Matthew 6:8 Meaning and Explanation
“Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →You need not inform or persuade God; the Father already knows your needs before you speak them.
What Does Matthew 6:8 Mean?
This verse gives the reason behind the warning against empty, piled-up words. The disciples are not to pray like those who imagine God is distant and uninformed. The ground of confident prayer is the Father's intimate knowledge of His children.
If God already knows our needs, why pray at all? Because prayer was never meant to update God; it is meant to draw us to Him. We ask not to inform a stranger but to trust a Father, to bring our hearts into the open before the One who already understands. This knowledge frees prayer from anxiety and turns it into relationship. We come not as beggars hoping to be noticed, but as children speaking to a Father who has known us all along.
Frequently Asked Questions About Matthew 6:8
What does Matthew 6:8 mean?
You need not inform or persuade God; the Father already knows your needs before you speak them.