Thus, when you give alms is given in more contemporary language by Good News Translation: “So when you give something to a needy person.” New English Bible (“Thus, when you do some act of charity”) and Barclay (“When you are going to perform an act of charity”) are similar. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates “When you help someone.” However, this and Phillips (“So, when you do good to other people”) may not emphasize enough that what is involved here is giving help to the needy. Other than in Matthew 6.2, 3, 4 the word alms is found in the New Testament only in the Lukan writings: Luke 11.41; 12.33; Acts 3.2, 3, 10; 9.36; 10.2, 4, 31; 24.17.
The transition Thus can be “Therefore” or “So then.”
When is “on those occasions,” “whenever,” or “at any time when.”
Many languages have a word which means give alms. This is particularly true in areas where a religion such as Islam predominates, which encourages this practice. In other cases translators can use a phrase similar to that in Good News Translation, such as “give something to people who are in need (or, who are poor).”
Sound no trumpet before you is translated nonfiguratively by Good News Translation: “do not make a big show of it.” This figure of speech is probably not to be taken literally, but as a metaphor for attracting notice. However, it may contain a reference to the practice of blowing trumpets in the Temple at the time of collecting alms for some special need. It was the custom to sound trumpets during public fasts on the occasions of drought. During these times prayers were frequently offered in the streets, and some commentators believe that collections for the poor may also have been made during these public fasts. Whether the expression is taken to be figurative or literal, it should be rendered in the receptor language in such a way as to make a dynamic impact. Note, for example, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch: “Don’t hang it on the great bell!” In German this expression means something like “Don’t make a big fuss about it” or “Don’t broadcast it all around.” Several English translations maintain the trumpet imagery with forceful impact: “do not announce it with trumpets” (New International Version), “do not announce it with a flourish of trumpets” (New English Bible), and “don’t hire a trumpeter to go in front of you” (Phillips).
Translators who prefer to keep the image of the trumpet may say “Don’t have someone blow a trumpet to draw attention to what you are doing.” Others may use another image, as in “Don’t beat the drums to tell everyone about it.” Translators who use no image at all will say something like “Don’t do it in such a way that everyone will know about it,” “Don’t attract attention to what you are doing,” or “Don’t make a big noise (or, fuss) about it.”
Hypocrites is the translation (rather transliteration) of a Greek word originally used of an actor who played a role (Phillips “play actors”). In the Septuagint it is employed as a term for the godless. In the Psalms of Solomon, which are of Pharisaic origin, it is applied to the Sadducees, since they were considered worldly by the Pharisees (Psalms of Solomon 4.7, 25). Although the word itself may indicate self-delusion, in the context conscious deception is evidently intended. This interpretation is supported by the terrible accusations brought against hypocrisy in the following verses. The word is quite frequently used in Matthew’s Gospel: 6.2, 5, 16; 7.5; 15.7; 22.18; 23.13, (14,) 15, 23, 25, 27, 29; 24.51. Outside the Gospel of Matthew it occurs only four times in the New Testament: Mark 7.6; Luke 6.42; 12.56; 13.15.
Hypocrisy is probably something known in every culture in the world, so many languages will have a word that means exactly hypocrites. Others, however, will speak of such people as “those who appear to be one thing but are really the opposite” or “people who pretend to be good and are really bad.” In this verse, translators should not identify the hypocrites as Pharisees or as any other specific group.
Synagogues were the Jewish “houses of worship” (Good News Translation); see comments on 4.23.
Streets follows the Greek text and is the rendering of most translations; Anchor Bible has “market places.” In some languages it may sound odd to have the people standing out in the middle of busy streets praying; any place where large crowds of people normally gather for daily activities, such as market places or street corners, would seem a most satisfactory rendering. Thus translators may have “out in the middle of town” or “in the busy parts of the towns.”
The word as means “just like” or “in the same manner.” This sentence can be structured in two or three ways; for example, “When you give to needy people, don’t do it the way the hypocrites do. They have someone blow a trumpet in the synagogues and in the streets to draw attention to what they are doing” or “When you give something to needy people, don’t have someone blow a trumpet to announce it. That is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets.”
The passive form of the Greek text (that they may be praised by men) is changed into an active by Good News Translation‘s “so that people will praise them.” New American Bible has “looking for applause”; Barclay “to win popular applause”; New Jerusalem Bible “to win human admiration”; New English Bible “to win admiration from men”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch: “they want only to be honored by men.” Translations have also said “so that people will say how good they are” or “because they want people to praise them.”
Truly, I say to you: see 5.18, where almost the same form is used. The Greek verb translated received by Revised Standard Version occurs frequently in written materials from those days as a technical term in drawing up a receipt. Matthew uses it with this same meaning in verse 16; elsewhere it occurs in the Gospel in 14.24 and 15.8, though with a different meaning.
Reward: although the word has “wages” as its first meaning, it may also mean “reward” as a special gift given either by humans or by God. Elsewhere in Matthew it occurs in 5.12 (see comments there); 5.46; 6.1, 16; 10.41, 42; and as “wages” in 20.8. It is sometimes translated “gift for what they have done,” or simply “gift.”
Jesus is saying here “They have received already all the reward they are going to receive” or “They will not get any more reward than that.” It may be helpful to indicate that any further reward or gift would have come from God. This can be done with a phrase like “God won’t give them any gift beyond that (or, that praise).” The “that” refers, of course, to the praise of men. Another way to express the thought is “When people praise them, that is the only reward they will receive.”
Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .