light of nature to guide them; it would be shameful in you to do as they do, when you have a divine revelation for your direction; and especially, because your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him; and therefore have no need to make use of many words, or much speaking, or long prayers.”
2 more voices on this verse
Matthew 6:8
“Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of - Prayer is not designed to inform God, but to give man a sight of his misery; to humble his heart, to excite his desire, to inflame his faith, to animate his hope, to raise his soul from earth to heaven, and to put him in mind that There is his Father, his country, and inheritance. In the preceding verses we may see three faults, which our Lord commands us to avoid in prayer: - 1st. Hypocrisy. Be not as the hypocrites. Mat 6:5. 2ndly. Dissipation. Enter into thy closet.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Matthew 6:8
“Yet He will have His children pray to Him, and links all His promised supplies to their petitions for them; thus encouraging us to draw near and keep near to Him, to talk and walk with Him, to open our every case to Him, and assure ourselves that thus asking we shall receive--thus seeking we shall find--thus knocking it shall be opened to us.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
before ye ask him: That the Father knows the need before it is asked does not make asking pointless, since the model prayer follows immediately after this verse. The commentators read prayer's purpose here less as informing God than as aligning the one who prays with what the Father already intends to give. Knowledge of the need is stated to steady a disciple against the very anxiety about provision the chapter goes on to address at verse 25.
4. (v. 9)
Matthew 6:9
“As our Father in heaven: so in heaven as to be every where else, for the heaven cannot contain him; yet so in heaven as there to manifest his glory, for it is his throne ( Ps. ciii. 19 ), and it is to believers a throne of grace: thitherward we must direct our prayers, for Christ the Mediator is now in heaven, Heb. viii.”
Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
2 more voices on this verse
Matthew 6:9
“I THINK there is room for very great doubt, whether our Saviour intended the prayer, of which our text forms a part, to be used in the manner in which it is commonly employed among professing Christians. It is the custom of many persons to repeat it as their morning prayer, and they think that when they have repeated these sacred words they have done enough. I believe that this prayer was never intended for universal use.”
Matthew 6:9
“Did it consist only of hints or directions for prayer, it could only be used as a directory; but seeing it is an actual prayer--designed, indeed, to show how much real prayer could be compressed into the fewest words, but still, as a prayer, only the more incomparable for that--it is strange that there should be a doubt whether we ought to pray that very prayer.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Hallowed be thy name: Our Father opens the prayer with the address Jesus alone uses without qualification elsewhere, and which he teaches disciples to share by adoption, intimacy held together with which art in heaven's transcendence rather than against it. Hallowed be thy name asks first that God's own name be treated as holy, in the world and in the one praying, before any request for bread or forgiveness follows. The order itself teaches the shape of right prayer, God's glory sought before personal need.
5. (v. 10)
Matthew 6:10
“‘Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.’Matthew 6:10. OUR Father’s will shall certainly be done, for the Lord ‘doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth.’ Let us adoringly consent that it shall be so, desiring no alteration therein. That ‘will’ may cost us dear; yet let it never cross our wills: let our minds be wholly subjugated to the mind of God.”
3 more voices on this verse
Matthew 6:10
“This petition has plainly a reference to the doctrine which Christ preached at this time, which John Baptist had preached before, and which he afterwards sent his apostles out to preach-- the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The kingdom of your Father who is in heaven, the kingdom of the Messiah, this is at hand, pray that it may come.”
Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Matthew 6:10
“Either it is a general prayer for the kingdom of the whole world that the reign of the Devil may cease; or for the kingdom in each of us that God may reign there, and that sin may not reign in our mortal body. But be it noted, that it comes of high confidence, and of an unblemished conscience only, to pray for the kingdom of God, and not to fear the judgment. Let them be put to shame by this text who falsely affirm that there are daily falls (ruinas) in Heavenb.”
Jerome· written before 420· Catena Aurea by Aquinaspatristic
Matthew 6:10
“Thy kingdom come--The kingdom of God is that moral and spiritual kingdom which the God of grace is setting up in this fallen world, whose subjects consist of as many as have been brought into hearty subjection to His gracious scepter, and of which His Son Jesus is the glorious Head.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Thy will be done: Thy kingdom come asks for the reign already present in the King now standing among them to arrive in its full and visible form, the same tension between a kingdom begun and a kingdom coming that runs through the parables of chapter 13. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven sets heaven's unbroken obedience as the pattern prayed for on earth, not resignation but a plea for the same glad compliance angels already give. The two petitions read together, kingdom and will, name the same reality from its public and its personal sides.
