Matthew 6:7

Geneva Bible (1560)

Also when ye pray, vse no vaine repetitions as the Heathen: for they thinke to be heard for their much babbling.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Προσευχόμενοι δὲ, μὴ βαττολογήσητε, ὥσπερ οἱ ἐθνικοί: δοκοῦσιν γὰρ ὅτι ἐν τῇ πολυλογίᾳ αὐτῶν εἰσακουσθήσονται.

Transliteration

Proseuchomenoi de, mē battologēsēte, hōsper the ethnikoi: dokousin gar hoti in the polylogia of them eisakousthēsontai.

Grammar Details

• *Proseuchomenoi de*: present middle participle, nominative, masculine, plural + contrastive particle - but praying
• *mē battologēsēte*: negative particle + aorist subjunctive, 2nd plural - do not use vain repetitions
• *hōsper*: comparative adverb - just as/like
• *ethnikoi*: nominative, masculine, plural - Gentiles/pagans/heathens
• *dokousin gar hoti*: present active indicative, 3rd plural + causal conjunction + declarative conjunction - for they think that
• *polylogia*: dative, feminine, singular - much speaking/wordiness
• *eisakousthēsontai*: future passive indicative, 3rd plural - they will be heard/listened to

Word Meanings

• *Proseuchomenoi*: praying/when praying/as you pray
• *battologēsēte*: use vain repetitions/babble/speak meaninglessly
• *ethnikoi*: Gentiles/pagans/non-Jews/heathens
• *dokousin*: think/suppose/believe
• *polylogia*: much speaking/wordiness/verbosity
• *eisakousthēsontai*: will be heard/will be listened to/will have their request granted

