Texts in Conversation
In Matthew, Jesus teaches that God knows what is needed before it is asked, echoing the language in the Psalms of Solomon that God knows the secrets of the heart before they are expressed.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Psalms of Solomon 14:8
Pseudepigrapha, Wisdom and Poetry
6 But this is not true of sinners and those who break the law, who love (the brief) day (spent) in the company of their sin; 7 Their delight is in fleeting corruption, and they do not remember God. 8 For He knows people’s ways at all times, And He knows the secrets of the heart before they happen. 9 Therefore their inheritance is Sheol and darkness and destruction, and they shall not be found in the day when the righteous obtain mercy; 10 But the Lord’s faithful people shall inherit life in gladness.
Date: 65–30 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Matthew 6:8
New Testament
6 But whenever you pray, go into your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. 7 When you pray, do not babble repetitiously like the Gentiles because they think that by their many words they will be heard. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 So pray this way: “Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored, 10 may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Date: 70–90 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Greek, 'the secret rooms of the heart'. Compare Genesis 43:30, Matthew 6:6 ..."
Robert B. Wright, The Psalms of Solomon: A Critical Edition of the Greek Text (London: T&T Clark, 2007), 159.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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