←
Explanation for:
Matthew
6
:
7
And when you are praying, speak not much, as the heathens. For they think that in their much speaking they may be heard.
14
more explanations
& daily audio-books
spoken by
– enjoy in Theosis App –
Start your
Bible-journey
with explanations
& daily audio-books
only 4$* per month
{"arr":[{"author-name":"Athanasius the Great","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c889457b66f7fc274d1066_Athanasius%20the%20Great.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"He indicates through this that He finds lengthy prayers undesirable, but not those offered regularly. For He Himself instructs us to engage in constant prayer."},{"author-name":"Jerome of Stridon","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88dcd3432c6dd41375498_Jerome%20of%20Stridon.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"While the pagan may engage in lengthy prayers, the Christian should rather keep their words few, for God listens not to mere speech, but to the intentions of the heart."},{"author-name":"John Chrysostom","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88ea76859f9f8e2ffd3ee_John%20Chrysostom.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"When Christ discussed the act of giving to the needy, He solely focused on removing the negative impact of pride, without elaborating further. He did not specify that charity should stem from honest labor instead of theft or greed, as this was something already well understood by all, and He had already addressed it when speaking to those longing for righteousness. However, in His teachings on prayer, He emphasized the importance of not speaking unnecessarily. Just as He criticized the hypocrites in one instance, here He points out the behavior of the Gentiles to highlight the folly of their approach, aiming to admonish the audience. The comparison to those considered rejected is particularly disheartening for people, prompting the Savior to caution against pride and verbosity in prayer. By verbosity, we refer to empty chatter, such as requesting inappropriate things from God, like power, honor, triumph over adversaries, or material wealth—essentially asking for things that do not benefit us spiritually. Furthermore, it seems that the Savior discourages lengthy prayers, not necessarily in duration, but in the excessive number of words, as we are called to be patient in our requests. The Apostle reminds us, “in prayer we are patient” (Rom. 12:12). Additionally, the Savior, through the parable of the persistent widow who prevailed over the unyielding judge through her relentless approach, and the parable of the friend who requested help at night not out of friendship but because of his persistent knocking, teaches that we should continually pray to Him. He did not forbid prayers that are lengthily composed but rather encouraged us to present our requests openly. This is underscored in His statement, “They think that in their many words they will be heard.”"},{"author-name":"Anonymous Commentary (Opus Imperfectum)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":4,"exegesis-text":"Consider the deities to whom the pagans direct their prayers to understand the nature of their appeals. They entreat demons who, even if they perceive, cannot genuinely respond. These malevolent beings cannot act without God's permission. They invoke deceased rulers such as Jupiter and Mercury, whose transgressions are more notorious than their identities, and who, in life, were of no assistance. They also call upon insensate idols, incapable of hearing or replying. It is reasonable for them to call out for extended periods, as there is no one to respond. Thus, Elijah, when the priests of Baal were fervently appealing to their gods during the offering on the altar, mockingly remarked, \\"Shout, shout with a loud voice; perhaps your gods are asleep\\" (1 Kings 18:27). Likewise, one who prays for a prolonged duration may imply that God is inattentive."},{"author-name":"Chromatius of Aquileia","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88a3df6d7a747a33b4f4a_Chromatius%20of%20Aquileia.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":5,"exegesis-text":"The Gentiles believe that their requests to the Lord are more readily granted through excessive words, yet this is not what the Lord desires from us. He seeks not eloquence but a sincere faith and righteous deeds accompanying our petitions. The Lord, in His infinite wisdom, already knows our needs and is aware of our requests even before we express them.\\n\\nIn the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, we discern the contrast between extravagant speech and simple, humble communication. The Pharisee, who boasts in his multitude of words, is dismissed, while the tax collector, approaching God with meekness and a plea for forgiveness, is granted mercy more righteously than the self-important Pharisee. This illustrates the truth of what is written, \\"The prayer of the humble has passed through the clouds\\" (Sir 35:17), as it reaches God, who intentionally attends to the cries of those who seek Him earnestly."},{"author-name":"Euthymios Zigabenos","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":11,"exegesis-text":"The flaw of excessive talking is referred to as superfluous speech, when individuals request unworthy things—such as wealth, notoriety, and authority—that are detrimental to the soul and unnecessary for bodily sustenance. Those who are outside the faith are regarded as unbelievers. They not only seek after these unworthy desires but, in their lengthy petitions, believe that they can win favor through their wordiness. This misguided belief is rightly condemned. Their thinking is flawed and unjust."},{"author-name":"Theophylact of Bulgaria","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8989296bafed9104677d7_Theophylact%20of%20Bulgaria.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":11,"exegesis-text":"Excessive words often lead to meaningless conversations, such as requesting worldly things like power, riches, or triumph. Additionally, this type of talk can resemble the babbling of children. Therefore, refrain from empty rhetoric. Instead of lengthy supplications, focus on brief prayers, yet maintain a spirit of continual prayerfulness throughout your day."