Referenced Verses

• Eccl 5:2-3 : 2 (5:1) Be not rash with thy mouth, nor let thine heart be hastie to vtter a thing before God: for God is in the heauens, and thou art on the earth: therefore let thy wordes be fewe. 3 (5:2) For as a dreame commeth by the multitude of businesse: so the voyce of a foole is in the multitude of wordes.
• Eccl 5:7 : 7 (5:6) For in the multitude of dreames, and vanities are also many wordes: but feare thou God.
• 1 Kgs 18:26-29 : 26 So they tooke the one bullocke, that was giuen them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal, from morning to noone, saying, O Baal, heare vs: but there was no voyce, nor any to answere: and they leapt vpon the altar that was made. 27 And at noone Eliiah mocked them, & said, Crye loude: for he is a god: either he talketh or pursueth his enemies, or is in his iourney, or it may be that he sleepeth, and must be awaked. 28 And they cryed loude, and cut them selues as their maner was, with kniues and launcers, till the blood gushed out vpon them. 29 And when midday was passed, & they had prophecied vntil the offring of the euening sacrifice, there was neither voyce, nor one to answere, nor any that regarded.
• Matt 26:44 : 44 So he left them and went away againe, and praied the third time, saying the same woordes.
• 1 Kgs 8:26-54 : 26 And nowe, O God of Israel, I pray thee, let thy worde be verified, which thou spakest vnto thy seruant Dauid my father. 27 Is it true in deede that God will dwell on the earth? beholde, the heauens, and the heauens of heauens are not able to conteine thee: howe much more vnable is this house that I haue built? 28 But haue thou respect vnto the prayer of thy seruant, and to his supplication, O Lorde, my God, to heare the cry and prayer which thy seruant prayeth before thee this day: 29 That thine eyes may be open toward this house, night and day, euen towarde the place whereof thou hast said, My Name shalbe there: that thou mayest hearken vnto the prayer which thy seruant prayeth in this place. 30 Heare thou therefore the supplication of thy seruant, and of thy people Israel, which pray in this place, & heare thou in the place of thine habitation, euen in heauen, and when thou hearest, haue mercie. 31 When a man shall trespasse against his neighbour, & he lay vpon him an othe to cause him to sweare, and the swearer shall come before thine altar in this house, 32 Then heare thou in heauen, and doe and iudge thy seruants, that thou condemne the wicked to bring his way vpon his head, and iustifie the righteous, to giue him according to his righteousnesse. 33 When thy people Israel shall be ouerthrowen before the enemie, because they haue sinned against thee, and turne againe to thee, and confesse thy Name, and pray and make supplication vnto thee in this house, 34 Then heare thou in heauen, and be mercifull vnto the sinne of thy people Israel, and bring them againe vnto the lande, which thou gauest vnto their fathers. 35 When heauen shalbe shut vp, & there shalbe no raine because they haue sinned against thee, and shall pray in this place, and confesse thy Name, and turne from their sinne, when thou doest afflict them, 36 Then heare thou in heauen, and pardon the sinne of thy seruants and of thy people Israel (when thou hast taught the the good way wherein they may walke) and giue raine vpon the land that thou hast giuen to thy people to inherite. 37 When there shalbe famine in the land, when there shalbe pestilence, when there shall be blasting, mildewe, grashopper or caterpiller, when their enemie shall besiege them in the cities of their lande, or any plague, or any sickenesse, 38 Then what prayer, and supplication so euer shalbe made of any man or of all thy people Israel, when euery one shall knowe the plague in his owne heart, and stretch foorth his handes in this house, 39 Heare thou then in heauen, in thy dwelling place, and be mercifull, and doe, and giue euery man according to all his wayes, as thou knowest his heart, (for thou only knowest the heartes of all the children of men) 40 That they may feare thee as long as they liue in ye lad, which thou gauest vnto our fathers. 41 Moreouer as touching the stranger that is not of thy people Israel, who shall come out of a farre countrey for thy Names sake, 42 (When they shal heare of thy great name, and of thy mightie hande, and of thy stretched out arme) and shall come and pray in this house, 43 Heare thou in heauen thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth for vnto thee: that all the people of the earth may know thy Name, and feare thee, as do thy people Israel: and that they may know, that thy Name is called vpon in this house which I haue built. 44 When thy people shall go out to battell against their enemie by the way that thou shalt sende them, and shall pray vnto the Lorde towarde the way of the citie which thou hast chosen, and toward the house that I haue built for thy Name, 45 Heare thou then in heauen their prayer & their supplication, and iudge their cause. 46 If they sinne against thee, ( for there is no man that sinneth not) and thou be angry with them, and deliuer them vnto the enemies, so that they cary them away prisoners vnto the land of the enemies, either farre or neere, 47 Yet if they turne againe vnto their heart in the lande (to the which they be caryed away captiues) and returne and pray vnto thee in the lande of them that caryed them away captiues, saying, We haue sinned, we haue transgressed, and done wickedly, 48 If they turne againe vnto thee with all their heart, and with all their soule in the lande of their enemies, which led them away captiues, and pray vnto thee toward the way of their land, which thou gauest vnto their fathers, and toward the citie which thou hast chosen, and the house, which I haue built for thy Name, 49 Then heare thou their prayer and their supplication in heauen thy dwelling place, and iudge their cause, 50 And be mercifull vnto thy people that haue sinned against thee, and vnto all their iniquities (wherein they haue transgressed against thee) and cause that they, which led them away captiues, may haue pitie and compassion on them: 51 For they be thy people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest out of Egypt from the middes of the yron fornace. 52 Let thine eyes be open vnto the prayer of thy seruant, and vnto the prayer of thy people Israel, to hearken vnto them, in all that they call for vnto thee. 53 For thou diddest separate them to thee from among all people of the earth for an inheritance, as thou saidest by the hand of Moses thy seruant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord God. 54 And when Salomon had made an ende of praying all this prayer and supplication vnto the Lorde, he arose from before the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees, and stretching of his handes to heauen,
• Matt 26:39 : 39 So hee went a litle further, and fell on his face, and praied, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup passe from me: neuerthelesse, not as I will, but as thou wilt.
• Matt 26:42 : 42 Againe he went away the second time, and praied, saying, O my Father, if this cuppe can not passe away from mee, but that I must drinke it, thy will be done.
• Dan 9:18-19 : 18 O my God, encline thine eare and heare: open thine eyes, and beholde our desolations, and the citie whereupon thy Name is called: for we doe not present our supplications before thee for our owne righteousnes, but for thy great tender mercies. 19 O Lorde, heare, O Lorde forgiue, O Lorde consider, and doe it: deferre not, for thine owne sake, O my God: for thy Name is called vpon thy citie, and vpon thy people.
• Matt 6:32 : 32 (For after all these things seeke the Gentiles) for your heauenly Father knoweth, that ye haue neede of all these things.
• Matt 18:17 : 17 And if he refuse to heare them, tell it vnto the Church: and if he refuse to heare the Church also, let him be vnto thee as an heathen man, and a Publicane.
• Acts 19:34 : 34 But when they knew that he was a Iewe, there arose a shoute almost for the space of two houres, of all men crying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.