Matthew 6:8 (DRB)

Passage

Be not you therefore like to them for your Father knoweth what is needful for you, before you ask him.

Nearby Context

Matthew 6:6 But thou when thou shalt pray, enter into thy chamber, and having shut the door, pray to thy Father in secret, and thy father who seeth in secret will repay thee.

Matthew 6:7 And when you are praying, speak not much, as the heathens. For they think that in their much speaking they may be heard.

Matthew 6:8 Be not you therefore like to them for your Father knoweth what is needful for you, before you ask him.

Matthew 6:9 Thus therefore shall you pray: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Matthew 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "like", "father", "knoweth", "needful", and "before". 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 "And when you are praying speak not..." into verse 9's "Thus therefore shall you pray Our Father...", 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.