Lexicon

Be careful

Προσέχετε

(Prosechete)

Verb - Present Imperative Active - 2nd Person Plural



From pros and echo; to hold the mind towards, i.e. Pay attention to, be cautious about, apply oneself to, adhere to.

not

μὴ

(mē)

Adverb



Not, lest. A primary particle of qualified negation; not, lest; also (whereas ou expects an affirmative one) whether.

to perform

ποιεῖν

(poiein)

Verb - Present Infinitive Active



(a) I make, manufacture, construct, (b) I do, act, cause. Apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; to make or do.

your

ὑμῶν

(hymōn)

Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Plural



You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

righteous acts

δικαιοσύνην

(dikaiosynēn)

Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular



From dikaios; equity; specially justification.

before

ἔμπροσθεν

(emprosthen)

Preposition



From en and pros; in front of (literally or figuratively) or time).

men

ἀνθρώπων

(anthrōpōn)

Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural



A man, one of the human race. From aner and ops; man-faced, i.e. A human being.

to be seen

θεαθῆναι

(theathēnai)

Verb - Aorist Infinitive Passive



A prolonged form of a primary verb; to look closely at, i.e. perceive; by extension to visit.

by them.

αὐτοῖς

(autois)

Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural



He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

If

εἰ

(ei)

Conjunction



If. A primary particle of conditionality; if, whether, that, etc.

[you do],

δὲ

(de)

Conjunction



A primary particle; but, and, etc.

you will have

ἔχετε

(echete)

Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural



To have, hold, possess. Including an alternate form scheo skheh'-o; a primary verb; to hold.

no

οὐκ

(ouk)

Adverb



No, not. Also ouk, and ouch a primary word; the absolute negative adverb; no or not.

reward

μισθὸν

(misthon)

Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular



(a) pay, wages, salary, (b) reward, recompense, punishment. Apparently a primary word; pay for service, good or bad.

from

παρὰ

(para)

Preposition



Gen: from; dat: beside, in the presence of; acc: alongside of.

your

ὑμῶν

(hymōn)

Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Plural



You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

Father

Πατρὶ

(Patri)

Noun - Dative Masculine Singular



Father, (Heavenly) Father, ancestor, elder, senior. Apparently a primary word; a 'father'.

in

ἐν

(en)

Preposition



In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

heaven.

οὐρανοῖς

(ouranois)

Noun - Dative Masculine Plural



Perhaps from the same as oros; the sky; by extension, heaven; by implication, happiness, power, eternity; specially, the Gospel.

VI.

(1) From the protest against the casuistry which tampered with and distorted the great primary commandments, the Sermon on the Mount passes to the defects of character and action which vitiated the religion of Pharisaism even where it was at its best. Its excellence had been that it laid stress, as the religion of Islam did afterwards, on the three great duties of the religious life, almsgiving, fasting, and prayer, rather than on sacrifices and offerings. Verbally, Pharisaism accepted on this point the widest and most spiritual teaching of the prophets, and so its home was in the Synagogue rather than the Temple, and it gained a hold on the minds of the people which the priests never gained. But a subtle evil found its way even here. Love of praise and power, rather than spontaneous love, and self-denial, and adoration, was the mainspring of their action, and so that which is the essence of all religion was absent even from the acts in which the purest and highest form of religion naturally shows itself.

Your alms.--The better MSS. give righteousness, and obviously with a far truer meaning, as the wider word which branches off afterwards into the three heads of alms, fasting, prayer. In Rabbinic language the whole was often used for the part, and "righteousness" was identified with "mercifulness," and that with giving money. The Greek version of the LXX. often renders the Hebrew word for righteousness by "alms." In the New Testament, however, there is no such narrowing of its meaning, and here the full significance of the word is fixed by its use in Matthew 5:20. The reading "alms" probably arose from a misconception of the real meaning of the passage, and the consequent assumption that it simply introduced the rule given in Matthew 6:2-3.

To be seen of them.--It is the motive, and not the fact of publicity, that vitiates the action. The high ideal of the disciple of Christ is to let his light shine "before men" (the self-same words are used in Matthew 5:16 as here), and yet to be indifferent to their praise or even their opinion. In most religious men there is probably a mingling of the two motives, and we dare not say at what precise stage the presence of the lower overpowers the higher. It is enough to remember that it is the little speck which may taint the whole character till it loses all its life.

Of your Father which is in heaven.--More accurately, with your Father, as meaning, "in His estimate." The act is not done to and for Him, and therefore (speaking after the manner of men) He looks on it as having no claim to payment.

Verses 1-18.

The

relation of our Lord and his disciples to the religion of the day

continued

vide

b

Law

Verse 1.

Take heed

προσέχετε

δέ

That ye do not your alms

your righteousness

so

צרקה

τὴν δικαιοσύνην







(1)







(2)

ἐλεημοσύνη







(3)

τὴν

δικαιοσύνην

μὴ ποιεῖν

ποιῇς ἐλεημοσύνην

when

Your

ὑμῶν

righteousness"

To be seen of them

πρὸς τὸ θεαθῆναι

αὐτοῖς

supra

Otherwise

c

. Ye have no reward

Of

your Father

with

παρὰ τῷ Πατρὶ ὑμῶν

of"

Your Father

bis

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); Matthew 5:17 , note. () 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 (vers. 2-4), prayer (vers. 5-8, 9-15), fasting (vers. 16-18). It is, indeed, true that the performance of these duties on special occasions was implied in the Pentateuch ( Deuteronomy 26:12-15 ); but there are no regulations concerning their observance in ordinary and daily life. These were matters of custom and tradition; to this the, in its original aim and method, did not extend. There was therefore the more need for the Law to be supplemented by the instructions of the Jewish leaders. These our Lord does not reject, but only corrects.- Matthew only.] (Westcott and Hort). If "but" is genuine, as is on the whole more probable, our Lord places this warning in close relation to the preceding charge. Aim at "perfection," but beware of mere show. Rather you must consider the estimate that will be formed of you by your Father which is in heaven.; Revised Version,the manuscripts). Although one of the Hebrew words for "righteousness" () was used especially for the righteousness of almsgiving (cf. Deuteronomy 6:25 , LXX.; and 'Psalms of Solomon,' 9:6, where see Professor Ryle's and Mr. James's note), yet it is improbable thatshould here be rendered "alms," becauseit has this meaning nowhere else in the New Testament;the word for "alms" () comes in the next verse;the emphatic position of), in contrast to(ver. 2), points to it being a collective expression of which the various parts are mentioned in the following verses. The form also of the sentence, "," etc., at the head of each of the other subjects, (vers. 5,16) shows that these are co-ordinated with ver. 2.; in contrast to that of the typical Jews. The limitation implied in, gives a more partial and probably more external meaning to "(cf. Ezekiel 18:22, 24 ) than is to be seen in the corresponding phrase in 1 John 2:29 . Having for your final purpose (cf. Ellicott on 1 Corinthians 9:18 ) to be gazed at by them (cf. Matthew 23:5 Acts 1:11 ; and T.R. of Acts 8:18 ; at. Matthew 5:28 ).(Winer, § 65:3. Matthew 5:12 , note).; Authorized Version margin and Revised Version,; the thought being not that it is given by him, but that it is laid up with him (). Perhaps, however, the preposition rather means "in the judgment(cf. 1 Peter 2:4 ). Matthew 5:16 . note). Notice the frequent repetition of the phrase in this context ( Matthew 5:48 ).Alphabetical: acts Be before Beware by careful do Father from have heaven If in is men no not noticed of otherwise practicing reward righteousness seen them to who will with you your