6. (v. 11)
Matthew 6:11
“Give us this day our daily bread - The word επιουσιαν has greatly perplexed critics and commentators. I find upwards of thirty different explanations of it. It is found in no Greek writer before the evangelists, and Origen says expressly, that it was formed by them, αλλ’ εοικε πεπλασθαι υπο των ευαγγελιστων.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Matthew 6:11
“The Greek word here which we render 'supersubstantialis,' is ἐπιούσιος. The LXX often make use of the word περιούσιος, by which we find, on reference to the Hebrew, they always render the word sogolac. Symmachus translates it ἐξαίρετος, that is, 'chief,' or 'excellent,' though in one place he has interpreted 'peculiar.' When then we pray God to give us our 'peculiar' or 'chief' bread, we mean Him who says in the Gospel, I am the living bread which came down from heaven. (John 6:51.)”
Jerome· written before 420· Catena Aurea by Aquinaspatristic
Matthew 6:11
“But as this is quite unnatural, so it deprives the Christian of one of the sweetest of his privileges--to cast his bodily wants in this short prayer, by one simple petition, upon his heavenly Father.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
our daily bread: Daily translates epiousios, a word almost unknown outside this prayer and its parallel in Luke, so rare that Origen thought the evangelists coined it; the readings on the table are bread for the coming day, bread sufficient for existence, or bread for this very day, and no reading has settled the question decisively. Whatever epiousios means precisely, the petition asks daily provision rather than stored abundance, echoing the manna that could not be hoarded past its day in Exodus 16:19-20. The prayer keeps a disciple dependent on the Father one day at a time, the same dependence verse 34 later commands directly.
7. (v. 12)
Matthew 6:12
“And forgive us our debts - Sin is represented here under the notion of a debt, and as our sins are many, they are called here debts. God made man that he might live to his glory, and gave him a law to walk by; and if, when he does any thing that tends not to glorify God, he contracts a debt with Divine Justice, how much more is he debtor when he breaks the law by actual transgression!”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
3 more voices on this verse
Matthew 6:12
“And forgive us our debts,.... Nothing is more frequent in the Jewish writings than to call sins חובי, "debts"; and the phrase, of forgiving, is used both of God and men.”
Matthew 6:12
“In suing out the pardon of our sins, the great plea we have to rely upon is the satisfaction that was made to the justice of God for the sin of man, by the dying of the Lord Jesus our Surety, or rather Bail to the action, that undertook our discharge. (2.) An argument to enforce this petition; as we forgive our debtors. This is not a plea of merit, but a plea of grace.”
Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Matthew 6:12
“But by embodying it in this brief model of acceptable prayer, and as the first of three petitions more or less bearing upon sin, our Lord teaches us, in the most emphatic manner conceivable, to regard this view of sin as the primary and fundamental one.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
forgive us our debts: Debts stands for sins, the Aramaic word Jesus likely used, chowba, carrying both senses at once, so owing God is pictured as a debt only grace can cancel. As we forgive our debtors sets a horizontal condition beside the vertical request, not a payment that earns forgiveness but a family likeness that must be present in one who asks it, an argument the parable of the unforgiving servant makes at length in 18:23-35. The clause anticipates the direct teaching of verses 14 and 15, which state the same principle without a parable's figure.
8. (v. 13)
Note on the text · Matthew 6:13
The ending everyone says out loud is missing from the earliest manuscripts of Matthew, but it is not a modern flourish either: the church was already praying a doxology at the end of the Lord's Prayer by around AD 100.
The witnesses, and what each reads here
- The earliest Greek manuscripts, including Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Vaticanus, and Codex Bezae · 4th, 5th centuriesThe prayer ends at "deliver us from evil."
- The Latin Vulgate tradition · 4th century onwardNo doxology, the standard Bible of the Western church ended the prayer without it.
- The Didache · about AD 100 (surviving in later copies)Gives the Lord's Prayer with a closing doxology in a shorter form, without the full three-fold "kingdom, power, and glory."
- The Byzantine majority of Greek manuscripts · 9th, 15th centuries"For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." This is the reading behind the KJV.
