118
Ch. αν.27.Σ ἀποδώσει σοι ἐν τῷ φανερῷ.
νι.
1 5. Καὶ ὅταν προσεύχη, οὐκ eon?
n Ch, xxiii, ὥσπερ ® οἱ ὑποκμιταί, ὅτι Ά φιλοῦσιν ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς καὶ ἐν ταῖς
k. xx.
hg γωνίαις τῶν πλατειῶν ἑστῶτες προσεύχεσθαι, ὅπως ἂν ΄ φανῶσι τοῖς. ἀνθρώποις: ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ὅτι ἀπέχουσι τὸν μισθὸν αὐτῶν. 6.
iCh. xxiv. 26.
Sir. xxix.
12 al. in
Sept.
Lk. σὺ δέ, ὅταν προσεύχῃ, εἴσελθε eis τὸ ταμιεῖόν ὃ σου, καὶ κλείσας τὴν θύραν σου, πρόσευξαι τῷ πατρί σου τῷ ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ: καὶ ὁ
πατήρ σου ὁ βλέπων ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ ἀποδώσει σοι ἐν τῷ φανερῷ.Ἱ
1 ΜΒΌ omit. This time L goes with the MSS. which have this reading.
Doubtless a gloss, vide below.
* For προσευχη ουκ ery WB have προσευχησθε ονκ εσίσθε, adopted by W.H. and
other editors. 2s in NBDZ. * av omitted in NBDL. δ οτι omitted in NBDZ.
* ταμειον in W.H. So in (BDL (ταµιον, ND), 7 NBDZ omit εν τω davepa, followed by most modern editors.
Ezra, and grew in the Judaistic period; traces of it even in the later books of Ο. T., ¢.g., Dan. vi. το, 11 (vide Schultz, Alt. Theol.). The hour of prayer might overtake a man anywhere. The “actors "’ might, as De Wette suggests, be glad to overtaken, or even arrange for it, in some well-frequented place. — ὅπως φανῶσιν τ. a. in order that they may appear to men, and have it remarked : how devout! Ver. 6: true prayer in contrast to the theatrical type.—ovd δὲ, thou, my disciple, in opposition to the “actors "’.—8rav, when the spirit moves, not when the customary hour comes, freedom from rule in prayer, as in fasting (Mt. ix. 14), is taken for granted. — rd tov, late form for ταμιεῖον (Lobeck, Phryn., 493), first a store-chamber, then any place of privacy, a closet (Mt. xxiv. 26). Note the σον after rap. and θύραν and πατρί, all em- phasising isolation, thy closet, thy door, thy Father.—«Aeloas, carefully shutting thy door, the door of thine own retreat, to exclude all but thy Father, with as much secrecy as if you were about a guilty act. What delicacy of feeling, as well as ο is implied in all this ; greatly to respected, often sinned against.—r@ ἐν τῷ κρνπτφ, He who is in the secret place; perhaps with allusion to God’s presence in the dark holy of holies (Achelis). He is there in the place from which all fellow- men are excluded. Is social prayer negatived by this directory? No, but it is implied that social prayer will be
a reality only in proportion as it pro- ceeds from a gathering of men accus- tomed to private prayer.
Vv. 7-15. Further instruction in prayer. Weiss (Mt.-Evan.) regards this passage as an interpolation, having no proper place in an anti-Pharisaic dis- course. Both the opinion and its ground are doubtful. As regards the latter, it is true that it is Gentile practice in prayer that is formally criticised, but it does not follow that the Pharisees were not open to the same censure. They might make long prayers, not in ignorance, but in ostentation (Lutteroth), as a dis- play of devotional talent or zeal. But apart from the question of reference to the Pharisees, it is likely that prayer under various aspects formed one of the subjects of instruction in the course of teaching on the hill whereof these chap- ters are a digest.
Ver. 7. βατταλογήσητε: a ἅπαξ λεγ. in N. T., rarely used anywhere, and of doubtful derivation. Some (Erasmus, e.g.) have thought it was formed from Battus, the stammerer mentioned Herod. (iv. 155), or from a feeble poet of the name who made hymns full of repetitions (Suidas, Lexicon), but most now incline to the view that it is onoma- topoetic. Hesychius (Lex.) takes this view of the kindred word Ba (ἐμοὶ μὲν δοκεῖ κατὰ µίµησιν τῆς η πεποιῆσθαι). It points to the iti without end of the same forms of words as a stammerer involuntarily repeats the same syllable, like the Baal worshippere