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Matthew 6:1-6
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Matthew 6:1-6
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 6
Teaching About Almsgiving.[a] 1 “[But] take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them;(A) otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. 2 When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites[b] do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.(B) 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, 4 so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
Teaching About Prayer. 5 “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
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- 6:1–18 The sermon continues with a warning against doing good in order to be seen and gives three examples, almsgiving (Mt 6:2–4), prayer (Mt 6:5–15), and fasting (Mt 6:16–18). In each, the conduct of the hypocrites (Mt 6:2) is contrasted with that demanded of the disciples. The sayings about reward found here and elsewhere (Mt 5:12, 46; 10:41–42) show that this is a genuine element of Christian moral exhortation. Possibly to underline the difference between the Christian idea of reward and that of the hypocrites, the evangelist uses two different Greek verbs to express the rewarding of the disciples and that of the hypocrites; in the latter case it is the verb apechō, a commercial term for giving a receipt for what has been paid in full (Mt 6:2, 5, 16).
- 6:2 The hypocrites: the scribes and Pharisees, see Mt 23:13, 15, 23, 25, 27, 29. The designation reflects an attitude resulting not only from the controversies at the time of Jesus’ ministry but from the opposition between Pharisaic Judaism and the church of Matthew. They have received their reward: they desire praise and have received what they were looking for.
Matthew 6:1-6
New International Version
Matthew 6:1-6
New International Version
Giving to the Needy
6 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.(A) If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.(B)
Prayer(C)
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing(D) in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father,(E) who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Exodus 13:9
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Exodus 13:9
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
9 It will be like a sign[a] on your hand and a reminder on your forehead,(A) so that the teaching of the Lord will be on your lips: with a strong hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt.
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- 13:9 Sign: while here observance of the feast of Unleavened Bread is likened only metaphorically to a physical sign of one’s piety that can be worn as a kind of badge in commemoration of the exodus, from ancient times Jews have seen in this verse also the basis for the wearing of phylacteries. These are small receptacles for copies of biblical verses which Jewish men bind to the arms and forehead as a kind of mnemonic device for the observance of the Law.
Exodus 13:9
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Exodus 13:9
New International Version
9 This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand(A) and a reminder on your forehead(B) that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand.(C)
Exodus 13:16
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Exodus 13:16
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
16 It will be like a sign on your hand and a band on your forehead that with a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”(A)
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Exodus 13:16
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Exodus 13:16
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16 And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead(A) that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand.”
Numbers 15:38-39
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Numbers 15:38-39
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
38 Speak to the Israelites and tell them that throughout their generations they are to make tassels[a] for the corners of their garments, fastening a violet cord to each corner.(A) 39 When you use these tassels, the sight of the cord will remind you of all the commandments of the Lord and you will do them, without prostituting yourself going after the desires of your hearts and your eyes.
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- 15:38 Tassels: at the time of Jesus these tassels were worn by all pious Jews, including Jesus (Mt 9:20–21; Mk 6:56); some Pharisees wore very large ones in a display of their zeal for the law (Mt 23:5).
Numbers 15:38-39
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Numbers 15:38-39
New International Version
38 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘Throughout the generations to come(A) you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments,(B) with a blue cord on each tassel. 39 You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember(C) all the commands of the Lord, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves(D) by chasing after the lusts of your own hearts(E) and eyes.
Deuteronomy 6:8
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Deuteronomy 6:8
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
8 Bind them on your arm as a sign[a] and let them be as a pendant on your forehead.(A)
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- 6:8 Bind them…as a sign: these injunctions were probably meant merely in a figurative sense; cf. Ex 13:9, 16. In the late postexilic period, they were taken quite literally, and devout Jews tied on their arms and foreheads “phylacteries,” boxes containing strips of parchment on which these words were inscribed; cf. Mt 23:5.
Deuteronomy 6:8
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Deuteronomy 6:8
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8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.(A)
Deuteronomy 11:18
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Deuteronomy 11:18
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Need for Fidelity. 18 (A)Therefore, take these words of mine into your heart and soul. Bind them on your arm as a sign, and let them be as a pendant on your forehead.
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Deuteronomy 11:18
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Deuteronomy 11:18
New International Version
18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.(A)
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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