Matthew 6:4
Encyclopedia
Matthew 6:4 is the fourth verse of the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew
in the New Testament
and is part of the Sermon on the Mount
. This is the final verse of the Sermon's discussion of alms
giving.
In the King James Version of the Bible
the text reads:
The World English Bible
translates the passage as:
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 6:4
The previous verses indicated that charitable giving should be in secret, perhaps even from oneself. This verse indicates that God
will see even the most covert actions, and will ensure they are properly rewarded.
There is much debate over the final word of this verse. Ancient manuscripts are divided about whether the verse should end with "reward you openly" or simply "reward you." The second version implies a spiritual reward, which is the standard reward discussed in the New Testament. An open reward, one that will be seen by others, is unusual, and Christian theology as a whole rejects the idea that the faithful are rewarded on Earth. Thus many scholars feel that openly is a gloss
added later to this verse. Alternatively openly can be an eschatological reference, and in the end times it is quite likely that rewards might be openly displayed.
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
and is part of the Sermon on the Mount
Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of sayings and teachings of Jesus, which emphasizes his moral teaching found in the Gospel of Matthew...
. This is the final verse of the Sermon's discussion of alms
Alms
Alms or almsgiving is a religious rite which, in general, involves giving materially to another as an act of religious virtue.It exists in a number of religions. In Philippine Regions, alms are given as charity to benefit the poor. In Buddhism, alms are given by lay people to monks and nuns to...
giving.
In the King James Version of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
the text reads:
- That thine alms may be in secret: and
- thy Father which seeth in secret
- himself shall reward thee openly.
The World English Bible
World English Bible
The World English Bible is a public domain translation of the Bible that is currently in draft form. Work on the World English Bible began in 1997 and was known as the American Standard Version 1997...
translates the passage as:
- so that your merciful deeds may be
- in secret, then your Father who sees
- in secret will reward you openly.
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 6:4
The previous verses indicated that charitable giving should be in secret, perhaps even from oneself. This verse indicates that God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
will see even the most covert actions, and will ensure they are properly rewarded.
There is much debate over the final word of this verse. Ancient manuscripts are divided about whether the verse should end with "reward you openly" or simply "reward you." The second version implies a spiritual reward, which is the standard reward discussed in the New Testament. An open reward, one that will be seen by others, is unusual, and Christian theology as a whole rejects the idea that the faithful are rewarded on Earth. Thus many scholars feel that openly is a gloss
Gloss
A gloss is a brief notation of the meaning of a word or wording in a text. It may be in the language of the text, or in the reader's language if that is different....
added later to this verse. Alternatively openly can be an eschatological reference, and in the end times it is quite likely that rewards might be openly displayed.