- Early expositions of the Lord's Prayer by Tertullian, Origen, and Cyprian · 3rd centuryWalk through the prayer petition by petition and say nothing about a closing doxology, striking silence from writers whose whole purpose was to explain the prayer line by line.
Matthew 6:13
“For what can we desire which this does not carry with it? For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen--If any reliance is to be placed on external evidence, this doxology, we think, can hardly be considered part of the original text.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
4 more voices on this verse
Matthew 6:13
“For thine is the kingdom - The sovereign right of all things that are or ever were created: The power - the executive power, whereby thou governest all things in thy everlasting kingdom: And the glory - The praise due from every creature, for thy power, and all thy wondrous works, and the mightiness of thy kingdom, which endureth through all ages, even forever and ever.”
John Wesley· Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Matthew 6:13
“Amen, which appears here at the close, is the seal of the Lord's Prayer. Aquila rendered 'faithfully'—we may perhaps 'truly.'”
Jerome· written before 420· Catena Aurea by Aquinaspatristic
Matthew 6:13
“And lead us not into temptation,.... Such a petition as this is often to be observed in the prayers of the Jews (a), אל תביאני, "do not lead me" neither into sin, nor into transgression and iniquity, ולא לידי נסיון, "nor into temptation", or "into the hands of temptation";'' that is, into the power of it, so as to be overcome by it, and sink under it; in which sense the phrase is to be understood here.”
Matthew 6:13
“And lead us not into temptation - That is, bring us not in to sore trial. Πειρασμον, which may be here rendered sore trial, comes from πειρω, to pierce through, as with a spear, or spit, used so by some of the best Greek writers. Several of the primitive fathers understood it something in this way; and have therefore added quam ferre non possimus, “which we cannot bear.” The word not only implies violent assaults from Satan, but also sorely afflictive circumstances, none of which we have, as yet, grace or fortitude sufficient to bear.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
lead us not into temptation: asks to be spared testing beyond what can be borne, James 1:13 already ruling out any reading that makes God the author of the temptation to sin itself, and deliver us from evil names the tempter more precisely than an abstraction, the evil one. The doxology, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, is missing from the oldest Greek manuscripts, and most modern translations set it apart or omit it, likely a liturgical addition drawing on 1 Chronicles 29:11 that entered the text through repeated public use. Its absence from the earliest copies is a textual question, not a doctrinal one, since the truth it states is affirmed everywhere else in Scripture.
9. (vv. 14-15)
Matthew 6:14
“If ye forgive men - He who shows mercy to men receives mercy from God. For a king to forgive his subjects a hundred millions of treasons against his person and authority, on this one condition, that they wilt henceforth live peaceably with him and with each other, is what we shall never see; and yet this is but the shadow of that which Christ promises on his Father’s part to all true penitents. A man can have little regard for his salvation, who refuses to have it on such advantageous terms. See Quesnel.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Matthew 6:15
“But if ye forgive not - He who does not awake at the sound of so loud a voice, is not asleep but dead. A vindictive man excludes himself from all hope of eternal life, and himself seals his own damnation. Trespasses - Παραπτωματα, from παρα and πιπτω, to fall off. What a remarkable difference there is between this word and οφειληματα, debts, in Mat 6:12! Men’s sins against us are only their stumblings, or fallings off from the duties they owe us; but our’s are debts to God’s justice, which we can never discharge.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Matthew 6:15
“But if ye forgive not, &c.--See on Mt 6:12. Having concluded His supplementary directions on the subject of prayer with this Divine Pattern, our Lord now returns to the subject of Unostentatiousness in our deeds of righteousness, in order to give one more illustration of it, in the matter of fasting.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
forgive men their trespasses: Jesus closes the prayer by isolating its one conditional clause and stating it as direct teaching, forgiveness given and forgiveness received bound together. The warning is not that forgiveness is earned by forgiving but that an unforgiving heart shows itself not yet reached by the forgiveness it claims to have received, the same logic Paul assumes in Ephesians 4:32. The verse sets a standard disciples return to often, since the church has always found withholding forgiveness one of its most persistent failures.
C. Fasting Without a Sad Facevv. 16-18
disfigure their faces: Fasting was assumed practice rather than commanded fresh here, and the fault addressed is again display, hypocrites disfiguring their faces, likely with ash or unwashed neglect, so a fast could not be missed by anyone watching. Anoint thine head and wash thy face commands the ordinary grooming of any other day, hiding the fast so thoroughly that only the Father who sees in secret knows it is kept. The third reward formula closes the triad begun with alms and prayer, the same principle proved on a third and different discipline.
