Matthew 6:11
Encyclopedia
Matthew 6:11 is the eleventh verse of the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew
in the New Testament
and is part of the Sermon on the Mount
. This verse is the third one of the Lord's Prayer
, one of the best known parts of the entire New Testament. This brief verse contains the fourth petition to God.
, according to Westcott and Hort
, reads:
In the King James Version of the Bible
the text reads:
The World English Bible
translates the passage as:
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 6:11
This petition marks a change the character of the prayer. The first three petitions called for the glory of God in the second person. This petition, and the two that follow, call for personal needs to be met in the second person plural. Unlike the earlier parts of the prayer, there is no clear parallel to this one in Jewish prayers of that era.
was the most important food, especially for the poor and dispossessed segments of society that Jesus references frequently in the Sermon on the Mount. Boring believes that while there may be other metaphorical meanings, this basic meaning of bread as sustenance would always have been read into the verse. Building on the centrality of bread to survival, this verse can also be read as a metaphor, not a specific reference to God giving us bread, but to providing all those things needed in life. Without God life would be impossible.
It is also possible to read an eschatological message into the verse. In the New Testament bread is common "symbol of eschatological blessedness." It is linked to the manna
provided by God to the Israelites during Exodus, and bread thus represents the reward the faithful can expect from God at the end of times. This understanding was a popular one in the early church. The metaphor of the Kingdom of Heaven
as a divine banquet was a common one at the time. Schweizer doubts this interpretation, however. Throughout the gospel Jesus has been portrayed as caring for the daily needs of his followers, and his miraculously providing them with bread is a symbol of this. Schweizer feels bread was a very real need, not a metaphoric one.
The third interpretation is that this verse is referencing the bread of the Last Supper
and the eucharist
, the accepted view of the Catholic Church. Boring disagrees with this interpretation noting that nowhere in the Gospel does the author of Matthew seem to have any knowledge of or interest in the rituals of the eucharist. Historically the ritual only developed some time after the Gospel was written.
this is epiousios
. In the entire Koine Greek literature this word occurs only in this verse, its counterpart in Luke. This problem has been noted as early as Origen
, who did not recognize epiousios as a Greek word. Thus translators and scholars are not certain exactly what it means, and there a number of theories.
Etymologically epiousios seems to be related to the Greek word ousia
, meaning substance. For early Catholic writers this was part of the reason the verse was connected this to the Eucharist
and transubstantiation
. St. Jerome translated the word as meaning supersubstantial, and this meaning appears in the Vulgate
. Modern scholars tend to reject this translation as do Protestants, and their Bible translations chose other interpretations.
Substance can also be understood as existence, and thus another translation is as "necessary for existence." This supports the verse as a call for God to provide the bread that is necessary for survival. It is unlikely that epiousios could mean "necessary for existence," as this would violate standard rules of word formation. Koine Greek also has several far more common terms for this idea, and one of these is more likely have been used.
A third interpretation is that epiousios means "for tomorrow" and this verse could thus be read as "gives us the bread for the coming day." The second century Gospel of the Nazareans writes the prayer in this manner, and the writer of this early document, even is it is Apocryphal, would likely have known the meaning of the word. Luz considers this to be the most likely translation. The main problem with this translation is that it seems to conflict with Matthew 6:31. Etymologically it could also mean "today's bread", this would not conflict with 6:31, but there is no external evidence for it.
Schweizer notes that some scholars believe epiousios means for tomorrow, but that this obscure word refers specifically to an eschatological tomorrow, supporting the idea that this verse is a specific reference to the ends times.
The most common translation in Bibles remains daily. Most scholars do not see any evidence for this translation, but as Hendriksen
notes, without any real proof for alternate readings there is no real need to abandon the traditional translation that readers are familiar with. Daily is also quite close to both the "necessary for survival" and "for the coming day" translations, which are the most popular among scholars.
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
and is part of the Sermon on the Mount
Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of sayings and teachings of Jesus, which emphasizes his moral teaching found in the Gospel of Matthew...
. This verse is the third one of the Lord's Prayer
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
, one of the best known parts of the entire New Testament. This brief verse contains the fourth petition to God.
Text
The original Koine GreekKoine Greek
Koine Greek is the universal dialect of the Greek language spoken throughout post-Classical antiquity , developing from the Attic dialect, with admixture of elements especially from Ionic....
, according to Westcott and Hort
The New Testament in the Original Greek
The New Testament in the Original Greek is the name of a Greek language version of the New Testament published in 1881. It is also known as the Westcott and Hort text, after its editors Brooke Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort...
, reads:
- τον αρτον ημων τον επιουσιον δος ημιν σημερον
In the King James Version of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
the text reads:
- Give us this day our daily bread.
The World English Bible
World English Bible
The World English Bible is a public domain translation of the Bible that is currently in draft form. Work on the World English Bible began in 1997 and was known as the American Standard Version 1997...
translates the passage as:
- Give us today our daily bread.
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 6:11
This petition marks a change the character of the prayer. The first three petitions called for the glory of God in the second person. This petition, and the two that follow, call for personal needs to be met in the second person plural. Unlike the earlier parts of the prayer, there is no clear parallel to this one in Jewish prayers of that era.
