Matt 6:21-25
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The New Testament > Matthew > Chapter 6
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Questions
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Lexical notes
Verse 22
- "Single." The Greek word translated as "single" in verse 22 is haplous, which appears in the New Testament only here and in the parallel passage of Luke 11:34. Its most common literal meaning appears to be "single" in the sense of being simple or uncomplicated (not in the sense of being alone). Biblical scholars have long debated what the word means here, and it has been variously translated as "healthy," "sound," "clear" and "good." Also, there are Hebrew (related to the Aramaic Jesus spoke) idioms of the "good eye" and the "evil eye" (see verse 23) that refer to people who are generous or stingy, so some scholars believe that Jesus could have been talking about generosity of spirit here. The Joseph Smith Translation interprets "single" as meaning "single to the glory of God."
- "Evil." The Greek word translated as "evil" in verse 23 is poneros and can also mean "bad" or "unhealthy."
- "Light." Cf. Prov 20:27: “the spirit of man is the candle of the Lord.”
Verse 24
Exegesis
Verses 25-34
This seems to mark a new unit of material. Note: in 3 Nephi 13, Christ directed these words only to the 12 Nephite Disciples, still they can apply to all.
Verse 25
"Therefore." The word "therefore" used here seems to link this material to what has just been said, esp. in verse 24.
Stress. This verse seem to be saying that we should not be uneasy, anxious, or worry about the future. Presumably, these words are addressing a problem where people were indeed uneasy, anxious, and/or worried about the future, a condition we might think about in terms of "stress" today.
"Life more than meat." Notice that this seems to echo Matt 4:4 where Jesus responds to Satan's temptation by quoting Deuteronomy, "man shall not live by bread alone." The gospels seem to repeatedly address the need for spiritual nourishment in addition to physical nourishment. In verse 33 of this chapter, Jesus admonishes us to focus on spiritual needs before physical needs.
Related links
Verse 24
- Larry W. Gibbons, "Wherefore, Settle This in Your Hearts," Ensign, Nov 2006, pp. 102–4. Elder Gibbons said: "We cannot keep one foot in the Church and one foot in the world. One reason is the world and the Church are rapidly diverging. We will lose our balance."
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