Matthew 6:16
“And are the exhausting fasts of the Church of Rome, and of Romanizing Protestants, free from this taint? Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
2 more voices on this verse
Matthew 6:16
“When ye fast - A fast is termed by the Greeks νηϚις, from νη not, and εσθειν to eat; hence fast means, a total abstinence from food for a certain time. Abstaining from flesh, and living on fish, vegetables, etc., is no fast, or may be rather considered a burlesque on fasting. Many pretend to take the true definition of a fast from Isa 58:3, and say that it means a fast from sin.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Matthew 6:16
“There are three subjects brought before us in this part of our Lord’s sermon on the mount. These three are fasting, worldliness, and singleness of purpose in religion. Fasting, or occasional abstinence from food in order to bring the body into subjection to the spirit, is a practice frequently mentioned in the Bible, and generally in connection with prayer. David fasted when his child was sick; Daniel fasted when he sought special light from God; Paul and Barnabas fasted when they appointed elders; Esther fasted before going in to Ahasuerus.”
J.C. Ryle· Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Matthew (1856)Reformed Evangelical
Matthew 6:17
“But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face--as the Jews did, except when mourning (Da 10:3); so that the meaning is, "Appear as usual"--appear so as to attract no notice.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
2 more voices on this verse
Matthew 6:17
“But thou, when thou fastest,.... Christ allows of fasting, but what is of a quite different kind from that of the Jews; which lay not in an outward abstinence from food, and other conveniences of life, and refreshments of nature; but in an abstinence from sin, in acknowledgment and confession of it; and in the exercise of faith and hope in God, as a God pardoning iniquity, transgression and sin; wherefore cheerfulness, and a free use of the creatures, without an abuse of them, best became such persons.”
Matthew 6:17
“But thou when thou fastest, anoint ... - That is, appear as you do daily. Do not assume any new appearance, or change your visage or dress. The Jews and all neighboring nations were much in the habit of washing and anointing their bodies. This washing was performed at every meal; and where it could be effected, the head, or other parts of the body, was daily anointed with sweet or olive oil.”
Matthew 6:18
“Thy father which seeth in secret - Let us not be afraid that our hearts can be concealed from God; but let us fear lest he perceive them to be more desirous of the praise of men than they are of that glory which comes from Him. Openly - Εν τω φανερω. These words are omitted by nine MSS. in uncial letters; and by more than one hundred others, by most of the versions, and by several of the primitive fathers.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
D. Treasure in Heaven and a Single Master
1. (vv. 19-21)
Matthew 6:19
“In Jas 5:2 there is an evident reference to our Lord's words here. and rust--any "eating into" or "consuming"; here, probably, "wear and tear." doth corrupt--cause to disappear. By this reference to moth and rust our Lord would teach how perishable are such earthly treasures. and where thieves break through and steal--Treasures these, how precarious!”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
2 more voices on this verse
Matthew 6:19
“This must be understood not of money only, but of all our possessions. The god of a glutton is his belly; of a lover his lust; and so every man serves that to which he is in bondage; and has his heart there where his treasure is.”
Jerome· written before 420· Catena Aurea by Aquinaspatristic
Matthew 6:19
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth - Treasures, or wealth, among the ancients, consisted in clothes or changes of raiment, as well as in gold, silver, gems, wine, lands, and oil. It meant an abundance of “anything” that was held to be conducive to the ornament or comfort of life. As the Orientals delighted much in display, in splendid equipage, and costly garments, their treasures, in fact, consisted much in beautiful and richly-ornamented articles of apparel.”
Matthew 6:20
“Lay up - treasures in heaven - “The only way to render perishing goods eternal, to secure stately furniture from moths, and the richest metals from canker, and precious stones from thieves, is to transmit them to heaven by acts of charity. This is a kind of bill of exchange which cannot fail of acceptance, but through our own fault.” Quesnel.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Matthew 6:20
“But the praise of Heaven is eternal, and cannot be carried off by invading thief, nor consumed by the moth and rust of envy.”
