Matthew 6
New Testament · English Majority Text Version with Greek parallel
Matthew chapter 6 is given here in full, verse by verse, in the English Majority Text Version (EMTV), with the Byzantine Majority Text set beneath each verse. The text follows the Byzantine textual tradition used in the Orthodox Church.
56 patristic excerpts are attached to this chapter, from 4 Fathers — Saint John Chrysostom, Saint Augustine, Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid, and Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus.
Matthew 6
1“Take care not to be doing your charitable giving before men, so as to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have not a reward from your Father in heaven.Προσέχετε τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην ὑμῶν μὴ ποιεῖν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, πρὸς τὸ θεαθῆναι αὐτοῖς· εἰ δὲ μή γε, μισθὸν οὐκ ἔχετε παρὰ τῷ πατρὶ ὑμῶν τῷ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.
2Whenever therefore you do charitable giving, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by men. Assuredly I say to you, they receive their reward in full.ὅταν οὖν ποιῇς ἐλεημοσύνην, μὴ σαλπίσῃς ἔμπροσθέν σου, ὥσπερ οἱ ὑποκριταὶ ποιοῦσιν ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς καὶ ἐν ταῖς ῥύμαις, ὅπως δοξασθῶσιν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων· ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἀπέχουσι τὸν μισθὸν αὐτῶν.
3But when you do charitable giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,σοῦ δὲ ποιοῦντος ἐλεημοσύνην, μὴ γνώτω ἡ ἀριστερά σου τί ποιεῖ ἡ δεξιά σου,
4so that your charitable giving may be in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will Himself reward you openly.ὅπως ᾖ σου ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ· καὶ ὁ πατήρ σου ὁ βλέπων ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ αὐτὸς ἀποδώσει σοι ἐν τῷ φανερῷ.
5“And whenever you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues, and on the street corners, so that they may be seen by men. Assuredly I say to you, that they receive their reward in full.Καὶ ὅταν προσεύχῃ, οὐκ ἔσῃ ὥσπερ οἱ ὑποκριταί, ὅτι φιλοῦσιν ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς καὶ ἐν ταῖς γωνίαις τῶν πλατειῶν ἑστῶτες προσεύχεσθαι, ὅπως ἂν φανῶσι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις· ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ἀπέχουσι τὸν μισθὸν αὐτῶν.
6But you, whenever you pray, enter into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly.σὺ δέ, ὅταν προσεύχῃ, εἴσελθε εἰς τὸ ταμιεῖόν σου, καὶ κλείσας τὴν θύραν σου, πρόσευξαι τῷ πατρί σου τῷ ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ· καὶ ὁ πατήρ σου ὁ βλέπων ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ ἀποδώσει σοι ἐν τῷ φανερῷ.
7But when you pray, do not babble like the heathen, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.Προσευχόμενοι δὲ μὴ βαττολογήσητε, ὥσπερ οἱ ἐθνικοί· δοκοῦσι γὰρ ὅτι ἐν τῇ πολυλογίᾳ αὐτῶν εἰσακουσθήσονται.
8Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows what things you have need of before you ask Him.μὴ οὖν ὁμοιωθῆτε αὐτοῖς· οἶδε γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὧν χρείαν ἔχετε, πρὸ τοῦ ὑμᾶς αἰτῆσαι αὐτόν.
9Therefore pray in this manner: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.οὕτως οὖν προσεύχεσθε ὑμεῖς· Πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου.
10Your kingdom come, Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου. γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου, ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.
11Give us this day our daily bread.τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον.
12And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν, ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφίεμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν.
13And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν, ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ. ὅτι σοῦ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία καὶ ἡ δύναμις καὶ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας· ἀμήν.
14“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.ἐὰν γὰρ ἀφῆτε τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὰ παραπτώματα αὐτῶν, ἀφήσει καὶ ὑμῖν ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος·
15But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἀφῆτε τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὰ παραπτώματα αὐτῶν, οὐδὲ ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ἀφήσει τὰ παραπτώματα ὑμῶν.