},{"author-name":"Dimitri of Rostov","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88b083687b06aec81fcf3_Dimitri%20of%20Rostov.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":17,"exegesis-text":"I have gained insights from those well-versed in the theological understanding of prayer, which is offered from the heart and engaged by the mind, highlighting that short, frequent prayers can be more fervent and beneficial than extended ones. While lengthy prayers have their merits, they are best suited for those who are spiritually advanced rather than beginners. An individual who is not accustomed to longer sessions of prayer may struggle to remain focused on God, easily succumbing to distractions and allowing their spiritual fervor to wane. Such prayer ceases to be genuine, becoming instead a jumble of thoughts, which can occur during communal worship or while following extended personal spiritual routines. In contrast, brief yet consistent prayer is more effective, as a brief but sincere connection to God allows for greater warmth. This is why the Lord teaches us: “When praying, do not speak unnecessarily,” illustrating that it is not the volume of words that captures His attention. St. John of the Ladder advises: “Do not try to speak much, lest your mind be scattered in search of words. The tax collector's single utterance won God's favor, and the same act of faith redeemed the thief. Excessive words in prayer can lead to a wandering mind, while a few carefully chosen words bring about focus and clarity.” Yet, one might wonder about the apostle’s exhortation in his letter to the Thessalonians to \\"pray without ceasing\\" (1 Thess. 5:17)."},{"author-name":"Michail (Lusin)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c89550c567e172d15b3055_Michail%20(Lusin).png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Avoid unnecessary speech like the unbelievers. Unbelievers, meaning those without genuine faith, who venerate false deities, are idolaters. In their prayers to these false gods, they often engage in lengthy and meaningless chatter, convinced that such verbosity will compel their deities to grant their desires. By \\"verbosity,\\" the Savior is referring to empty utterances, like when we petition God for inappropriate requests, such as power, glory, victory over adversaries, and an abundance of wealth – in essence, anything that lacks true value for us. The Savior does not prohibit lengthy prayers and requests but emphasizes that they should be sincere and genuine, rather than devoid of meaning."},{"author-name":"Kochomski S.W.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"When you pray, do not use the same approach as the Gentiles. Avoid empty phrases, for the term \\"babble\\" refers to saying the same thing repeatedly. This is thought to be inspired by the name of Batto, a poet known for his lengthy hymns filled with repetition. Gentiles often employed many words in their prayers, believing that by repeating them, they could compel their gods to respond to their requests. See 1 Samuel 18:26-27."},{"author-name":"Ivanov A.V.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88db13197efab881aa332_Ivanov%20A.V..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Avoid excessive chatter, as being overly talkative is discouraged. The practice among the Gentiles included not only lengthy prayers (3 Sam. 18:26) but also the repetition of specific phrases and even sounds in an attempt to persuade the deities to grant their desires. The Lord does not prohibit lengthy supplications—after all, He spent entire nights in communion with the Father. However, as St. John Chrysostom points out, He seeks prayer that is sincere and meaningful, and additionally, it should not be presumed that the duration of prayer guarantees the fulfillment of our requests."},{"author-name":"Abbot Panteleimon about the Trinity","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"In prayer, God desires our sincerity rather than our verbosity; hence, the Lord advises: WHEN YOU PRAY, DO NOT ENGAGE IN EMPTY, inappropriate chatter, nor should you approach God with trivial, superficial requests as the pagans do. They engage in lengthy prayers filled with meaningless talk, listing the names of their idols and seeking various earthly and sinful gratifications from their false deities, mistakenly believing that these gods are preoccupied and require persistent entreaties: FOR THEY ASSUME THAT THEIR MANY WORDS WILL GAIN THEM A HEARING. St. John Chrysostom further explains that ‘by verbosity,’ the Lord refers to meaningless discourse, such as when we petition God for power, honor, wealth—essentially anything that holds no true value for our spiritual journey."},{"author-name":"Gladkow B.I.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88bf0ceef8c96e09a6521_Gladkow%20B.I..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"In admonishing against the empty prayers of the deceitful Pharisees, Christ cautioned His followers not to mimic the Gentiles: \\"But when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words; therefore do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him\\" (Matthew 6:7-8). When you enter into prayer, avoid unnecessary words. What constitutes excess in prayer? Jesus provides clarity on this within the same Sermon on the Mount: \\"Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you\\" (Matthew 6:31-33). \\n\\nThe implication of these words, linking to earlier points, is clear: the ultimate aim of humanity is to attain eternal life within the Heavenly Kingdom. The pathway to this aspiration lies in fulfilling God’s will and His righteousness during our earthly journey, within the Kingdom of God. Therefore, a person's primary focus should revolve around seeking the means to enter into the Kingdom of God, to be a worthy participant, and thus obtain access to the Kingdom of Heaven. This should be the center of one's thoughts, actions, and prayers; all that is unrelated to this divine pursuit, namely earthly and momentary matters like sustenance, drink, and clothing, is ultimately redundant in prayer. While necessities are important for survival, they are irrelevant in the context of prayer. A person diligently seeking God's Kingdom and His righteousness will have these provisions granted by God freely, as the heavenly Father is aware of their needs.