SEV Biblia, Chapter 6:2
Cuando, pues, des limosna, no hagas tocar trompeta delante de ti, como hacen los hipcritas en las sinagogas y en las plazas, para tener gloria de los hombres; de cierto os digo, que ya tienen su recompensa.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Matthew 6:2
Verse 2. Therefore when thou doest thine alms] In the first verse the exhortation is general: Take YE heed. In this verse the address is pointed-and THOU-man-woman-who readest- hearest. Do not sound a trumpet] It is very likely that this was literally practised among the Pharisees, who seemed to live on the public esteem, and were excessively self-righteous and vain. Having something to distribute by way of alms, it is very probable they caused this to be published by blowing a trumpet or horn, under pretense of collecting the poor; though with no other design than to gratify their own ambition. There is a custom in the east not much unlike this. "The derveeshes carry horns with them, which they frequently blow, when any thing is given to them, in honour of the donor. It is not impossible that some of the poor Jews who begged alms might be furnished like the Persian derveeshes, who are a sort of religious beggars, and that these hypocrites might be disposed to confine their alms-giving to those that they knew would pay them this honour." HARMER'S Observat. vol. i. p. 474.
It must be granted, that in the Jewish writings there is no such practice referred to as that which I have supposed above, viz. blowing a trumpet to gather the poor, or the poor blowing a horn when relieved. Hence some learned men have thought that the word rpw shopher, a trumpet, refers to the hole in the public alms chest, into which the money was dropped which was allotted for the service of the poor. Such holes, because they were wide at one end and grew gradually narrow towards the other, were actually termed twrpw shopheroth, trumpets, by the rabbins; of this Schoettgen furnishes several examples. An ostentatious man, who wished to attract the notice of those around him, would throw in his money with some force into these trumpet-resembling holes, and thus he might be said rpw salpizein, to sound the trumpet. The Jerusalem Gemara, tract Shekalim, describes these twrpw shopheroth thus-These trumpet holes were crooked, narrow above and wide below, in order to prevent fraud. As our Lord only uses the words, mh salpishv, it may be tantamount to our term jingle. Do not make a public ostentatious jingle of that money which you give to public charities. Pride and hypocrisy are the things here reprehended. The Pharisees, no doubt, felt the weight of the reproof. Still the words may be taken in their literal meaning, as we know that the Moslimans, who nearly resemble the ancient Pharisees in the ostentation, bigotry, and cruelty of their character, are accustomed, in their festival of Muhurram, to erect stages in the public streets, and, by the sound of a trumpet, call the poor together to receive alms of rice, and other kinds of food. See WARD.
Works of charity and mercy should be done as much in private as is consistent with the advancement of the glory of God, and the effectual relief of the poor.
In the synagogues and in the streets] That such chests or boxes, for receiving the alms of well-disposed people, were placed in the synagogues, we may readily believe; but what were the streets? Schoettgen supposes that courts or avenues in the temple and in the synagogues may be intended-places where the people were accustomed to walk, for air, amusement, &c., for it is not to be supposed that such chests were fixed in the public streets.
They have their reward.] That is, the honour and esteem of men which they sought. God is under no obligation to them- they did nothing with an eye to his glory, and from HIM they can expect no recompense. They had their recompense in this life; and could expect none in the world to come.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 2. Wherefore, when thou dost thine alms , etc.] Christ proceeds to give some directions and cautions about giving of alms, that they might be done aright, and answer some valuable purposes for the glory of God, the good of others, and their own: do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues, and in the streets, that they may have glory of men . The persons Christ has reference to were the Scribes and Pharisees, who did all they did to be seen of men; whom he calls hypocrites; as he often does, because they put on an appearance of religion and holiness, but inwardly, and otherwise, were very wicked men. It does not appear that any such practice was literally performed, as blowing a trumpet before them, when they gave their alms; though the collectors of alms did, by some means, publicly notify to the people when they were about that service: for one of their rules is f377 , the collectors of alms do not proclaim on a feast, as they proclaim on a common day; but they collected h[nyxb , privately, and put it into their bosom, and distributed it to everyone by himself.
Wherefore this must be understood proverbially; and the sense is, that when they did their alms, they chose public places for it, such as the synagogues, where was a large concourse of people met together for religious worship; or the open streets of the city, where people were continually walking to and fro, so that nothing could be done in this way, but what must be seen and observed: and moreover, they took care, either by themselves, or others, to proclaim their good actions, that they might have glory of men; not only of the poor, or the collectors for them, but of the spectators. R. Aben Ezra says, that a man that gives alms to the poor, must not give it because of the glory of the collector, i.e. that he may have glory of him; nor that the children of men may praise him.
