Matthew 6:3 · Clearspring

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Other translations

WEBBE

But when you do merciful deeds, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand does,

BSB

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

KJV

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

ASV

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

BBE

But when you give money, let not your left hand see what your right hand does:

Original Greek

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σοῦ sou You G4771 δὲ de however G1161 ποιοῦντος poiountos doing G4160 ἐλεημοσύνην eleēmosunēn charity G1654 μὴ mē not G3361 γνώτω gnōtō should know G1097 ἡ hē the G3588 ἀριστερά aristera left [hand] G710 σου sou of you G4771 τί ti what G5101 ποιεῖ poiei is doing G4160 ἡ hē the G3588 δεξιά dexia right [hand] G1188 σου sou of you G4771

The early church

"Let not thy left hand know," saith He, "what thy right hand doeth." Here again His enigmatical meaning is not of the hands, but He hath put the thing hyperbolically. As thus: "If it can be," saith He, "for thyself not to know it, let this be the object of thine endeavor; that, if it were possible, it may be concealed from the very hands that minister." It is not, as some say, that we should hide it from wrong-headed men, for He hath here commanded that it should be concealed from all.

John Chrysostom · d. 407Homilies on Matthew

(ubi sup.) But according to this interpretation, it will be no fault to have a respect to pleasing the faithful; and yet we are forbidden to propose as the end of any good work the pleasing of any kind of men. Yet if you would have men to imitate your actions which may be pleasing to them, they must be done before unbelievers as well as believers. If again, according to another interpretation, we take the left hand to mean our enemy, and that our enemy should not know when we do our alms, why did the Lord Himself mercifully heal men when the Jews were standing round Him? And how too must we deal with our enemy himself according to that precept, If thy enemy hunger, feed him. (Prov. 25:21.) A third interpretation is ridiculous; that the left hand signifies the wife, and that because women are wont to be more close in the matter of expense out of the family purse, therefore the charities of the husband should be secret from the wife, for the avoiding of domestic strife. But this command is addressed to women as well as to men, what then is the left hand, from which women are bid to conceal their alms? Is the husband also the left hand of the wife? And when it is commanded such that they enrich each other with good works, it is clear that they ought not to hide their good deeds; nor is a theft to be committed to do God service. But if in any case something must needs be done covertly, from respect to the weakness of the other, though it is not unlawful, yet that we cannot suppose the wife to be intended by the left hand here is clear from the purport of the whole paragraph; no, not even such an one as he might well call left. But that which is blamed in hypocrites, namely, that they seek praise of men, this you are forbid to do; the left hand therefore seems to signify the delight in men's praise; the right hand denotes the purpose of fulfilling the divine commands. Whenever then a desire to gain honour from men mingles itself with the conscience of him that does alms, it is then the left hand knowing what the right hand, the right conscience, does. Let not the left hand know, therefore, what the right hand doeth, means, let not the desire of men's praise mingle with your conscience. But our Lord does yet more strongly forbid the left hand alone to work in us, than its mingling in the works of the right hand.

Augustine of Hippo · d. 430Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)

The Apostles in the book of the Constitutions, interpret thus; The right hand is the Christian people which is at Christ's right hand; the left hand is all the people who are on His left hand. He means then, that when a Christian does alms, the unbeliever should not see it.

Pseudo-Chrysostom · d. 500Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 1–4

Our Lord next warned against hypocrisy and outward show in religious duties. What we do, must be done from an inward principle, that we may be approved of God, not that we may be praised of men. In these verses we are cautioned against hypocrisy in giving alms. Take heed of it. It is a subtle sin; and vain-glory creeps into what we do, before we are aware. But the duty is not the less necessary and excellent for being abused by hypocrites to serve their pride. The doom Christ passes, at first may seem a promise, but it is their reward; not the reward God promises to those who do good, but the reward hypocrites promise themselves, and a poor reward it is; they did it to be seen of men, and they are seen of men. When we take least notice of our good deeds ourselves, God takes most notice of them. He will reward thee; not as a master who gives his servant what he earns, and no more, but as a Father who gives abundantly to his son that serves him.

Read Matthew Henry on Matthew 6 →

Cross-references

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