John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Matthew 6:1-34
The Sermon on the Mount (continued)1. God’s approval, not man’s, to be sought in all our actions. Jesus does not say that we are to do good expecting no reward of any kind, but that we are to look for our reward to God alone: see on Matthew 6:4. That ye do not your alms] RV ’your righteousness.’ The same Heb. word (tsedakah) means both righteousness in general and almsgiving in particular. Our Lord probably used it in the former sense in Matthew 6:1, and in the latter sense in Matthew 6:2 hence... read more
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Matthew 6:2-4
Alms-giving 6:2-4Alms were gifts of money to the needy. What Jesus said on this subject is applicable to all types of giving.Interpreters have understood the practice of sounding a trumpet to announce alms-giving metaphorically and literally. Metaphorically it would mean that Jesus was using a figure of speech to picture showy giving, something like "blowing your own horn." However, His description seems to have had a custom behind it. There is old evidence that during this period the Jewish... read more