Hilary of Poitiers· written before 367· Catena Aurea by Aquinaspatristic
Matthew 6:21
“Where your treasure is - If God be the treasure of our souls, our hearts, i.e. our affections and desires will be placed on things above. An earthly minded man proves that his treasure is below; a heavenly minded man shows that his treasure is above.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Matthew 6:21
“For where your treasure is--that which ye value most. there will your heart be also--"Thy treasure--thy heart" is probably the true reading here: "your," in Lu 12:34, from which it seems to have come in here. Obvious though this maxim be, by what multitudes who profess to bow to the teaching of Christ is it practically disregarded!”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
treasures upon earth: Treasures on earth face three named threats, moth, rust, and thieves, covering the era's main forms of wealth, fine cloth, metal, and stored goods, all naturally perishable or stealable. Treasure in heaven is not defined further here but is the same reward language running through the chapter, good done for God's eye rather than man's building an account no moth or thief can touch. Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also states the psychology behind the command, that a disciple's affections follow his investment rather than the reverse.
2. (vv. 22-23)
Matthew 6:22
“The eye is the lamp of the body - And what the eye is to the body, the intention is to the soul. We may observe with what exact propriety our Lord places purity of intention between worldly desires and worldly cares, either of which directly tend to destroy. If thine eye be single - Singly fixed on God and heaven, thy whole soul will be full of holiness and happiness.”
John Wesley· Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
3 more voices on this verse
Matthew 6:22
“The light--rather, "the lamp." of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single--simple, clear. As applied to the outward eye, this means general soundness; particularly, not looking two ways. Here, as also in classical Greek, it is used figuratively to denote the simplicity of the mind's eye, singleness of purpose, looking right at its object, as opposed to having two ends in view.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Matthew 6:22
“This is an illustration drawn from the senses. As the whole body is in darkness, where the eye is not single, so if the soul has lost her original brightness, every sense, or that whole part of the soul to which sensation belongs, will abide in darkness. Wherefore He says, If then the light which is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! that is, if the senses which are the soul's light be darkened by vice, in how great darkness do you suppose the darkness itself will be wrapped?”
Jerome· written before 420· Catena Aurea by Aquinaspatristic
Matthew 6:22
“The light of the body is the eye - That is, the eye is to the body what the sun is to the universe in the day time, or a lamp or candle to a house at night.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Matthew 6:23
“But if thine eye be evil--distempered, or, as we should say, If we have got a bad eye. thy whole body shall be full of darkness--darkened. As a vitiated eye, or an eye that looks not straight and full at its object, sees nothing as it is, so a mind and heart divided between heaven and earth is all dark.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
thine eye be single: The single eye and the evil eye were a common Jewish idiom for generosity and stinginess rather than a statement about physical sight, a good eye giving freely and an evil eye grudging, the same idiom Jesus uses of the vineyard owner's critics in 20:15. Read this way the image continues directly from the treasure teaching just given, an undivided devotion to God filling the whole life with light the way a single eye fills the body. If the light in a person, the very capacity meant to see rightly, has itself gone dark, the darkness is total, greater than mere blindness.
3. (v. 24)
Matthew 6:24
“No man can serve two masters - The master of our heart may be fitly termed the love that reigns in it. We serve that only which we love supremely. A man cannot be in perfect indifference betwixt two objects which are incompatible: he is inclined to despise and hate whatever he does not love supremely, when the necessity of a choice presents itself.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Matthew 6:24
“Mammon—riches are so termed in Syriac. Let the covetous man who is called by the Christian name, hear this, that he cannot serve both Christ and riches. Yet He said not, he who has riches, but, he who is the servant of riches. For he who is the slave of money, guards his money as a slave; but he who has thrown off the yoke of his slavery, dispenses them as a master.”
Jerome· written before 420· Catena Aurea by Aquinaspatristic
Matthew 6:24
“The service of this god and the true God together is here, with a kind of indignant curtness, pronounced impossible. But since the teaching of the preceding verses might seem to endanger our falling short of what is requisite for the present life, and so being left destitute, our Lord now comes to speak to that point.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
serve God and mammon: Mammon is Aramaic for wealth or property, personified here as a rival master rather than named as neutral money itself. No man can serve two masters states a structural fact about undivided allegiance, not merely poor time management, since the two masters pull toward opposite loves and opposite loyalties. The verse turns the chapter from religious hypocrisy toward material anxiety, the two temptations the commentators read as closely related, both substituting a visible security for trust in the Father.
