Matthew 6:6

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet ,.... Or "chamber", a secret place, fit for private retirement, meditation, and prayer.

And when thou hast shut thy door ; see some such like phrases in Isaiah 26:20 where they are used to express security, here secrecy. Our Lord does not mean to exclude and condemn public prayer, in joining with few, or more persons, in such service; for he himself directs to it, and approves of it, Matthew 18:19 but his view is to instruct persons that they should not only pray in public, but in private also; and especially the latter, which is more suitable and fitting for their particular cases, and less liable to pride, hypocrisy, and vanity.

Pray to thy Father, which is in secret ; who is invisible; not to be seen with the eyes of the body, but to be approached with a true heart, in faith and fear, through his Son Jesus Christ, the only mediator between God and man; and who is the image of the invisible God, and in whom he is pleased to manifest himself to his people, so as he does not unto the world:

and thy Father, which seeth in secret , observes and takes notice of the secret breathings, pantings, desires, and requests of thy heart and lips,

shall reward thee openly , both here and hereafter; by pouring into thy bosom all the good things thou hast been praying for, both for time and eternity. This is agreeable to what the Jews sometimes say,

"that a man ought not to cause his voice to be heard in prayer; but should pray בלחש , "silently", with a voice that is not heard; and this is the prayer which is daily accepted F7 Zohar in Gen. fol. 114. 4. .'