Tobit 12:8

Deuterocanon

6 Then Raphael called the two of them privately and said to them, "Bless God and acknowledge him in the presence of all the living for the good things he has done for you. Bless and sing praise to his name. With fitting honor declare to all people the deeds of God. Do not be slow to acknowledge him. 7 It is good to conceal the secret of a king, but to acknowledge and reveal the works of God, and with fitting honor to acknowledge him. Do good and evil will not overtake you. 8 Prayer with fasting is good, but better than both is almsgiving with righteousness. A little with righteousness is better than wealth with wrongdoing. It is better to give alms than to lay up gold. 9 For almsgiving saves from death and purges away every sin. Those who give alms will enjoy a full life, 10 but those who commit sin and do wrong are their own worst enemies.

Matthew 6:3

New Testament

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!

 Notes and References

"... The 'you' is singular (see on 5:28). While some in Jesus' day believed almsgiving earned merit (Tobit 12:8-9; Sirach 3:30; 29:11-12; compare SBK in loc.), ostentation, not merit theology, is the point here. Jesus assumes his disciples will give alms: 'When you give to the needy,' he says, not 'If you give to the needy' (compare 10:42; 25:35-45; 2 Cor 9:6-7; Phil 4:18-19; 1 Tim 6:18-19; James 1:27). Rabbinic writers also warn against ostentation in almsgiving (compare SBK, 1:391ff.): the frequency of the warnings attests the commonness of the practice ..."

Gaebelein, Frank Ely The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (p. 163) Pickering & Inglis, 1984

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