E. Do Not Be Anxious: Look at the Birds
1. (vv. 25-27)
Matthew 6:25
“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought ... - The general design of this paragraph, which closes the chapter, is to warn his disciples against avarice, and, at the same time, against anxiety about the supply of their needs. This he does by four arguments or considerations, expressing by unequalled beauty and force the duty of depending for the things which we need on the providence of God.”
2 more voices on this verse
Matthew 6:25
“These verses are a striking example of the combined wisdom and compassion of our Lord Jesus Christ’s teaching. He knows the heart of a man: he knows that we are always ready to turn off warnings against worldliness by the argument that we cannot help being anxious about the things of this life. “Have we not our families to provide for? Must not our bodily wants be supplied? How can we possibly get through life if we think first of our souls?” The Lord Jesus foresaw such thoughts and furnished an answer.”
J.C. Ryle· Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Matthew (1856)Reformed Evangelical
Matthew 6:25
“When "careful (or 'full of care') about nothing," but committing all in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving unto God, the apostle assures us that "the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Php 4:6, 7); that is, shall guard both our feelings and our thoughts from undue agitation, and keep them in a holy calm.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Matthew 6:26
“Behold the fowls of the air,.... Not such as are brought up in houses, but which fly abroad in the air, wild; and are not supported by their own, or any human care, but by the care of God: Luk 12:24 particularly mentions the "ravens", referring probably to Psa 147:9, and because they are very voracious creatures: and there it is said, "consider the ravens"; look attentively upon them, and with observation, for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns.”
3 more voices on this verse
Matthew 6:26
“Are ye not much better than they?--nobler in yourselves and dearer to God. The argument here is from the greater to the less; but how rich in detail! The brute creation--void of reason--are incapable of sowing, reaping, and storing: yet your heavenly Father suffers them not helplessly to perish, but sustains them without any of those processes.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Matthew 6:26
“There be some who, seeking to go beyond the limits of their fathers, and to soar into the air, sink into the deep and are drowned. These will have the birds of the air to mean the Angels, and the other powers in the ministry of God, who without any care of their own are fed by God's providence. But if this be indeed as they would have it, how follows it, said to men, Are not ye of more worth than they?”
Jerome· written before 420· Catena Aurea by Aquinaspatristic
Matthew 6:26
“Behold the fowls of the air - The second reason why we should not be anxiously concerned about the future, is the example of the smaller animals, which the providence of God feeds without their own labor; though he be not their father. We never knew an earthly father take care of his fowls, and neglect his children; and shall we fear this from our heavenly Father? God forbid!”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Matthew 6:27
“Which of you, by taking thought - The third argument is taken from their extreme weakness and helplessness. With all your care you cannot increase your stature a single cubit. God has ordered your height. Beyond his appointment your powers are of no avail, and you can do nothing. So of raiment. He, by His providence, orders and arranges the circumstances of your life. “Beyond” that appointment of His providence, beyond his care for you, your efforts avail nothing.”
Take no thought for your life: Take no thought translates merimnao, anxious care rather than reasonable planning, and the argument runs from greater to lesser, the God who gave life and body can be trusted for food and clothing, their lesser support. The fowls of the air neither sow nor reap yet are fed, an argument from the Father's care for creatures of far less worth than the disciples he addresses. One cubit added to a person's stature by worry is impossible, and the commentators read the illustration as exposing anxiety's total uselessness rather than only its wrongness.
2. (vv. 28-30)
Matthew 6:28
“And why take ye thought for raiment,.... Having exposed the folly of an anxious and immoderate care and thought, for food to support and prolong life, our Lord proceeds to show the vanity of an over concern for raiment: consider the lilies of the field or "the flowers of the field", as the Arabic version reads it, the lilies being put for all sorts of flowers. The Persic version mentions both rose and lily; the one being beautifully clothed in red, the other in white.”
1 more voice on this verse
Matthew 6:28
“And why take ye thought for raiment? - Or, why are ye anxiously careful about raiment? The fourth reason against such inquietudes is the example of inanimate creatures: The herbs and flowers of the field have their being, nourishment, exquisite flavors, and beautiful hues from God himself. They are not only without anxious care, but also without care or thought of every kind.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Matthew 6:29
“Or the meaning may be, that Solomon though he toiled not for his own raiment, yet he gave command for the making of it. But where command is, there is often found both offence of them that minister, and wrath of him that commands. When then any are without these things, then they are arrayed as are the lilies.”