But his ancestors were of another mind: but what did they get by it? verily I say unto you, they have their reward ; and a poor one it is, the applause of men: however, it is what they seek after, and is all their empty performances deserve, and all they will have. He that glories in anything done by himself, wrk ta ljwn awh , he takes, or receives his reward f379 ; for as for any reward from God, they will have none; in this sense, as the Ethiopic version reads it, they have lost their reward: and, as a learned critic has thought, is the sense of the Greek word, they forbid, or hinder their reward. By seeking the glory of men, they lay impediments in the way of receiving honour from God.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-4 - Our Lord next warned against hypocrisy and outward show in religiou duties. What we do, must be done from an inward principle, that we ma be approved of God, not that we may be praised of men. In these verse 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 ar aware. But the duty is not the less necessary and excellent for being abused by hypocrites to serve their pride. The doom Christ passes, a first may seem a promise, but it is their reward; not the reward God promises to those who do good, but the reward hypocrites promis themselves, and a poor reward it is; they did it to be seen of men, an they are seen of men. When we take least notice of our good deed ourselves, God takes most notice of them. He will reward thee; not as master who gives his servant what he earns, and no more, but as Father who gives abundantly to his son that serves him.
Greek Textus Receptus
οταν 3752 CONJ ουν 3767 CONJ ποιης 4160 5725 V-PAS-2S ελεημοσυνην 1654 N-ASF μη 3361 PRT-N σαλπισης 4537 5661 V-AAS-2S εμπροσθεν 1715 PREP σου 4675 P-2GS ωσπερ 5618 ADV οι 3588 T-NPM υποκριται 5273 N-NPM ποιουσιν 4160 5719 V-PAI-3P εν 1722 PREP ταις 3588 T-DPF συναγωγαις 4864 N-DPF και 2532 CONJ εν 1722 PREP ταις 3588 T-DPF ρυμαις 4505 N-DPF οπως 3704 ADV δοξασθωσιν 1392 5686 V-APS-3P υπο 5259 PREP των 3588 T-GPM ανθρωπων 444 N-GPM αμην 281 HEB λεγω 3004 5719 V-PAI-1S υμιν 5213 P-2DP απεχουσιν 568 5719 V-PAI-3P τον 3588 T-ASM μισθον 3408 N-ASM αυτων 846 P-GPM
Vincent's NT Word Studies
2. Sound a trumpet (salpishv). There seems to be no trace of any such custom on the part of almsgivers, so that the expression must be taken as a figurative one for making a display. It is just possible that the figure may have been suggested by the "trumpets" of the temple treasury - thirteen trumpet-shaped chests to receive the contributions of worshippers. (See on Luke xxi. 2.)Have their reward (ajpecousin). The preposition ajpo indicates receipt in full. Rev. renders they have received, so that there is nothing more to receive. So Wyc., They have received their need.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
6:2 {Sound not a trumpet} (me salpiseis). Is this literal or metaphorical? No actual instance of such conduct has been found in the Jewish writings. McNeile suggests that it may refer to the blowing of trumpets in the streets on the occasion of public fasts. Vincent suggests the thirteen trumpet-shaped chests of the temple treasury to receive contributions (#Lu 21:2). But at Winona Lake one summer a missionary from India named Levering stated to me that he had seen Hindu priests do precisely this very thing to get a crowd to see their beneficences. So it looks as if the rabbis could do it also. Certainly it was in keeping with their love of praise. And Jesus expressly says that "the hypocrites" (hoi hupokritai) do this very thing. this is an old word for actor, interpreter, one who personates another, from hupokrinomai to answer in reply like the Attic apokrinomai. qen to pretend, to feign, to dissemble, to act the hypocrite, to wear a mask. this is the hardest word that Jesus has for any class of people and he employs it for these pious pretenders who pose as perfect. {They have received their reward} (apechousin ton misqon autwn). this verb is common in the papyri for receiving a receipt, "they have their receipt in full," all the reward that they will get, this public notoriety. "They can sign the receipt of their reward" (Deissmann, _Bible Studies_, p. 229). So _Light from the Ancient East_, pp. 110f. Apoch means "receipt." So also in #6:5.