16“Moreover, when you fast, do not become gloomy, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly I say to you, that they receive their reward in full.Ὅταν δὲ νηστεύητε, μὴ γίνεσθε ὥσπερ οἱ ὑποκριταὶ σκυθρωποί· ἀφανίζουσι γὰρ τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν, ὅπως φανῶσι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις νηστεύοντες· ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ἀπέχουσι τὸν μισθὸν αὐτῶν.
17But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,σὺ δὲ νηστεύων ἄλειψαί σου τὴν κεφαλήν, καὶ τὸ πρόσωπόν σου νίψαι,
18so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.ὅπως μὴ φανῇς τοῖς ἀνθρώποις νηστεύων, ἀλλὰ τῷ πατρί σου τῷ ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ· καὶ ὁ πατήρ σου ὁ βλέπων ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ ἀποδώσει σοι.
19“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust corrupt, and where thieves dig through and steal;Μὴ θησαυρίζετε ὑμῖν θησαυροὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὅπου σὴς καὶ βρῶσις ἀφανίζει, καὶ ὅπου κλέπται διορύσσουσι καὶ κλέπτουσι·
20but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust corrupts, and where thieves do not dig through and steal.θησαυρίζετε δὲ ὑμῖν θησαυροὺς ἐν οὐρανῷ, ὅπου οὔτε σὴς οὔτε βρῶσις ἀφανίζει, καὶ ὅπου κλέπται οὐ διορύσσουσιν οὐδὲ κλέπτουσιν.
21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.ὅπου γάρ ἐστιν ὁ θησαυρὸς ὑμῶν, ἐκεῖ ἔσται καὶ ἡ καρδία ὑμῶν.
22“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light.Ὁ λύχνος τοῦ σώματός ἐστιν ὁ ὀφθαλμός· ἐὰν οὖν ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου ἁπλοῦς ᾖ, ὅλον τὸ σῶμά σου φωτεινὸν ἔσται·
23But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be dark. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!ἐὰν δὲ ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου πονηρὸς ᾖ, ὅλον τὸ σῶμά σου σκοτεινὸν ἔσται. εἰ οὖν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἐν σοὶ σκότος ἐστί, τὸ σκότος πόσον;
24“No one is able to serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and he will love the other, or else he will be devoted to the one, and he will despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.Οὐδεὶς δύναται δυσὶ κυρίοις δουλεύειν· ἢ γὰρ τὸν ἕνα μισήσει, καὶ τὸν ἕτερον ἀγαπήσει· ἢ ἑνὸς ἀνθέξεται, καὶ τοῦ ἑτέρου καταφρονήσει. οὐ δύνασθε Θεῷ δουλεύειν καὶ μαμωνᾷ.
25“Because of this I say to you, do not worry about your life—what you shall eat, or what you shall drink—nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?Διὰ τοῦτο λέγω ὑμῖν, μὴ μεριμνᾶτε τῇ ψυχῇ ὑμῶν, τί φάγητε καὶ τί πίητε· μηδὲ τῷ σώματι ὑμῶν, τί ἐνδύσησθε. οὐχὶ ἡ ψυχὴ πλεῖόν ἐστι τῆς τροφῆς, καὶ τὸ σῶμα τοῦ ἐνδύματος;
26Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap, nor do they gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth more than they?ἐμβλέψατε εἰς τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὅτι οὐ σπείρουσιν, οὐδὲ θερίζουσιν, οὐδὲ συνάγουσιν εἰς ἀποθήκας, καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος τρέφει αὐτά· οὐχ ὑμεῖς μᾶλλον διαφέρετε αὐτῶν;
27Which of you by worrying is able to add one cubit to his stature?τίς δὲ ἐξ ὑμῶν μεριμνῶν δύναται προσθεῖναι ἐπὶ τὴν ἡλικίαν αὐτοῦ πῆχυν ἕνα;
28“So why do you worry about clothes? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither labor, nor spin;καὶ περὶ ἐνδύματος τί μεριμνᾶτε; καταμάθετε τὰ κρίνα τοῦ ἀγροῦ, πῶς αὐξάνει· οὐ κοπιᾷ, οὐδὲ νήθει·
29and yet I say to you, that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed like one of these.λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν ὅτι οὐδὲ Σολομὼν ἐν πάσῃ τῇ δόξῃ αὐτοῦ περιεβάλετο ὡς ἓν τούτων.