Pseudo-Chrysostom· written before 500· Catena Aurea by Aquinaspatristic
1 more voice on this verse
Matthew 6:29
“Solomon in all his glory - Some suppose that as the robes of state worn by the eastern kings were usually white, as were those of the nobles among the Jews, that therefore the lily was chosen for the comparison.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Matthew 6:30
“Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass--the "herbage." of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven--wild flowers cut with the grass, withering by the heat, and used for fuel. (See Jas 1:11). shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?--The argument here is something fresh.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
2 more voices on this verse
Matthew 6:30
“Wherefore if God so clothe the grass of the field..... These words are a conclusion from the former, and contain an argument from the lesser to the greater; that if God, for this is solely his work, so clothes the lilies, the flowers of the field, and whatever grows up out of the earth, in such a beautiful and splendid manner, as even to outdo Solomon, in his richest apparel; there's no doubt to be made of it, or at least ought not, but that he will much more provide clothing for men.”
Matthew 6:30
“If God so clothe the grass of the field - Christ confounds both the luxury of the rich in their superfluities, and the distrust of the poor as to the necessaries of life. Let man, who is made for God and eternity, learn from a flower of the field how low the care of Providence stoops. All our inquietudes and distrusts proceed from lack of faith: that supplies all wants. The poor are not really such, but because they are destitute of faith.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
the lilies of the field: , likely the wild anemones or crown daisies common on Galilee's hillsides, neither toil nor spin, yet Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these, a comparison that ranks God's plainest handiwork above the wealthiest king's court dress recorded in 1 Kings 10:14-29. If God so clothes grass burned as fuel the next day, the argument concludes still more forcefully for disciples than for flowers. O ye of little faith is the second sounding of a rebuke that returns at 8:26, 14:31, and 16:8, always spoken to disciples already following him rather than to the crowds still deciding whether to.
3. (vv. 31-32)
Matthew 6:31
Therefore take no thought,.... That is, for the morrow, as it is explained, Luk 6:34 for it is lawful to take proper care and thought for present food, drink, and raiment; but not to be anxiously concerned for futurity; saying, what shall we eat? or what shall we drink? or wherewithal shall we be clothed? These are a repetition of the several things instanced in, and are the very language and expressions of men of little faith; as in the above citation, מה אוכל למחר, "what shall I eat tomorrow?"
1 more voice on this verse
Matthew 6:31
“What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? etc. - These three inquiries engross the whole attention of those who are living without God in the world. The belly and back of a worldling are his compound god; and these he worships in the lust of the flesh, in the lust of the eye, and in the pride of life.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Matthew 6:32
“Food and raiment are pronounced needful to God's children; and He who could say, "No man knoweth the Father but the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him" (Mt 11:27), says with an authority which none but Himself could claim, "Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things." Will not that suffice you, O ye needy ones of the household of faith?”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
3 more voices on this verse
Matthew 6:32
“For after all these things do the Gentiles seek,.... Or "the nations of the world", as in Luk 12:30. The Syriac reads it so here: the phrase, אומות העולם "the nations of the world", is used of the Gentiles, in distinction from the Israelites, thousands of times in the Jewish writings; it would be endless to give instances.”
Matthew 6:32
But, because that word is admissible in a carnal sense too, it cannot be so used without the religious remembrance withal of spiritual Discipline; for (the Lord) commands that bread be prayed for, which is the only food necessary for believers; for "all other things the nations seek after."
Tertullian· written before 220· On Prayerpatristic
Matthew 6:32
“For after all these things do the Gentiles seek - The fifth reason against solicitude about the future is - that to concern ourselves about these wants with anxiety, as if there was no such thing as a providence in the world; with great affection towards earthly enjoyments, as if we expected no other; and without praying to God or consulting his will, as if we could do any thing without him: this is to imitate the worst kind of heathens, who live without hope, and without God in the world.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
What shall we eat?: The threefold question, what shall we eat, drink, and wear, is named as the Gentiles' own preoccupation, those who seek after all these things because they know no Father who has already numbered their needs. Disciples are set apart from that anxious pursuit not by having fewer needs but by having a Father who knows them before they are asked, the same assurance given already at verse 8. The contrast is between a life run by care for provision and a life resting on a Father's attention.
