Matthew 6:3

Matthew 6:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
• New International Version (NIV)But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
• English Standard Version (ESV)But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
• New King James Version (NKJV)But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

Context of Matthew 6:3

1Jesus then said to them, ‘You should do good things to help people. But be careful! Do not do this so that other people see you. If you want other people to praise you, your Father in heaven will not praise you. 2When you give something to a poor person, do not tell anyone about it. The hypocrites do this in their meeting places. They also do it in the busy streets of the town. They do this so that other people will praise them. I tell you this. They have already received their gift. God will not give them anything more. So when you give something to a poor person, keep it a secret from other people. Do not tell anyone. Your left hand will not even know what your right hand does! 4Nobody else will know about the good thing that you have done. But God sees the things that you do secretly. In return, he will give you good things.’ 5‘Also, you must not pray in the way that the hypocrites pray. They like to stand and pray in their meeting places. They like to do it on the corners of the busy streets. Then many people will see them and they will praise them. I tell you this. They have already received their gift from people. God will not give them anything more.

Matthew 6:3 word by word

σοῦ δὲ ποιοῦντος ἐλεημοσύνην μὴ γνώτω ἡ ἀριστερά σου τί ποιεῖ ἡ δεξιά σουRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Butδέde · thenG1161
• whenποιέωpoieō · to do/make: doG4160
• thouσύsu · youG4771
• almsἐλεημοσύνηeleēmosunē · charityG1654
• letγινώσκωginōskō · to knowG1097
• notμήmē · notG3361
• left handἀριστερόςaristēros · leftG710
• whatτίςtis · which?G5101
• right handδεξιόςdexios · rightG1188

Cross-references for Matthew 6:3

• Matthew 8:4Jesus said to the man, ‘Listen. You must not tell anyone about this. Instead, go and show yourself to the priest. Take a gift to him for God. Moses taught the people what gift to take to God after this kind of disease. This will show everyone that you are now well again.’
• Matthew 9:30Then immediately the men could see again. Jesus said strongly to them, ‘You must not tell anyone about this.’
• Matthew 12:19He will not argue with people. He will not shout at them. People will not hear his loud voice in the streets.
• Mark 1:44He said, ‘Listen to me. Do not tell anyone about this. Instead, go and show yourself to the priest. Take him a gift for God. Moses' law tells you what you should give when you are clean again after this kind of disease. This will show everyone that you are now well again.’
• John 7:4Nobody does things secretly if he wants everyone to know him. You are doing these things, so you should show yourself to everybody.’

Commentaries on Matthew 6:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Let not thy left hand know - In many cases, works of charity must be hidden from even our nearest relatives, who, if they knew, would hinder us from doing what God has given us power and inclination to perform. We must go even farther; and conceal them as far as is possible from ourselves, by not thinking of them, or eyeing them with complacency. They are given to God, and should be hidden in Him.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Let 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…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth--So far from making a display of it, dwell not on it even in thine own thoughts, lest it minister to spiritual pride.Read the comment

Topics related to Matthew 6:3

• Alms
• Commandments
• Giving
• Liberality
• Motive
• Pharisees
• Religion
• Works

In the dictionaries

• Left hand
• Add
• Appear
• Closet
• Consider
• Corrupt
• Countenance
• Despise
• Fast
• Forgive

Commentaries on Matthew 6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings