Matthew 6:1

Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. TAKE HEED THAT YE DO NOT YOUR ALMS, [ eleeemosuneen (G1654)]. But the true reading seems clearly to be 'your righteousness' [ dikaiosuneen (G1343)]. The external authority for both readings is pretty nearly equal; but internal evidence is decidedly in favour of 'righteousness.' The subject of the second verse being 'almsgiving,' that word-so like the other in Greek-might easily be substituted for it by the copyist: whereas the opposite would not be so likely. But it is still more in favour of "righteousness," that if we so read the first verse, it then becomes a general heading for this whole Section of the Discourse, inculcating unostentatiousness in al...

1._Beware _In this passage, Christ exhorts his people to devote themselves sincerely to good works; that is, to endeavor, with simplicity, to do what is right before God, and not to make a parade before men. (424) A very necessary admonition; for in all virtues the entrance of ambition is to be dreaded, and there is no work so laudable, as not to be in many instances corrupted and polluted by it. Under one class he lays down, by a _synecdoche, _a general doctrine: for he speaks of _alms _only, as he speaks shortly afterwards about _prayers: _though some copies, instead of ἐλεημοσύνην, _alms, _read δικαιοσύνην _, righteousness, _which is also the rendering of the old translator. But the difference is of little moment: for in either way there is no room to doubt, that the design is, to correct the disease of ambition,

1-4 Our Lord next warned against hypocrisy and outward show in religious duties. What we do, must be done from an inward principle, that we may be approved of God, not that we may be praised of men. In these verses we are cautioned against hypocrisy in giving alms. Take heed of it. It is a subtle sin; and vain-glory creeps into what we do, before we are aware. But the duty is not the less necessary and excellent for being abused by hypocrites to serve their pride. The doom Christ passes, at first may seem a promise, but it is their reward; not the reward God promises to those who do good, but the reward hypocrites promise themselves, and a poor reward it is; they did it to be seen of men, and they are seen of men. When we take least notice of our good deeds ourselves, God takes most notice of them. He will reward thee; not as a master who gives his servant what he earns, and no more, but...

CHAPTER VI. _Of alms-giving_, 1-5. _Of prayer_, 6-8. _The Lord's prayer, or model according to which Christians_ _should pray_, 9-13. _Of forgiveness_, 14, 15. _Of fasting_, 16, 17. _Of laying up treasures_, 18-21. _Of the single eye_, 22, 23. _The impossibility of serving two masters_, 24. _Of contentment and confidence in the Divine providence_, 25-32. _Directions about seeking the kingdom of God_, 33, 34. NOTES ON CHAP. VI. Verse...

TAKE HEED THAT YE DO NOT YOUR ALMS - The word “alms” here denotes liberality to the poor and needy. In the margin, as in the best editions of the Greek it is “righteousness;” either referring to almsgiving as eminently a righteous act, or more probably including all that is specified in this and the following verses - almsgiving, prayer, fasting, Matthew 6:2. Our Saviour here does not positively command his disciples to aid the poor, but supposes that they would do it of course, and gives them directions how to do it. It is the nature of religion to help those who are really needy; and a real Christian does not wait to be “commanded” to do it, but only asks for the opportunity. See Galatians 2:10; Ja

EXPOSITION MATTHEW 6:1 _The_ _relation of our Lord and his disciples to the religion of the day _(_continued_);_ vide _Matthew 5:17, note. (_b_) Our Lord turns from cases which could be directly deduced from the Law to those which belonged only to recognized religious duty. Of these he instances three: alms (Matthew 5:2), prayer (Matthew 5:5, Matthew 5:9), fasting (Matthew 5:16). It is, indeed, true

TAKE HEED THAT YE DO NOT YOUR ALMS BEFORE MEN,.... Some copies read, "take heed that ye do not your righteousness", c. which is a very good reading: but then, by "righteousness", is not meant righteousness, as comprehending all other righteous acts, as particularly alms, prayer, and fasting, hereafter mentioned but alms only; nothing being more common with the Jews than to call alms צדקה, "righteousness": and whatever word Matthew made use of, there is no doubt to be made of it, but this was the word Christ used. Now alms was so called, because it is a righteous action, which ought to be performed; and to withhold from the poor what is meet, is to deal unrighteously: hence we read of the "mammon of unrighteousness"; by which is meant, not money unrighteously got, but that which is unrighteously kept from the poor: also it might be so called, because the Jews very much placed their justi...

Matthew 6:1. _Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven._ «You cannot expect to be paid twice, if therefore you take your reward in the applause of men, who give you a high character for generosity, you cannot expect to have any reward from God.» We ought to have a single eye to God's accepting what we give, and to have little or no thought of what man may say concerning our charitable gifts. Matthew 6:2. _Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward._ And they will have no more; there is, in their case, no laying up of any s

ALMS Or, righteous acts. The word refers to religious externalities. These may be seen of men, but that must not be the motive....

CHAPTER 6 _ 1. The Better Righteousness.(Matthew 6:1 .) 2. Kept in the World; Single-eyed; Trusting God.(Matthew 6:19 .)_ Our Lord said: “For I say unto you, that unless your righteousness surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in nowise enter into the kingdom of the heavens” (Matthew 5:20). This righteousness He had taught in His confirmation and expansion of the law, but now He speaks of something higher still. He makes known the motive of this true righteousness, which the heir of the kingdom is not alone to possess but also to practice. The motive is in all to act in the presence of the Father. The first eighteen verses of the sixth chapter shows this in a threefold relation. First, in rel