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Read the Bible

The NET Bible®

Matthew 6:4

so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Alms;   Commandments;   Giving;   God;   God Continued...;   Liberality;   Motive;   Pharisees;   Religion;   Secret;   Works;   Thompson Chain Reference - Generosity;   Liberality;   Liberality-Parsimony;   Reward;   Reward-Punishment;   The Topic Concordance - Charity;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Adoption;   Works, Good;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Poor;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Boasting;   Humility;   Hypocrisy;   Reward;   Sermon on the mount;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Contribution;   Faithfulness;   Fatherhood of God;   Mercy;   Motives;   Mystery;   Reward;   Romans, Theology of;   Wages;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Hutchinsonians;   Lord's Prayer;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Father;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Alms;   False Worship;   Matthew, the Gospel of;   Omniscience;   Piety;   Sermon on the Mount;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Alms, Almsgiving;   Ethics;   Mss;   Sin;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Alms;   Almsgiving ;   Ambition;   Children;   Complacency;   Consciousness;   Error;   Gospel (2);   Heart;   Holiness Purity;   Ideas (Leading);   Law of God;   Liberality;   Lord's Supper. (I.);   Manuscripts;   Matthew, Gospel According to;   Merit;   Nazareth;   Omnipresence;   Organization (2);   Personality;   Pleasure;   Popularity;   Promise (2);   Property (2);   Reality;   Religion (2);   Retribution (2);   Reward;   Right (2);   Sermon on the Mount;   Simple, Simplicity ;   Wages;   Wealth (2);   Winter ;   Worldliness (2);   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Kingdom of christ of heaven;   Kingdom of god;   Kingdom of heaven;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Alms;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Pharisees;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Alms;   Beg;   Justice;   Praise;   Sermon on the Mount, the;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Alms;   Begging and Beggars;  

Devotionals:

- Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life - Devotion for October 25;   Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for December 13;   Faith's Checkbook - Devotion for March 2;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
King James Version (1611)
That thine almes may be in secret: And thy father which seeth in secret, himselfe shall reward thee openly.
King James Version
That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
English Standard Version
so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
New American Standard Bible
so that your charitable giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
New Century Version
Your giving should be done in secret. Your Father can see what is done in secret, and he will reward you.
Amplified Bible
so that your charitable acts will be done in secret; and your Father who sees [what is done] in secret will reward you.
Geneva Bible (1587)
That thine almes may be in secret, and thy Father that seeth in secret, hee will rewarde thee openly.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
Legacy Standard Bible
so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
Berean Standard Bible
so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Contemporary English Version
Then your gift will be given in secret. Your Father knows what is done in secret, and he will reward you.
Complete Jewish Bible
Then your tzedakah will be in secret; and your Father, who sees what you do in secret, will reward you.
Darby Translation
so that thine alms may be in secret, and thy Father who sees in secret will render [it] to thee.
Easy-to-Read Version
Your giving should be done in private. Your Father can see what is done in private, and he will reward you.
George Lamsa Translation
So that your alms may be done secretly, and your Father who sees in secret, shall himself reward you openly.
Good News Translation
Then it will be a private matter. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you.
Lexham English Bible
in order that your charitable giving may be in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Literal Translation
so that your merciful deeds may be in secret. And your Father seeing in secret Himself will repay you in the open.
American Standard Version
that thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father who seeth in secret shall recompense thee.
Bible in Basic English
So that your giving may be in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will give you your reward.
Hebrew Names Version
so that your merciful deeds may be in secret, then your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
International Standard Version
so that your giving may be done in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."reward you openly">[fn]Luke 14:14;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
that thine alms may be in secret; and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall recompense thee in openness.
Murdock Translation
that thy alms may be in secret. And thy Father, who seeth in secret, will reward thee openly.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
That thyne almes may be in secrete: And thy father, which seeth in secrete, shall rewarde thee openly.
English Revised Version
that thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret shall recompense thee.
World English Bible
so that your merciful deeds may be in secret, then your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
That thy alms may be in secret, and thy father who seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
Weymouth's New Testament
that your charities may be in secret; and then your Father--He who sees in secret--will recompense you.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and thi fadir that seeth in hiddils, schal quyte thee.
Update Bible Version
that your alms may be in secret: and your Father who sees in secret shall recompense you.
Webster's Bible Translation
That thy alms may be in secret; and thy Father who seeth in secret, himself will reward thee openly.
New King James Version
that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. [fn]
New Living Translation
Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
New Life Bible
Your giving should be in secret. Then your Father Who sees in secret will reward you.
New Revised Standard
so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
that thine alms may be in secret, - and, thy Father, who seeth in secret, will give it back to thee.
Douay-Rheims Bible
That thy alms may be in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret will repay thee.
Revised Standard Version
so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
yt thine almes may be secret: and thy father which seith in secret shall rewarde ye opely.
Young's Literal Translation
that thy kindness may be in secret, and thy Father who is seeing in secret Himself shall reward thee manifestly.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
that thine almes maye be secrete: and thy father which seith in secrete, shall rewarde the openly.
Mace New Testament (1729)
that your alms may be secret: and your father who sees your secret actions, shall reward you.
Simplified Cowboy Version
If you help folks privately, the Boss knows and will reward you himself.

