Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 6:3
But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
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.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
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.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
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.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
3. But when thou doest alms, let notthy left hand know what thy right hand doethSo far from makinga display of it, dwell not on it even in thine own thoughts, lest itminister to spiritual pride.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
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.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
1) “But when thou doest alms,” (sou de poiountos eleemosunen) “But when you do alms-giving,” or when you are giving alms to someone. It is assumed that every child of God is a charitable and compassionate person who will give to the poor, Luk 11:41.
2) “Let not thy left hand know,” (ti poiei he deksai sou) “Do not let your left hand even know,” by an outward display of glory or praise-seeking-flare, Mat 8:4; Mat 19:21; Luk 12:33.
3) “What thy right hand doeth, (ti poiei he deksai sou) “What your right-hand does,” in this matter, Act 10:2. Modesty is a needed, even necessary, virtue in scriptural alms-giving. Let it be done in privacy, in modesty, without any covetous merit of praise.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
3. Let not thy left hand know By this expression he means, that we ought to be satisfied with having God for our only witness, and to be so earnestly desirous to obey him, that we shall not be carried away by any vanity. It frequently happens, that men sacrifice to themselves rather than to God. Christ therefore wishes, that we should not be distracted by indirect thoughts, but go straight to this object, that we may serve God with a pure conscience.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(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.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
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.’“
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
But whenever you give on behalf of the poor,
Do not let your left hand know what your right hand does,
That your almsgiving may be in secret,
And your Father who sees in secret will recompense you.”
Whenever the disciples give, (the fact that they will give is assumed), then it is to be done in such secrecy that even the left hand will not know what the right hand has done. It is thus not only to be secret but totally without any idea of self-congratulation. It will, as it were, be hidden even from themselves. It will pass from the mind almost before it happens so that the left hand will never find out. But the idea is not that they will do it in order to obtain heavenly credit. They will rather do it because it is the good and right thing to do, it is God-like. It is the type of giving that neither wants nor asks for anything in return that brings the greatest reward, for its reward is the growth of true righteousness. The giver has become by it a better person. And they will not lose by it, for it is known to ‘their Father’, Who will see it and recompense it by His gracious working in their lives in a way far greater than they deserve or will even understand.
We should note here that God does not reward us with things that will make us proud and arrogant, such as physical thrones and crowns (any offer of these is to be interpreted spiritually). He gives us what is far more substantial, a delight in service and obedience, and an ability to love. He makes us faithful servants who will hear His ‘well done’. He begins to make us like Himself (1Jn 3:2).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
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.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Mat 6:3. Let not thy left hand know This is a kind of proverbial expression, which may be explained to this effect: “Let no one, no, not even your most intimate acquaintance, know what you do; be ignorant of it yourselves, or forget it immediately as far as possible.” It is said that the poors’ chest stood on the right hand as they entered the synagogues; to which circumstance some suppose the words to all
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Mat 6:3 . ] in emphatic contrast to hypocrites.
, . . .] 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.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
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
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
3. ] , emphatic: see ch. Mat 5:48 .
] 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: , . , , , , . Hom. xix. 2, p. 246.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mat 6:3 . : 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. : 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. . . ., who seeth in the dark. “Acquainted with all my ways.” Psalms 139, a comfort to the sincerely good, not to the counterfeits. : 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 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.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
know = get to know. Greek. ginosko. App-132.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
3.] , emphatic: see ch. Mat 5:48.
] 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: , . , , , , . Hom. xix. 2, p. 246.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Mat 6:3. , …, 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.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
let: Mat 8:4, Mat 9:30, Mat 12:19, Mar 1:44, Joh 7:4
Reciprocal: Pro 21:14 – in secret Mat 25:37 – when Act 5:2 – laid 1Ti 5:25 – cannot
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
6:3
Hands cannot literally know anything hence we have to conclude this verse means we should not make a great ado over our good deeds.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
[Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth.] He seems to speak according to the custom used in some other things; for in some actions, which pertained to religion, they admitted not the left hand to meet with the right. “The cup of wine which was used to sanctify the coming in of the sabbath, was to be taken with the right hand, without the assistance of the left.” “Let not man receive into a vessel the blood of the sacrifice, bring it to the altar, or sprinkle it with his left hand.” And in the same tract, it is related of Shammai, that he would feed himself only with one hand.
Fuente: Lightfoot Commentary Gospels
Mat 6:3. It is not necessary to find symbolical meanings in the expressions: left handright hand; the verse is a figurative command to complete modesty, secret, noiseless giving (Chrysostom).