Go to Related Reading
About this book

Matthew

About this book
Chapter 6

1 “Be careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people.⁠ Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven.⁠ 2 Thus whenever you do charitable giving, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in synagogues and on streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth, they have their reward!⁠ 3 But when you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,⁠ 4 so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. 5 “Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites⁠ because they love to pray while standing in synagogues and on street corners so that people can see them. Truly I say to you, they have their reward! 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.⁠ 11 Give us today our daily bread,⁠ 12 and forgive us our debts, as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors.⁠ 13 And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.⁠ 14 “For if you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.⁠ 15 But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins. 16 “When you fast, do not look sullen like the hypocrites, for they make their faces unattractive so that people will see them fasting.⁠ I tell you the truth, they have their reward! 17 When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others when you are fasting, but only to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. 19 “Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and devouring insect destroy and where thieves break in and steal.⁠ 20 But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven,⁠ where moth and devouring insect do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.⁠ 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body.⁠ If then your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light.⁠ 23 But if your eye is diseased, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!⁠ 24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.⁠ 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear.⁠ Isn’t there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing?⁠ 26 Look at the birds in the sky: They do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you more valuable than they are?⁠ 27 And which of you by worrying can add even one hour to his life? 28 Why do you worry about clothing? Think about how the flowers of the field grow; they do not work or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these! 30 And if this is how God clothes the wild grass, which is here today and tomorrow is tossed into the fire to heat the oven, won’t he clothe you even more, you people of little faith? 31 So then, don’t worry saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For the unconverted pursue these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But above all pursue his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.⁠ 34 So then, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.⁠

Texts in conversation

Compare Shemoneh Esrei and Matthew 6:9

Rabbinic · New Testament

Share:

Summary

The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew uses language similar to the Jewish Shemoneh Esrei, an early synagogue prayer. Both open with reverence for the divine name, express hope for the fulfillment of divine will, and request provision and forgiveness.

Passages

Shemoneh Esrei

Rabbinic · Liturgy
You, O Lord, are mighty forever, you revive the dead, you have the power to save. You cause the wind to blow and the rain to fall. You sustain the living with lovingkindness, you revive the dead with great mercy, you support the falling, heal the sick, set free the bound and keep faith with those who sleep in the dust. Who is like you, O doer of mighty acts? Who resembles you, a king who puts to death and restores to life, and causes salvation to flourish? And you are certain to revive the dead. Blessed are you, O Lord, who revives the dead. We will sanctify your name in this world just as it is sanctified in the highest heavens, as it is written by your prophet... Forgive us, O our Father, for we have sinned; pardon us, O our King, for we have transgressed; for you pardon and forgive. Blessed are you, O Lord, who is merciful and always ready to forgive. Look upon our affliction and plead our cause, and deliver us speedily for your name’s sake; for you are a mighty redeemer. Blessed are you, O Lord, the redeemer of Israel. Bless this year for us, O Lord our God, together with all the varieties of its produce, for our welfare. Bestow dew and rain for a blessing upon the face of the earth. O satisfy us with your goodness, and bless our year like the best of years. Blessed are you, O Lord, who blesses the years. May it be Your will, HaShem, my God and the God of my forefathers, that you rescue me today and every day from brazen men and brazenness, from an evil man, an evil companion, an evil neighbor, an evil mishap, the destructive spiritual impediment, a harsh trial and a harsh opponent, whether he is a member of the covenant or whether he is not a member of the covenant.
100 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Shemoneh Esrei

Matthew 6:9

New Testament
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. 11 Give us today our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. 14 “For if you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins.
70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Matthew

References

"... Jesus was an interpreter of Judaism. His life and teaching were events of tradition, processes of transmission in which his own present and past were constantly mediated. As a Jewish man leading a group of fellow Jews, Jesus communicated within synchronic boundaries. He had inherited a semiotic system comprised of language, rituals, traditions and cultural metaphors which communicated the historical Jewish worldview. In many ways, the meanings of these symbols were imposed upon him. In order to be understood, he had no choice but to communicate by means of these forms. It is for this reason that it is impossible to separate Jesus from the Judaism of his day. He was a product and a reflection of his culture. One of the most potent symbols through which the ethos and worldview of first-century Judaism were expressed was prayer. Through this singular act, the Jewish people declared and reinforced their social identity ... (These affirmations and are evident in the prayer known as the Amidah (a.k.a. the Tefilah and the Shemoneh Esre), which has been the prayer par excellence of the Jewish synagogue since the era of the Second Temple) ..."
David Andrew Clark, “From Jewish Prayer to Christian Ritual: Early Interpretations of the Lord's Prayer” (PhD diss., University of Nottingham, 2014), 21–25.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

Your feedback

Shemoneh Esrei and Matthew 6:9

Leave a comment

Your questions and comments are welcome!

Comments

Glossary

Search the Library