30But if God thus clothes the grass of the field, which exists today, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?Εἰ δὲ τὸν χόρτον τοῦ ἀγροῦ, σήμερον ὄντα, καὶ αὔριον εἰς κλίβανον βαλλόμενον, ὁ Θεὸς οὕτως ἀμφιέννυσιν, οὐ πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὑμᾶς, ὀλιγόπιστοι;
31“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we put on?’μὴ οὖν μεριμνήσητε, λέγοντες, Τί φάγωμεν, ἢ τί πίωμεν, ἢ τί περιβαλώμεθα;
32For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.πάντα γὰρ ταῦτα τὰ ἔθνη ἐπιζητεῖ· οἶδε γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος ὅτι χρῄζετε τούτων ἁπάντων.
33But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.ζητεῖτε δὲ πρῶτον τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ, καὶ ταῦτα πάντα προστεθήσεται ὑμῖν.
34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own affairs. Each day has enough trouble of its own.Μὴ οὖν μεριμνήσητε εἰς τὴν αὔριον· ἡ γὰρ αὔριον μεριμνήσει τὰ ἑαυτῆς. ἀρκετὸν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἡ κακία αὐτῆς.
The Fathers on Matthew 6
Saint John Chrysostom, Saint Augustine, Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid, and Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus comment on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.
On Matthew 6:1Saint John ChrysostomHe roots out in what remains the most tyrannical passion of all, the rage and madness with respect to vainglory, which springs up in them that do right. For at first He had not at all discoursed about it; it being indeed superfluous, before He had persuaded them to do any of the things which they ought, to teach in which way they should practise and pursue them.
Read Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew →
On Matthew 6:1Saint AugustineThe subject of mercy, with the treatment of which the first book came to a close, is followed by that of the cleansing of the heart, with which the present one begins.
Read Our Lord's Sermon on the Mount →
On Matthew 6:1Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid1. Take heed that ye give not your alms before men, to be seen by them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father Who is in heaven. Having led them up to the greatest of the virtues, which is love, now He drives away vainglory, which follows after the achievement of the...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 6:16Saint John Chrysostom“And when ye fast, be not as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast.”
Read Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew →
On Matthew 6:16–18Saint AugustineThere follows a precept concerning fasting, having reference to that same purification of heart which is at present under discussion.
Read Our Lord's Sermon on the Mount →
On Matthew 6:16Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid16. Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward. "Disfigurement of the face" is an artificial discoloration of the face,...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 6:24Saint John Chrysostom“No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to one and despise the other.”
Read Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew →
On Matthew 6:24Saint AugustineThen, further, the statement which follows, “No man can serve two masters,” is to be referred to this very intent, as He goes on to explain, saying: “For either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will submit...
Read Our Lord's Sermon on the Mount →
On Matthew 6:24Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid24. No man can serve two lords. What He means is this: no man can serve two lords who command things that are opposed to each other. Such lords are God and mammon. We make the devil our lord when we make the belly our god. But by nature and in truth God is the Lord, and...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 6:28–29Saint John Chrysostom“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin. And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”
Read Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew →
On Matthew 6:25–30Saint Augustine“Therefore,” says He, “I say unto you, Have not anxiety for your life, what ye shall eat; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.” Lest perchance, although it is not now superfluities that are sought after, the heart...
