The Meaning of Matthew 6:3 Explained

Matthew 6:3

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

YLT: 'But thou, doing kindness, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth,

Darby: But thou, when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand does;

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

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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

What does Matthew 6:3 Mean?

Context Summary

Matthew 6:1-8 - Secret Giving And Secret Praying
First we have the general proposition that righteousness, that is, one's religious duties, should not be done for the sake of display; and that principle is then applied to alms, prayer, and fasting-the three departments into which the Jews divided personal religion.
The words take heed in Matthew 6:1 are very searching! We are all likely to put better goods in the window than we have anywhere on our shelves; and to show fairer samples than we can supply in bulk. The Greek word for hypocrite means stage actor. "We are tempted to assume on Sunday a religious attire which we certainly do not wear in the home or in business.
In her account of the first Burman convert, Mrs. Judson says: "A few days ago, I was reading with him Matthew 6:1-34. He was deeply impressed and solemn. "˜These words,' said he, "˜take hold of my very heart. They make me tremble. When our people visit the pagodas, they make a great noise with trumpets. But this religion makes the mind fear God.'" [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 6

1  Giving to the Needy
5  The Lord's Prayer
16  Proper Fasting
19  Store up Treasures in Heaven
25  Do Not Worry
33  but seek God's kingdom

What do the individual words in Matthew 6:3 mean?

You however doing charity not let know the left [hand] of you what is doing right hand
σοῦ δὲ ποιοῦντος ἐλεημοσύνην μὴ γνώτω ἀριστερά σου τί ποιεῖ δεξιά

δὲ  however 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: δέ  
Sense: but, moreover, and, etc.
ποιοῦντος  doing 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: ποιέω  
Sense: to make.
ἐλεημοσύνην  charity 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: ἐλεημοσύνη  
Sense: mercy, pity.
γνώτω  let  know 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Imperative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: γινώσκω  
Sense: to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel.
ἀριστερά  left  [hand] 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: ἀριστερός  
Sense: left.
σου  of  you 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 2nd Person Singular
Root: σύ  
Sense: you.
ποιεῖ  is  doing 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ποιέω  
Sense: to make.
δεξιά  right  hand 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: δεξιός  
Sense: the right, the right hand.

What are the major concepts related to Matthew 6:3?

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