Matthew 6:11

Give us. In the first part of the Lord’s Prayer (vs. 9, 10) attention is directed to the Fatherhood, character, kingdom, and will of God. In the second part of the prayer (vs. 11-13) petition is made for the temporal and spiritual needs of man.

It was the “common people” who heard Christ gladly (Mark 12:37). For the most part these were humble fishermen, farmers, and workmen. Such was the company that now listened to Him on the hillside overlooking the Plain of Gennesaret and the Lake of Galilee (MB 39; DA 299). Employment was uncertain for many of them, living conditions were precarious, and there were perhaps few who had not known actual hunger and want at one time or another, owing to drought, oppressive taxation, and other hardships. As is usually the case, those who have but little of this world’s goods are more keenly aware of their dependence upon God for the necessities of life than are those who have enough and to spare.

Daily. Gr. epiousios, a word that appears in the NT only here and in Luke 11:3. Its exact meaning is uncertain. The single occurrence of the word in secular Greek literature throws little light on its meaning. Among the meanings suggested are the following: (1) necessary for existence, (2) for the present day, (3) for the coming day. The words of Matt. 6:34 tend to confirm the idea of a daily supply sufficient for life. See p. 106.

Bread. Even those who have an abundance of “bread,” and of this world’s goods, do well to remember that it is God who gives “power to get wealth” (Deut. 8:18), a lesson Jesus graphically portrayed in the parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:16-21). Everything that we have comes from God, and in our hearts there should ever be gratitude for His goodness. Our “daily bread” includes both physical and spiritual provisions.