\\n\\nNevertheless, asking for these earthly necessities is not categorically prohibited. By teaching us to pray for our daily sustenance, Christ acknowledges that it is acceptable to request these material goods but only as needed; such requests should not overshadow the pursuit of God’s kingdom and righteousness. In this regard, John Chrysostom notes: \\"The Lord implies that those who pray should not seek after fleeting and corruptible things: neither physical beauty, which diminishes over time, plagued by illness, and ceases at death; nor worldly riches, which, like the current of a river, are transient, moving from one to another, eluding their holders, and beset by many threats such as moths, thieves, defamation, fire, shipwrecks, enemy attacks, and other misfortunes; nor esteemed power, which brings its own sorrows. Moreover, some individuals, in their folly, do not merely petition the Almighty for beauty, wealth, or power, but they even beseech Him to impose suffering upon their enemies, asking for harshness towards those they wish harm upon, despite pleading for mercy for themselves. The Lord, aiming to avert this, instructs: do not use vain words.\\"\\n\\nIn instructing us to refrain from empty phrases in prayer, Christ pointed out that the Gentiles believed their lengthy discourses would be heard. Augustine further clarifies this by differentiating between the excessive wordiness criticized here and the persistent prayers that the Lord encourages elsewhere. The One who spent nights in prayer and taught, \\"Seek, and you will find\\" (Matt. 7:7), and illustrated through parables the importance of unwavering prayer, is certainly not condemning extended prayer as long as it is genuine. Rather, He disapproves of prayers that merely consist of an endless array of grandiose words, replacing the heartfelt, sincere expressions of deep yearning that often elude verbal articulation."},{"author-name":"Philaret (Amphiteatrov)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c896e9b7a2ebaf99e4620a_Philaret%20(Amphiteatrov).png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Let us reflect further on prayer, dear brethren, which our benevolent Savior wishes to guide us in. It is a sacred practice that the wise Church Fathers aptly refer to as the Mother of all Christian virtues. Without prayer, it is impossible to receive any gift from our heavenly Father or perform any truly good act. Actions devoid of prayer are merely evil and empty; without it, we cannot progress in a genuine Christian life that pleases God. However, through the embrace of prayer, we obtain everything, including the compassion of our Father in Heaven, who is ever willing to bestow His blessings upon the hearts of those who earnestly seek Him in prayer. In our previous discussion, we heard how the Lord Jesus, mindful of our salvation, cautioned us against the insincere and barren prayers of the Jews. He instructed us to enter the private chamber of our hearts, shutting out worldly and carnal distractions, and to earnestly call upon our heavenly Father, who knows all inner truths.\\n\\nContinuing His teaching on prayer, He advises us to speak succinctly, warning us against the empty chatter practiced by the pagans, who believe that their multitude of words will garner a response. The rebuke of excessive verbosity that the Savior offers does not imply that we should not pray extensively or frequently; rather, the Gospel encourages us to pray continually (Luke 18:1; 1 Thess. 5:17). The genuine Teacher of prayer condemns the redundant speaking of the pagans who, lacking knowledge of the one Almighty Creator and Omniscient Provider, have created numerous false deities driven by their myriad passions and desires. In their attempts to communicate with these false gods, they sought to convey their needs through an abundance of eloquent phrases or loud, drawn-out cries. An illustrative example of such fruitless verbosity can be found in the account of the prophet Elijah, where the priests of Baal stood at the altar, crying out from morning until evening, \\"Hear us, Baal, hear us,\\" yet there was no response, no acknowledgment (1 Kings 18:26).\\n\\nChrist shields us from this emptiness of excessive speech, which is foreign to those who believe in the one true God, who knows all our needs and desires our souls to remain focused, particularly during prayer. He wishes for us to avoid scattering our thoughts with various temporal desires, which are often futile or even detrimental. We should pray not merely with our vocal cords but from the depths of our hearts. Our heavenly Father is already aware of our real needs before we articulate them. Some may ask, if that is the case, why should we pray? Prayer is not intended to inform God of our needs, for He knows them; rather, it is meant to open our hearts to Him. When we neglect to seek God in earnest prayer, our hearts remain susceptible to worldly temptations and the harmful suggestions from the evil one, yet they are closed to the transformative grace of the Holy Spirit. Just as closing our eyes to the sun prevents us from experiencing its illuminating rays, failing to turn our hearts to God in prayer keeps our souls enveloped in darkness, unaware of ourselves and the divine presence, even as God's true spiritual light continuously shines. Without this life-giving light, we cannot perform actions that are genuinely good. These good works reside with God, the Source of life and light, from whom every perfect gift flows (James 1:17). Such blessings manifest when we genuinely yearn for them and present our requests to Him in heartfelt prayer. This is why Jesus Christ assured us, \\"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened\\" (Matthew 7:7, 8)."}]}
Support this project and get full access for only 4$/month
Commentarie text can’t be scrolled on PC at the moment. Please use your phone. We’re working on a fix.