Meaning
What precisely Jesus intends by this part of the prayer has long been debated. Boring notes three major schools of interpretation. The most basic and literal is the need for bread in basic life and survival. In this era breadBread
Bread is a staple food prepared by cooking a dough of flour and water and often additional ingredients. Doughs are usually baked, but in some cuisines breads are steamed , fried , or baked on an unoiled frying pan . It may be leavened or unleavened...
was the most important food, especially for the poor and dispossessed segments of society that Jesus references frequently in the Sermon on the Mount. Boring believes that while there may be other metaphorical meanings, this basic meaning of bread as sustenance would always have been read into the verse. Building on the centrality of bread to survival, this verse can also be read as a metaphor, not a specific reference to God giving us bread, but to providing all those things needed in life. Without God life would be impossible.
It is also possible to read an eschatological message into the verse. In the New Testament bread is common "symbol of eschatological blessedness." It is linked to the manna
Manna
Manna or Manna wa Salwa , sometimes or archaically spelled mana, is the name of an edible substance that God provided for the Israelites during their travels in the desert according to the Bible.It was said to be sweet to the taste, like honey....
provided by God to the Israelites during Exodus, and bread thus represents the reward the faithful can expect from God at the end of times. This understanding was a popular one in the early church. The metaphor of the Kingdom of Heaven
Kingdom of God
The Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven is a foundational concept in the Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.The term "Kingdom of God" is found in all four canonical gospels and in the Pauline epistles...
as a divine banquet was a common one at the time. Schweizer doubts this interpretation, however. Throughout the gospel Jesus has been portrayed as caring for the daily needs of his followers, and his miraculously providing them with bread is a symbol of this. Schweizer feels bread was a very real need, not a metaphoric one.
The third interpretation is that this verse is referencing the bread of the Last Supper
Last Supper
The Last Supper is the final meal that, according to Christian belief, Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The Last Supper provides the scriptural basis for the Eucharist, also known as "communion" or "the Lord's Supper".The First Epistle to the Corinthians is...
and the eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
, the accepted view of the Catholic Church. Boring disagrees with this interpretation noting that nowhere in the Gospel does the author of Matthew seem to have any knowledge of or interest in the rituals of the eucharist. Historically the ritual only developed some time after the Gospel was written.
Epiousios
The debate over meaning is complicated by the absence of an understanding of the word translated as daily. In the Koine GreekKoine Greek
Koine Greek is the universal dialect of the Greek language spoken throughout post-Classical antiquity , developing from the Attic dialect, with admixture of elements especially from Ionic....
this is epiousios
Epiousios
Epiousios is a Greek word used in the fourth petition of the Lord's Prayer, as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke . The word is not found elsewhere in Classical Greek literature. The term was rendered as cotidianum in the Vetus Latina and revised to supersubstantialem in...
. In the entire Koine Greek literature this word occurs only in this verse, its counterpart in Luke. This problem has been noted as early as Origen
Origen
Origen , or Origen Adamantius, 184/5–253/4, was an early Christian Alexandrian scholar and theologian, and one of the most distinguished writers of the early Church. As early as the fourth century, his orthodoxy was suspect, in part because he believed in the pre-existence of souls...
, who did not recognize epiousios as a Greek word. Thus translators and scholars are not certain exactly what it means, and there a number of theories.
Etymologically epiousios seems to be related to the Greek word ousia
Ousia
Ousia is the Ancient Greek noun formed on the feminine present participle of ; it is analogous to the English participle being, and the modern philosophy adjectival ontic...
, meaning substance. For early Catholic writers this was part of the reason the verse was connected this to the Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
and transubstantiation
Transubstantiation
In Roman Catholic theology, transubstantiation means the change, in the Eucharist, of the substance of wheat bread and grape wine into the substance of the Body and Blood, respectively, of Jesus, while all that is accessible to the senses remains as before.The Eastern Orthodox...
. St. Jerome translated the word as meaning supersubstantial, and this meaning appears in the Vulgate
Vulgate
The Vulgate is a late 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It was largely the work of St. Jerome, who was commissioned by Pope Damasus I in 382 to make a revision of the old Latin translations...
. Modern scholars tend to reject this translation as do Protestants, and their Bible translations chose other interpretations.
Substance can also be understood as existence, and thus another translation is as "necessary for existence." This supports the verse as a call for God to provide the bread that is necessary for survival. It is unlikely that epiousios could mean "necessary for existence," as this would violate standard rules of word formation. Koine Greek also has several far more common terms for this idea, and one of these is more likely have been used.
A third interpretation is that epiousios means "for tomorrow" and this verse could thus be read as "gives us the bread for the coming day." The second century Gospel of the Nazareans writes the prayer in this manner, and the writer of this early document, even is it is Apocryphal, would likely have known the meaning of the word. Luz considers this to be the most likely translation. The main problem with this translation is that it seems to conflict with Matthew 6:31. Etymologically it could also mean "today's bread", this would not conflict with 6:31, but there is no external evidence for it.
Schweizer notes that some scholars believe epiousios means for tomorrow, but that this obscure word refers specifically to an eschatological tomorrow, supporting the idea that this verse is a specific reference to the ends times.
The most common translation in Bibles remains daily. Most scholars do not see any evidence for this translation, but as Hendriksen
William Hendriksen
William Hendriksen was a New Testament scholar and writer of Bible commentaries. He was born in Tiel, Gelderland, but his family moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1911. Hendriksen studied at Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary before obtaining an S.T.D...
notes, without any real proof for alternate readings there is no real need to abandon the traditional translation that readers are familiar with. Daily is also quite close to both the "necessary for survival" and "for the coming day" translations, which are the most popular among scholars.