Matthew 6:8 (DBY)

Passage

Be not ye therefore like them, for your Father knows of what things ye have need before ye beg [anything] of him.

Nearby Context

Matthew 6:6 But *thou*, when thou prayest, enter into thy chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father who sees in secret will render [it] to thee.

Matthew 6:7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as those who are of the nations: for they think they shall be heard through their much speaking.

Matthew 6:8 Be not ye therefore like them, for your Father knows of what things ye have need before ye beg [anything] of him.

Matthew 6:9 Thus therefore pray *ye*: Our Father who art in the heavens, let thy name be sanctified,

Matthew 6:10 let thy kingdom come, let thy will be done as in heaven so upon the earth;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "like", "father", "knows", "things", "need", "before", and "anything". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "like", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "But when ye pray use not vain..." into verse 9's "Thus therefore pray ye Our Father who...", so "therefore" and "like" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "therefore" and "like" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.