Matthew 6:3

Mat 6:3. Μὴ γνώτω ἡ ἀριστερὰ, κ.τ.λ., let not thy left hand know, etc.) So far from holding a trumpet, let it not even know what thy right hand doeth. Do not thou even consider over again the good that thou doest.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mat_6:3. Σοῦ δέ] in emphatic contrast to hypocrites.

μὴ γνώτω ἡ ἀριστερά σου, κ.τ.λ.] The right hand gives, let not the left hand know it. Proverbial way of expressing entire freedom from the claiming anything like self-laudation. For sayings of a similar kind among the Fathers, see Suicer, Thes. I. p. 508. De Wette, following Paulus, thinks that what is referred to is the counting of the money into the left hand before it is given away with the right. This is out of place, for the warning is directed, not against a narrow calculating, but against an ostentatious almsgiving. For the same reason we must object to the view of Luther, who says: When you are giving alms with the right hand, see that you are not seeking to receive more with the left, but rather put it behind your back, and so on.

Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mat 6:3 . μὴ γνώτω : in proverbial form a counsel to give with simplicity. Let not even thy left hand, if possible even thyself, know, still less other men; give without self-consciousness or self-complacency, the root of ostentation. ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ : known to the recipient, of course, but to no other, so far as you are concerned, hardly even to yourself. “Pii lucent, et tamen latent,” Beng. ὁ βλέπων ἐ . τ . κ ., who seeth in the dark. “Acquainted with all my ways.” Psalms 139, a comfort to the sincerely good, not to the counterfeits. ἀποδώσει σοι : a certainty, and not merely of the future. The reward is present; not in the form of self-complacency, but in the form of spiritual health, like natural buoyancy, when all physical functions work well. A right-minded man is happy without reflecting why; it is the joy of living in summer sunshine and bracing mountain air. The ἐν τῷ φανερῷ here and in Mat 6:6 and Mat 6:18 , a gloss by some superficial copyist, ignores the inward present reward, and appeals in a new form to the spirit of ostentation.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

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.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 3. Let 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.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(3) Let not thy left hand know.—The phrase was probably proverbial, and indicates, in the form of free hyperbole, extremest secrecy. It is possible that there may be some reference to the practice of using the right hand in offering gifts at the altar. The symbolical application, though an afterthought, is yet suggestive. The “right hand” is the higher spiritual element in us that leads to acts of true charity, the “left” is the baser, self-seeking nature. We ought, as it were, to set a barrier between the two, as far as possible, i.e., to exclude that mingling of motives, which is at least the beginning of evil.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

3. when thou doest alms] Observe that the singular number is used throughout these instructions on the subject of almsgiving and prayer, and in these only. These duties are essentially personal and individual. The teaching of the Talmud commends secrecy in almsgiving in such sayings as “he that doeth alms in secret is greater than Moses.” But the spirit of hypocrisy prevailed; the Pharisees taught and did not.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

But when thou dost alms,.... Do it so privately, and with so much secrecy, that, if it was possible, thou mightest not know it thyself, much less make it known to others:

let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth; acquaint not thy nearest and dearest friend with it; let not one that sits at thy left hand know what thou art doing with thy right hand; it is a proverbial and hyperbolical phrase, expressing the secrecy of the action. It is a Jewish canon (p), that

"he that gives a gift to his friend out of love, may make it known, , "but not if it be by way of alms".''

(p) Piske Tosephot in Sabbat. c. 1. art. 134.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

Ver. 3. But thou when thou doest thine alms] The godly Christian must walk in a diverse way to a world of wicked people, as Noah did, {a} really reproving their darkness by his light, their pride by his lowliness, their vainglory by his modesty, their ostentation by his secret devotion; not only (planet-like) keeping a constant counter motion to the corrupt manners of the most, but also shining forth fair with a singularity of heavenly light, spiritual goodness, and God’s sincere service, in the darkest midnight of damned impiety.

Let not thy left hand know, &c.] A proverbial speech, q.d. secrete thyself as much as may be, cast away the vain affectation of human applause. Let not thy left hand (if it had so much skill) understand what thou givest, and to whom, how much, how often, at what time, &c. God sets down every circumstance in his book of remembrance, Mal 3:16, as our Saviour (that true Archdeacon, as well as Archshepherd, 1Pe 5:4) sat and viewed the estate, mind, and gift of every one that cast money into the treasury, Mar 12:41; and as he took special observation of those that came to hear him, how far they had come, how long they had been there, how little opportunity they had of providing for themselves, and how soon they might faint if sent away empty, Mat 15:32. In pugillaribus suis omnia notat. "I know thy work and thy labour," Rev 2:2, saith Christ to that Church: so to us, -I know thine alms, and thy privacy. Many give much, and are little noted or noticed. It matters not, saith our Saviour, though thy left hand should not know what thy right hand doth; there is no loss in that. Some talents are best improved by being laid up. A treasure that is hid is safer from thieves. Steal we therefore benefits upon men, as Joseph did the money into the sacks. And as he made a gain of the famine, and bought Egypt; so may we of the poor we relieve, and buy heaven, Luk 16:9; Rom 2:10. Ex fame quaestum captabat Iosephus, et benignitate sua emit Egyptum, nos coelum.

