Matthew 6:9-13 is the passage most Christians know as the Lord’s Prayer. In these verses Jesus gives his disciples a model for prayer: it begins by honoring God, moves to asking for God’s kingdom and will, and then brings everyday needs, forgiveness, and protection from evil before the Father.
Jesus gives this prayer during the Sermon on the Mount, in the middle of his teaching on righteous living. The setting is a crowd of ordinary listeners in Galilee, many of whom had seen religious people pray loudly for show. Jesus teaches them a simple, honest way to talk with God instead.
9 Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. 10 Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. 13 Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’
Matthew 6:9-13 (WEB)
Matthew 6:9-13 Summary
The prayer moves in a clear order. It starts with God’s name and reputation, asks that God’s rule and purposes be seen on earth as they already are in heaven, and then turns to the disciple’s own needs: bread for today, forgiveness for sins, and rescue from the trial that tests faith. Each request is short, but together they cover the whole of life before God.
The prayer closes with a doxology, a short statement of praise that gives the kingdom, power, and glory to God forever. The word “Amen” affirms the whole prayer. The pattern shows that prayer is both petition and worship, and that a believer’s concerns sit inside a larger story about God’s reign.
Context of Matthew 6:9-13
Matthew’s Gospel was written for a community that included many Jewish followers of Jesus, and it is traditionally attributed to the apostle Matthew, a former tax collector. The book presents Jesus as the promised teacher and king who brings God’s kingdom. The Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5 to 7) is his longest recorded teaching, and it describes what life under God’s rule looks like.
In the verses just before the prayer, Jesus warns against praying to be noticed and against empty repetition, pointing instead to a private relationship with a Father who already knows what his children need. The verses after the prayer add that forgiving others is tied to receiving God’s forgiveness. So the prayer sits between a call to sincere, private prayer and a call to a forgiving heart.
Matthew 6:9-13 Verse by Verse
Philippians 4:6
In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
(WEB)
Paul tells believers not to be anxious but to bring every request to God in prayer and thanksgiving. This pairs well with the Lord’s Prayer, which teaches us to bring our daily needs to the Father in simple trust.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
(WEB)
John writes that God is faithful and just to forgive our sins when we confess them. This verse deepens the request for forgiveness in the prayer by showing that God’s mercy is reliable.
A Prayer Based on Matthew 6:9-13
Father in heaven, I come to you as your child. Let your name be honored in my life today, and let your kingdom and your will be more real in my home, my work, and my relationships. I ask you for the bread I need for this day, and I trust you to provide what I cannot manufacture on my own.
Forgive the wrongs I have done, as I also choose to forgive those who have wronged me. Keep me from testing I cannot bear alone, and deliver me from the evil one. The kingdom, the power, and the glory belong to you forever. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Matthew 6:9-13 the same as the Lord’s Prayer?
Yes, this passage is the version of the prayer found in Matthew’s Gospel, and it is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer. Luke 11 gives a shorter version, which shows that Jesus taught the prayer in more than one form.
Why does the prayer end with a doxology that Matthew’s earliest manuscripts may not include?
Some early manuscripts omit the closing praise, and scholars debate whether it was original to Matthew or added later by the church. Many Christian traditions have used it for centuries in worship, and it expresses the prayer’s themes of God’s kingdom and glory.
What does “daily bread” mean in Matthew 6:11?
The phrase asks for the food and provision a person needs for the day ahead. It teaches dependence on God for ordinary needs and encourages people to trust him one day at a time.