Contextual Overview

1 "Be careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people. Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven. 2 Thus whenever you do charitable giving, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in synagogues and on streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth, they have their reward. 3 But when you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

seeth: Matthew 6:6, Matthew 6:18, Psalms 17:3, Psalms 44:21, Psalms 139:1-3, Psalms 139:12, Jeremiah 17:10, Jeremiah 23:24, Hebrews 4:13, Revelation 2:23

reward: Matthew 10:42, Matthew 25:34-40, 1 Samuel 2:30, Luke 8:17, Luke 14:14, 1 Corinthians 4:5, Jude 1:24

Reciprocal: 2 Chronicles 15:7 - your work Psalms 18:20 - rewarded Psalms 19:11 - keeping Psalms 112:9 - righteousness Proverbs 21:14 - in secret Matthew 5:12 - for great Matthew 10:41 - a righteous man's 2 Corinthians 8:21 - not Ephesians 6:8 - whatsoever 1 Thessalonians 3:11 - God

Cross-References

Genesis 6:15
This is how you should make it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.
Genesis 6:20
Of the birds after their kinds, and of the cattle after their kinds, and of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you so you can keep them alive.
Genesis 6:21
And you must take for yourself every kind of food that is eaten, and gather it together. It will be food for you and for them."
Genesis 6:22
And Noah did all that God commanded him—he did indeed.
Genesis 11:4
Then they said, "Come, let's build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens so that we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise we will be scattered across the face of the entire earth."
Numbers 13:33
We even saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak came from the Nephilim), and we seemed like grasshoppers both to ourselves and to them."
Numbers 16:2
and rebelled against Moses, along with some of the Israelites, 250 leaders of the community, chosen from the assembly, famous men.
Deuteronomy 3:11
Only King Og of Bashan was left of the remaining Rephaites. (It is noteworthy that his sarcophagus was made of iron. Does it not, indeed, still remain in Rabbath of the Ammonites? It is thirteen and a half feet long and six feet wide according to standard measure.)
1 Samuel 17:4
Then a champion came out from the camp of the Philistines. His name was Goliath; he was from Gath. He was close to seven feet tall.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

That thine alms may be in secret,.... May be done in secret, and be kept a secret. The allusion seems to be to the secret chamber, where money was brought privately for the relief of the poor.

"There were two chambers in the sanctuary, the one was

לשכת חשאים, "the chamber of secrets", and the other the chamber of vessels: the chamber of secrets was that into which pious persons put בחשאי, "in secret", and the poor children of good men were maintained out of it privately q.''

The Jews say many things in favour of doing alms privately.

"Greater, (say they r,) is he that gives alms בסתר, in secret, than Moses our master.''

They tell us s, that

"R. Jannai seeing a certain man give Zuz (a piece of money) to a poor man publicly, said unto him, it would have been better, if thou hadst not have given him anything, than to have given him in this manner.''

This was the practice of the ancient religious Jews, to give their alms privately; but the Scribes and Pharisees had brought that practice into disuse, and which our Lord labours to restore; adding, for encouragement,

and thy Father, which seeth in secret; beholds all secret actions, and knows the secret springs of actions,

himself shall reward thee openly; in the great day of account, before angels and men, when all secret things shall be brought to light, and every good man have praise of God. This duty, of giving alms to the poor, is mentioned by Christ before prayer to God; it may be for this reason, because it was usual to give alms before prayer.

"The great, or famous men, among the wise men, used to give a Prutah (a small piece of money) to a poor man before every prayer, and after that they prayed; as it is said, "I shall behold thy face in righteousness" t.''

q Misn. Shekalim, c. 5. sect. 6. Mainnon. Hilch. Eracin, c. 2. sect. 12. r T. Bab. Bava Bathra, fol. 9. 2. s T. Bab. Chagiga, fol. 5. 1. t Maimon. Hilch. Mattanot Anayin, c. 10. sect. 15.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Let not thy left hand know ... - This is a proverbial expression, signifying that the action should be done as secretly as possible. The Hebrews often attribute actions to members which properly belong to persons. The encouragement for performing our acts of charity in secret is that it will be pleasing to God; that he will see the act, however secret it may be, and will openly reward it. If the reward is not granted in this life, it will be in the life to come. In multitudes of cases, however, alms given to the poor are “lent to the Lord” Proverbs 19:17, and will be repaid in this life. Rarely, perhaps never, has it been found that the man who is liberal to the poor has ever suffered by it in his worldly circumstances.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 6:4. Which seeth in secret — We should ever remember that the eye of the Lord is upon us, and that he sees not only the act, but also every motive that led to it.

Shall reward thee openly. — Will give thee the fullest proofs of his acceptance of thy work of faith, and labour of love, by increasing that substance which, for his sake, thou sharest with the poor; and will manifest his approbation in thy own heart, by the witness of his Spirit.


 
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