{a} Solus ipse diversa ambulavit via. Chrys. de Noa.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

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” Pro 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.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Be content to have God for witness to your good works, who alone has power to reward you for them. They will be disclosed soon enough to man, when at the day of general retribution the good and the evil will be brought to light, and every one shall be rewarded according to his works. (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

3. Left hand — If it had perception. A striking symbol of secrecy. “The right hand,” says Mr. Roberts in his Oriental Illustrations, “always dispenses gifts because ‘it is more honourable than the other;’ the left hand, therefore, was to be unacquainted with the charities of the other; that is, there was to be no ostentation; to be perfect secrecy. The Hindoos say of things which are not to be revealed: ‘The left ear is not to hear that which went into the right, nor the right to be acquainted with that which was heard by the left.’“

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

But when thou; thou" emphatic. Let not thy left hand know, etc. So little effect should thy kind action have upon thy memory. There should be no self-consciousness in it.

The Father"s open rewards.

"Shall reward thee openly." This turn of the sentence somewhat surprises us. It is not precisely what we expected. Making so much of giving in secret, and the Father seeing in secret, we expect to read, "shall reward thee in secret ways." Probably the "open reward" is promised because the man who makes a show of religion does so in order to get open and public fame. (It should, however, be duly noticed that the best manuscripts and most modern editors omit the word "openly.") Plumptre thinks the addition of the word "openly" weakens and lowers the force of the truth asserted. The difficulty of dealing with the word is clearly seen in the notion of some writers that "openly" must mean "before men and angels at the resurrection of the just," about which, at the time, our Lord was neither speaking nor thinking. A good point, and one which is practically important, is this: sincere and humble piety, finding gracious expression in kindly, thoughtful, generous, and self-denying service, will be sure to gain open and public recognition. Christian goodness is no violet "born to blush unseen, and waste its sweetness on the desert air." Men want that Christian goodness in all the life-spheres; and they are quick enough at recognizing it when they see it.

I CHRISTLY-TONED CHARITIES WIN MEN"S ADMIRATION. We are all keen enough to discern the differences in gifts. We qualify our admiration when we recognize giving on mere impulse; or to get credit; or to outdo others; or to bring business. We keep our highest admiration for evident cases of self-denial, simple benevolence, and Christian principle. Those who abuse Christianity admire the Christian charity which it inspires.

II CHRISTLY-TONED CHARITIES WIN MEN"S CONFIDENCE. This is clearly shown in the very patent fact that, whenever there is a local or a national calamity, application is first made for help to the Christian people. There is a universal public confidence that, if any good work needs to be done, the Christians will be found ready for the doing. This is their open reward. Place, influence, power, in every generation comes into the hands of the sincerely good; and in this way God gives the reward which men are ever seeking, to those who do not seek it. R.T.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth - A proverbial expression for doing a thing secretly. Do it as secretly as is consistent,

1. With the doing it at all.

2. With the doing it in the most effectual manner.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

The right way to practice charity:

v. 3. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth,

v. 4. that thine alms may be in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret, Himself shall reward thee openly.

Not the act of almsgiving was condemned by Christ, but only the manner. The work was well-pleasing to Him. Give with simplicity of heart, with so little show of self-glorification that even the left hand, so to speak, shall not be admitted into the secret, lest the satisfaction which one may feel on account of having done another good work detract from God’s glory. The works shall shine brightly, but the donor shall, remain hidden to all but God, who knows the secrets of men’s hearts and actions. He knows all the sacrifices that are made, and at the proper time He will give the reward of mercy; He will make public announcement on the day when He will reveal everything.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

3, 4. Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth. A strong expression, to indicate that there must be no publishing of our alms deeds.

That thine alms may be in secret. It is not concealment that is required, so much as to avoid ostentation. Openly. Literally, “in the open place,” in the last day, when every secret thing is made manifest.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

Connecting Statement:

Jesus continues to teach his disciples about alms.

General Information:

Jesus is talking to a group of people about what they as individuals should and should not do. All occurrences of "you" and "your" are plural. (See: Forms of You)

do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing

This is a metaphor for total secrecy. Just as hands usually work together and each can be said to "know" what the other is doing at all times, you should not let even those closest to you know when you are giving to the poor. (See: Metaphor)

your gift may be given in secret

This can be stated in active form. AT: "you can give to the poor without other people knowing" (See: Active or Passive)

translationWords

alms

hand

God the Father

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

3. σοῦ δὲ ποιοῦντος. Observe the singular number here and Mat 6:6; the duties of prayer and almsgiving are taught in their personal and individual aspect. The teaching of the Talmud commends secresy in almsgiving in such sayings as ‘he that doeth alms in secret is greater than Moses.’ But the spirit of hypocrisy prevailed; the Pharisees taught and did not.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

3.] σοῦ, emphatic: see ch. 5:48.

μὴ γνώτω] Another popular saying, not to be pressed so as to require a literal interpretation of it in the act of almsgiving, as De Wette and others have done, but implying simplicity, both of intention and act. Equally out of place are all attempts to explain the right and left hand symbolically, as was once the practice. The sound sense of Chrysostom preserves the right interpretation, where even Augustine strays into symbolism: πάλιν ἐνταῦθα οὐ χεῖρας αἰνίττεται, ἀλλʼ ὑπερβολικῶς αὐτὸ τέθεικεν. εἰ γὰρ οἷόν τέ ἐστι, φησί, σεαυτὸν ἀγνοῆσαι, περισπούδαστον ἔστω σοι τοῦτο, κἂν αὐτὰς δυνατὸν ᾖ τὰς διακονουμένας χεῖρας λαθεῖν. Hom. xix. 2, p. 246.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

3. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth.]—σοῦ δὲ ποιοῦντος] For the construction of the participle, see Blass, p. 252; Moulton, p. 74.

(L)

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.