Read Our Lord's Sermon on the Mount →
On Matthew 6:28–29Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid28-29. And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. He shames us not only by the birds, which lack...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 6:22–23Saint Gregory ThaumaturgusThe single eye is the love unfeigned; for when the body is enlightened by it, it sets forth through the medium of the outer members only things which are perfectly correspondent with the inner thoughts.
Read Commentary on Matthew →
On Matthew 6:19–23Saint AugustineRightly, therefore, does he who is intent on cleansing our heart follow up what He has said with a precept, where He says: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves...
Read Our Lord's Sermon on the Mount →
On Matthew 6:22–23Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid22-23. The eye is the lamp of the body: if therefore thine eye be sound, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness. This means, if...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 6:2–4Saint Augustine“Therefore, when thou doest thine alms,” says He, “do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men.” Do not, says He, desire to become known in the same way as the hypocrites.
Read Our Lord's Sermon on the Mount →
On Matthew 6:2Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid2. Therefore when thou givest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. The hypocrites did not actually have trumpets; the Lord is here deriding their thoughts, for they wanted...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 6:3Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid3. But when thou givest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth. Using hyperbole of language, the Lord said, "If it is possible, do not even be aware yourself that you are giving alms." Or, in another sense as well, the left hand represents vainglory and...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 6:4Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid4. That thine alms may be in secret, and thy Father Who seeth in secret Himself shall reward thee openly. When will He reward you? When all things are revealed clearly and openly, and then you will be not merely rewarded, but glorified.
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 6:5–8Saint Augustine“And when ye pray,” says He, “ye shall not be as the hypocrites are; for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men.” And here also it is not the being seen of...
Read Our Lord's Sermon on the Mount →
On Matthew 6:5Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid5. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward. He also calls those men hypocrites who...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 6:6Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid6. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thine inner chamber and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father Who is in secret; and thy Father Who seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. Should I not then pray in church? Indeed I should, but with a right mind and not...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 6:7Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid7. But when ye pray, do not babble as the Gentiles do. "Babbling" means praying foolishly, as when someone asks for such worldly things as fame, wealth, or victory. "Babbling" is also inarticulate, childish speech. Therefore you, O reader, must not pray foolishly. For they...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 6:8Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid8. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him. It is not to inform God of anything that we make our petitions, but instead, that we may detach ourselves from the cares of life and receive benefit by conversing...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 6:9Saint AugustineBut now we have to consider what things we are taught to pray for by Him through whom we both learn what we are to pray for, and obtain what we pray for.
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On Matthew 6:9Saint AugustineLet the new people, therefore, who are called to an eternal inheritance, use the word of the New Testament, and say, “Our Father who art in heaven,” i.e.
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On Matthew 6:9, 13Saint AugustineBut the distinction among these seven petitions is to be considered and commended.
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On Matthew 6:9, 13Saint AugustineThe sevenfold number of these petitions also seems to me to correspond to that sevenfold number out of which the whole sermon before us has had its rise.
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On Matthew 6:9Saint AugustineThe blessed Apostle, to show that those times when it should come to pass that all the nations should believe in Christ had been foretold by the Prophets, produced this testimony where it is written, “And it shall be, that...
Read Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament →
On Matthew 6:9Saint AugustineThe order established for your edification requires that ye learn first what to believe, and afterwards what to ask.
Read Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament →
On Matthew 6:9Saint AugustineYou have just repeated the Creed, where in brief summary is contained the Faith.
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On Matthew 6:9Saint AugustineYou have rehearsed what you believe, hear now what you are to pray for. Forasmuch as you would not be able to call on Him, in whom you should not first have believed; as saith the Apostle, “How shall they call on Him, in whom...
Read Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament →
On Matthew 6:9Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid9. In this manner, therefore, pray ye: Our Father Who art in the heavens. A vow is different from a prayer (Bl. Theophylact here draws attention to the similarity, yet difference, between the Greek words for "vow" and "prayer," euche and pros-euche). A vow is a promise made...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 6:10Saint AugustineIn the next place there follows, “Thy kingdom come.” Just as the Lord Himself teaches in the Gospel that the day of judgment will take place at the very time when the gospel shall have been preached among all nations: a thing...