4. (v. 33)
Matthew 6:33
“But how gracefully has the Divine Wisdom arranged the order of the prayer; so that after things heavenly-that is, after the "Name" of God, the "Will" of God, and the "Kingdom" of God-it should give earthly necessities also room for a petition! For the Lord had withal issued His edict, "Seek ye first the kingdom, and then even these shall be added: " albeit we may rather understand, "Give us this day our daily bread," spiritually.”
Tertullian· written before 220· On Prayerpatristic
4 more voices on this verse
Matthew 6:33
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God - See on Mat 3:7 (note). His righteousness - That holiness of heart and purity of life which God requires of those who profess to be subjects of that spiritual kingdom mentioned above. See on Mat 5:20 (note). The seventh reason against these worldly cares and fears is - because the business of our salvation ought to engross us entirely: hither all our desires, cares, and inquiries ought to tend. Grace is the way to glory - holiness the way to happiness.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Matthew 6:33
“But seek first the kingdom of God,.... Meaning either the Gospel, and the ministration of it; in which sense this phrase is often used, see Mat 21:43 and which is diligently to be sought after, and into; to be constantly attended on, and to be preferred to our necessary food, to raiment, or riches, or any enjoyment of life: or else the kingdom of glory, which is prepared by God, and is his gift; for which he makes his people meet here, and will introduce them into it hereafter.”
Matthew 6:33
“THERE is just as much need of this exhortation today as there was when our Savior first uttered it. These are times in which fretful care is very apt to enter into the hearts of Believers and if our Lord were here in Person, now, He would admonish us to be rid of such care, for fretful care is not becoming in a child of God. It is so opposed to faith and to the life of God in the soul, that it ought to be struggled with and driven out.”
Charles Spurgeon· written before 1892· The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 2515: “Something Worth Seeking” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition)Particular Baptist
Matthew 6:33
“This is the great summing up. Strictly speaking, it has to do only with the subject of the present section--the right state of the heart with reference to heavenly and earthly things; but being couched in the form of a brief general directory, it is so comprehensive in its grasp as to embrace the whole subject of this discourse.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
seek ye first the kingdom of God: This is the righteousness thread's fourth beat and its clearest single statement, seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness placed first, ahead of food, drink, and clothing, with the promise that these lesser things follow rather than lead. The verse states a right ordering of priority rather than a guarantee against all want, since Paul himself knew hunger in Philippians 4:12 while still seeking the kingdom first. Kingdom of God is one of the small number of places Matthew uses that phrase rather than his usual kingdom of heaven, alongside 12:28, 19:24, 21:31, and 21:43.
5. (v. 34)
Matthew 6:34
“The morrow shall take thought for itself - That is, be careful for the morrow when it comes. The evil thereof - Speaking after the manner of men. But all trouble is, upon the whole, a real good.”
John Wesley· Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
3 more voices on this verse
Matthew 6:34
“Take therefore no thought - That is, Be not therefore anxiously careful. The eighth and last reason, against this preposterous conduct, is - that carking care is not only useless in itself, but renders us miserable beforehand. The future falls under the cognizance of God alone: we encroach, therefore, upon his rights, when we would fain foresee all that may happen to us, and secure ourselves from it by our cares.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Matthew 6:34
“Take therefore no thought for the morrow,.... Reference is had to Pro 27:1. "Boast not of thyself tomorrow": a man cannot promise or assure himself, that he shall have a morrow, and therefore it is great weakness and folly to be anxiously thoughtful about it.”
Matthew 6:34
“Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof--An admirable practical maxim, and better rendered in our version than in almost any other, not excepting the preceding English ones. Every day brings its own cares; and to anticipate is only to double them.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Sufficient unto the day: Take no thought for the morrow closes the section by returning to the same anxious care named at verse 25, now aimed specifically at tomorrow's unknown troubles rather than today's visible need. The morrow shall take thought for the things of itself personifies each day as bearing its own burden, so a disciple is never asked to carry two days' worth of trouble at once. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof names present trouble honestly rather than denying it, teaching a disciple to meet one day's portion with the daily bread already prayed for at verse 11.
This site records the readings below for this chapter. Spelling and word-order differences that change no meaning are passed over.
- "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory" Matthew 6:13, at the verse ↑
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Sources for this chapter
The summary
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament and Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary.
The exposition
Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Gospels; Charles Spurgeon, The Gospel of the Kingdom; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Calvin, Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Lightfoot, Horae Hebraicae et Talmudicae on Matthew; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.