Preface.

...teach them to pray. At that time he answered them: When (a) you pray / you shall not babble much / like the heathen Original: Heiden. Referring to non-Christian/non-Jewish pagans of the ancient world.. And he added the following reason: Your Father knows what you need before you ask.

Had he simply said, "you shall not pray like the heathen," then I would also believe what is commonly imagined—that Christ Original: Christus. in this passage rejects undevout, false, hypocritical, or otherwise improperly performed prayer Original: Bethen.. But no. He is not speaking here in general of every evil thing found in the prayers of the heathen, nor does he mention these or other similar faults specifically with a single word. Furthermore, the reason given for the prohibition would not fit such an interpretation—namely, "because your Father knows what you need before you ask him." Indeed, perhaps his disciples did not even require such a reminder against hypocrisy. They merely desired a specific form or manner in which to pray. That one

(a) Matthew 6:7, 8.

Vocabulary: Preface, Prayer, Christ, Heathen, Matthew 6