Matthew 6:13
Encyclopedia
Matthew 6:13 is the thirteenth verse of the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew
in the New Testament
, and is part of the Sermon on the Mount. This verse is the fifth and final one of the Lord's Prayer
, one of the best known parts of the entire New Testament.
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 6:13
One of the most important issues with this verse is that it seems to imply that God is the one who leads humans into sin, not humanity's innate sinfulness as Christian theologians generally believe. A literal reading of this verse could imply that God is the source of evil. There are several explanations for getting around this. The first is that temptation
is not an accurate translation. Fowler suggests that the Greek term peirasmos can mean temptation, but can also mean "test of character". At several points in the Bible God tests his followers, and this could be a plea to avoid such unpleasant testing. Schweizer notes that this would be a departure from the Judaism of the period where the faithful would pray to be tested, so that they could prove their loyalty to God. A second explanation, noted by Morris, is that test could be an eschatological reference to the fiery test God will put all to in the end times. Luz rejects this view, pointing out that nowhere in the New Testament is the term temptation connected to the last judgment, and that in the Jewish literature of the period temptation referred to the pitfalls of everyday life. Hill suggests that the Greek is only a loose translation of the Aramaic, and that Jesus would originally have used the expression "cause us not to enter," which does not imply that God is the cause of temptation, but only the protector against it.
Translations and scholars are divided over whether the prayer asks for protection from evil in general or from the evil one, i.e. Satan
, in particular. The original Greek is vague, but most modern translations have "evil one" as it is felt that this better reflects first century theology. The earlier reference to temptation could also be a clue that the great tempter of Matthew 4
is being referenced. Matthew 13:19 quite clearly refers to Satan when discussing similar issues. Hill, however, notes that "the evil" is used in neither Hebrew or Aramaic to denote Satan and in Matthew 5:39
a similar wording quite clearly refers to general evil rather than Satan. John Calvin
noted the vagueness of the verse, but did not feel it was important as there is little real difference between the two interpretations.
, is often considered to be a later addition to the text. Modern translations generally omit it.. It is absent in the oldest and best manuscripts of Matthew, and most scholars do not consider it part of the original text. It first appears in a slightly shorter form in the Didache
from around 130 AD. The doxology appears in at least ten different forms in early texts before becoming standardized, also implying that it might not have been original to the Gospel. A popular theory is that the doxology was originally appended to the prayer during congregational worship, as it is was standard for Jewish prayers to have such endings. Hill feels it might have been based on 1 Chronicles 29:11. Once the phrase became the standard ending to the prayer in worship copyists that were used to the longer form added the line to the Gospel itself. Some scholars reject this view. An alternate explanation is that the doxology was such an important and well known part of prayers that early editions simply left it out of the text because such an ending was implicit.
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. This verse is the fifth and final one of the Lord's Prayer
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
, one of the best known parts of the entire New Testament.
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:
- And lead us not into temptation, but deliver
- us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and
- the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
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:
- Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us
- from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom,
- the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 6:13
One of the most important issues with this verse is that it seems to imply that God is the one who leads humans into sin, not humanity's innate sinfulness as Christian theologians generally believe. A literal reading of this verse could imply that God is the source of evil. There are several explanations for getting around this. The first is that temptation
Temptation
A temptation is an act that looks appealing to an individual. It is usually used to describe acts with negative connotations and as such, tends to lead a person to regret such actions, for various reasons: legal, social, psychological , health, economic, etc...
is not an accurate translation. Fowler suggests that the Greek term peirasmos can mean temptation, but can also mean "test of character". At several points in the Bible God tests his followers, and this could be a plea to avoid such unpleasant testing. Schweizer notes that this would be a departure from the Judaism of the period where the faithful would pray to be tested, so that they could prove their loyalty to God. A second explanation, noted by Morris, is that test could be an eschatological reference to the fiery test God will put all to in the end times. Luz rejects this view, pointing out that nowhere in the New Testament is the term temptation connected to the last judgment, and that in the Jewish literature of the period temptation referred to the pitfalls of everyday life. Hill suggests that the Greek is only a loose translation of the Aramaic, and that Jesus would originally have used the expression "cause us not to enter," which does not imply that God is the cause of temptation, but only the protector against it.
Translations and scholars are divided over whether the prayer asks for protection from evil in general or from the evil one, i.e. Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
, in particular. The original Greek is vague, but most modern translations have "evil one" as it is felt that this better reflects first century theology. The earlier reference to temptation could also be a clue that the great tempter of Matthew 4
Matthew 4
Matthew 4 is the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. It contains two quite distinct sections. The first half, to verse eleven is Matthew's account for the Temptation of Christ by Satan...
is being referenced. Matthew 13:19 quite clearly refers to Satan when discussing similar issues. Hill, however, notes that "the evil" is used in neither Hebrew or Aramaic to denote Satan and in Matthew 5:39
Matthew 5:39
Matthew 5:39 is the thirty-ninth verse of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament and is part of the Sermon on the Mount. This is the second verse of the antithesis on punishment...
a similar wording quite clearly refers to general evil rather than Satan. John Calvin
John Calvin
John Calvin was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he broke from the Roman Catholic Church around 1530...
noted the vagueness of the verse, but did not feel it was important as there is little real difference between the two interpretations.
The Doxology
The final sentence of this verse, the doxologyDoxology
A doxology is a short hymn of praises to God in various Christian worship services, often added to the end of canticles, psalms, and hymns...
, is often considered to be a later addition to the text. Modern translations generally omit it.. It is absent in the oldest and best manuscripts of Matthew, and most scholars do not consider it part of the original text. It first appears in a slightly shorter form in the Didache
Didache
The Didache or The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles is a brief early Christian treatise, dated by most scholars to the late first or early 2nd century...
from around 130 AD. The doxology appears in at least ten different forms in early texts before becoming standardized, also implying that it might not have been original to the Gospel. A popular theory is that the doxology was originally appended to the prayer during congregational worship, as it is was standard for Jewish prayers to have such endings. Hill feels it might have been based on 1 Chronicles 29:11. Once the phrase became the standard ending to the prayer in worship copyists that were used to the longer form added the line to the Gospel itself. Some scholars reject this view. An alternate explanation is that the doxology was such an important and well known part of prayers that early editions simply left it out of the text because such an ending was implicit.