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On Matthew 6:10Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid10. Thy kingdom come. This refers to the second coming. He whose clean conscience renders him bold prays that the resurrection and the judgement will come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Just as the angels do Thy will, the Lord says, so also grant us to do the...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 6:11Saint AugustineThe fourth petition is, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Daily bread is put either for all those things which meet the wants of this life, in reference to which He says in His teaching, “Take no thought for the morrow:” so...
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On Matthew 6:11Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid11. Give us this day our daily bread. By the word "daily" He means what is sufficient for our existence, our essence, and our sustenance. Thus He teaches us not to worry about tomorrow. "Bread for our essence" is also the Body of Christ, of Which we pray that we may partake...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 6:12Saint AugustineThe fifth petition follows: “And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.” It is manifest that by debts are meant sins, either from that statement which the Lord Himself makes, “Thou shalt by no means come out...
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On Matthew 6:12Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid12. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Because we sin even after our baptism, we beseech Him to forgive us. But forgive us as we forgive others: if we remember wrongs, God will not forgive us. God takes me as the pattern He will follow: what I do to another,...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 6:13Saint AugustineThe sixth petition is, “And bring us not into temptation.” Some manuscripts have the word “lead,” which is, I judge, equivalent in meaning: for both translations have arisen from the one Greek word which is used.
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On Matthew 6:13Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid13. And lead us not into temptation. We humans are weak and therefore we should not throw ourselves into temptations. But when we have fallen into temptation, we should pray that we not be swallowed up by it. For he who has been led into the very depth of temptation is the...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 6:17–18Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid17-18. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father Who is in secret: and thy Father Who seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. Men of old would anoint themselves with oil after bathing as a...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 6:19Saint AugustineEvery man who is in any trouble, and his own resources fail him, looks out for some prudent person from whom he may take counsel, and so know what to do.
Read Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament →
On Matthew 6:19–21Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid19-21. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and corruption doth destroy, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor corruption doth destroy, and where thieves do not break through nor...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 6:25Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid25. For this reason I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. "For this reason" — for what reason? Because concern over money drives a man away from God. The soul does not eat, for it...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 6:26Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid26. Behold the birds of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much more than they? Although He could have given the example of Elijah and John the Baptist, instead He mentions the birds in...
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On Matthew 6:27Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid27. Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? This means, even if you take the utmost care, you can do nothing if God does not will it. Why then do you drive yourself to exhaustion with futile worries?
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On Matthew 6:30Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid30. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? We learn from this that we ought not to be concerned with beautifying ourselves, for our adornments wither like...
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On Matthew 6:31–34Saint Augustine“Therefore be not anxious,” says He,” saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your Father knoweth that ye have need of all...
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On Matthew 6:31–32Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid31-32. Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek. He does not forbid us to eat, but to say, "What shall we eat?" The rich say in the evening, "What shall...
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On Matthew 6:32–33Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid32-33. For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. The kingdom of God is the enjoyment of all that is good. This comes through righteousness....
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On Matthew 6:33Saint AugustineFor in the case of those who are seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, i.e.
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On Matthew 6:34Saint AugustineAnd inasmuch as when such things are either provided against the time 54to come, or reserved, if there is no cause wherefore you should expend them, it is uncertain with what intention it is done, since it may be done with a...
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On Matthew 6:34Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid34. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. "The evil of the day" means the crushing burden and pressure. It is sufficient for you that you are afflicted by today’s...
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On Matthew 6:14Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid14. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. Again He teaches us not to remember wrongs. He reminds us of the Father so that we might revere Him, since we are the children of such a Father, and not act as fierce beasts, refusing to...
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On Matthew 6:15Open Matthew 6 in the interactive reader Switch translations, hear the chapter read aloud, tap any verse for its patristic commentary, and study the Greek word by word.Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid15. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. God, Who is meek, hates nothing more than cruelty.
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