Matthew 6:2 is the second 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 continues the discussion of how even good deeds can be done for the wrong reasons. Content In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads: Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. The World English Bible (WEB) translates the passage as: Therefore when you do merciful deeds, don’t sound a trumpet before yourself, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may get glory from men. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward. The Novum Testamentum Graece text is: Ὅταν οὖν ποιῇς ἐλεημοσύνην, μὴ σαλπίσῃς ἔμπροσθέν σου, ὥσπερ οἱ ὑποκριταὶ ποιοῦσιν ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς καὶ ἐν ταῖς ῥύμαις, ὅπως δοξασθῶσιν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἀπέχουσιν τὸν μισθὸν αὐτῶν. For a collection of other versions see BibleHub Matthew 6:2 Analysis There were three main displays of piety in Jesus' era: alms giving, prayer, and fasting. All three are discussed in Matthew 6, with this verse beginning the discussion of alms giving, though some translations have Matthew 6:1 also reference alms rather than general righteousness. The term translated as "merciful deeds" in the WEB refers explicitly to alms giving. Alms giving was a religious act, one commanded in the Old Testament in and other places. In this era all were expected to contribute alms, and services for the needy were funded through them. In this verse Jesus condemns the hypocrites who give to charity for their own glory rather than for pious reasons. In Classical Greek a hypocrite was simply an actor who pretended to be another person on stage. By the time the Septuagint was written, the word had gained the negative connotations that it has today, and in the Gospel of Matthew the word is clearly a pejorative one. For many centuries the blowing of trumpets during alms giving was taken literally, with Cyril of Alexandria being perhaps the first to interpret the verse this way. Modern scholars mostly disagree. There is no evidence that the Pharisees, and others seen as hypocrites, actually blew upon