Matthew 6:5-8,Luke 11:1

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Matthew 6:8

Be not therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what thing's ye have need of, before ye ask him.This, of course, is elementary wisdom. A God who needs to be told what men need could certainly not help if told! Prayers, giving God information, are as ridiculous as they are impious. read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Matthew 6:5

Matthew 6:5. And when thou prayest— Our Lord is here treating of private prayer; for which reason his rules must not be extended to public devotion. The Jews of old observed stated hours of prayer: the Scripture mentions three of them; first, the third hour, answering to our nine o'clock, when the morning sacrifice was offered: secondly, the sixth hour; answering to our twelve o'clock. At this hour we find Peter praying on the house-top, Acts 10:9.; thirdly, the ninth hour, answering to our... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Matthew 6:6

Matthew 6:6. Enter into thy closet— That is, "perform thy private devotions without noise or shew; by which it will appear, that thou art influenced by a true sense of duty." The word ταμιειον, closet, signifies any retired part of the house, any secret or separate place; and Mr. Blair piously conjectures, that Christ might use a word of such latitude, that none might omit secret prayer, for want of so convenient an apartment as they could wish to retire into. Duly to perform the great duty of... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Matthew 6:7

Matthew 6:7. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions— The original word βαττολογησητε, is derived from one Battus, who was a great babbler. (see Ovid's Metamorph. 2. ver. 688.); and signifying "to use a vain multiplicity and repetition of words." See Mintert, Beza, and Hammond. The word is very applicable to the devotions of the Heathens. See 1 Kings 18:26. Acts 19:34. The vain repetition which Christ here forbids his disciples to use in their prayers, is plainly such as proceeded from an... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Matthew 6:8

Matthew 6:8. Be not ye therefore like unto them— This argument would be forcible against all prayer in general, if prayer were considered only as a means of making our wants known to God; whereas it is no more than an act of obedience to our heavenly Father, who has commanded us to pray to him, chap. Mat 7:7 and made it a condition of his favours; an expression of our trust in him, and dependence on his goodness, whereby we acknowledge, that all the benefits we receive come from him, and that... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Matthew 6:5

5. And when thou prayest, thou shalt—or, preferably, "when ye pray ye shall." not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets—(See on :-). that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have, &c.—The standing posture in prayer was the ancient practice, alike in the Jewish and in the early Christian Church. But of course this conspicuous posture opened the way for the ostentatious. read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Matthew 6:6

6. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet—a place of retirement. and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly—Of course, it is not the simple publicity of prayer which is here condemned. It may be offered in any circumstances, however open, if not prompted by the spirit of ostentation, but dictated by the great ends of prayer itself. It is the retiring character of true prayer which is here... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Matthew 6:7

7. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions—"Babble not" would be a better rendering, both for the form of the word—which in both languages is intended to imitate the sound—and for the sense, which expresses not so much the repetition of the same words as a senseless multiplication of them; as appears from what follows. as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking—This method of heathen devotion is still observed by Hindu and Mohammedan devotees. With the... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Matthew 6:8

8. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him—and so needs not to be informed of our wants, any more than to be roused to attend to them by our incessant speaking. What a view of God is here given, in sharp contrast with the gods of the heathen! But let it be carefully noted that it is not as the general Father of mankind that our Lord says, "Your Father" knoweth what ye need before ye ask it; for it is not men, as such, that He is... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Matthew 6:1-18

Righteousness and the Father 6:1-18Jesus moved from correcting popular misinterpretations of selected Old Testament texts that speak of righteous conduct (Matthew 5:17-48) to correcting popular misconceptions about righteous conduct. He moved from ethical distinctions to the practice of religion. Throughout this entire section proper motivation for actions is a constant emphasis. read more

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Matthew 6:8

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Matthew 6:5

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Matthew 6:6

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Matthew 6:7

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Matthew 6:8

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Matthew 6:5

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Matthew 6:6

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Matthew 6:7

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Matthew 6:8

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Matthew 6:1-18

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