The Lord's Prayer Explained Line by Line (Matthew 6)

Many Christians learned the Lord's Prayer as children and can say it without thinking, which is both its gift and its danger.

Jesus did not give these words so we could recite them on autopilot. He gave them to teach us how to pray.

Below we'll read the prayer in its setting, compare Matthew and Luke, walk through each line, look at the doxology and the "debts or trespasses" question, and finish with a simple way to pray it daily.

Read it first: Matthew 6:9–13 (King James Version)

Read it slowly, one line at a time.

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Matthew 6:9–13 (KJV)

The setting: prayer in the Sermon on the Mount

The prayer sits in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7). In chapter 6 Jesus deals with giving, praying and fasting, and asks the same question of each: are you doing this for God, or to be seen?

Just before the prayer He gives two warnings. Don't pray to impress people, like the hypocrites who pray on street corners "that they may be seen of men" (Matthew 6:5). And don't pray to impress God: "use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do," because "your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him" (Matthew 6:7–8).

Then Jesus says, "After this manner therefore pray ye." Matthew Henry called the prayer a "new directory for prayer." He said it is "very good to use it as a form," but added, "Not that we are tied up to the use of this form only" (Matthew Henry, Matthew 6:9–15). It is both words to pray and a shape for all our praying.

Luke's version: the same prayer on another occasion

Luke records a shorter form in a different setting. Jesus had been praying, and a disciple asked Him to teach them:

1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

3 Give us day by day our daily bread.

4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Luke 11:1–4 (KJV)

In Matthew the prayer is part of a sermon; in Luke it answers a private request, so Jesus likely taught it more than once. Luke's "day by day" stresses ongoing dependence. Luke says "sins" and then "indebted," so sin and debt explain each other. And Luke has no doxology. The heart of the prayer is the same: God first, then our needs, all addressed to a Father.

The Lord's Prayer line by line

"Our Father which art in heaven"

Jesus could have started with "Almighty God." Instead He invites us to say "Father," and to say it together: our Father.

Henry wrote that there is "nothing more pleasing to God, nor pleasant to ourselves, than to call God Father." Spurgeon said this prayer "begins where all true prayer must commence, with the spirit of adoption" (Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, October 29).

"Which art in heaven" keeps that closeness reverent. He is near enough to call Father and great enough to rule from heaven.

"Hallowed be thy name"

Barnes explains that "hallowed" means "to render or pronounce holy" (Barnes' Notes on Matthew 6). God's name is already holy. We ask that it be treated as holy in our lives, homes and world.

"Thy kingdom come"

Barnes notes that "kingdom" here means "reign." We ask for God's rule to spread: in hearts that don't yet know Him, in a broken world, and finally when Christ returns.

"Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven"

In heaven, God's will is done fully and gladly. We ask for the same here. Henry paraphrased it, "Let thy will be done conscientiously by me and others."

Notice "by me." This is a prayer of surrender before it is a prayer for change in others. Jesus prayed it in Gethsemane: "not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42). If you're wrestling with God's plans for your future, our study of Jeremiah 29:11 may help.

"Give us this day our daily bread"

"Daily" translates the Greek epiousios (Strong's G1967), which occurs only in Matthew 6:11 and Luke 11:3 (Blue Letter Bible, G1967). Its exact meaning is debated. Strong's gives "for subsistence, i.e. needful," while Thayer preferred food for the coming day. Either way, the sense is enough for today.

Barnes said bread "denotes doubtless everything necessary to sustain life." Henry added that we ask for "bread, not dainties, not superfluities." This is not a request for wealth. It is a confession of daily dependence.

"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors"

"Debts" is the Greek opheilēma (Strong's G3783): "something owed," and morally "a fault" (Blue Letter Bible, G3783). Henry explained, "Our sins are our debts." We owe God love and obedience, and every failure adds to the debt.

"As we forgive our debtors" does not mean we earn forgiveness. Henry is careful: "This is not a plea of merit, but a plea of grace." The forgiven learn to forgive, and Jesus underlines this line right after the prayer (Matthew 6:14–15). See what the Bible says about forgiveness.

"And lead us not into temptation"

Would God lead us into sin? Barnes answers plainly: "God tempts no man," pointing to James 1:13.

The Greek peirasmos (Strong's G3986) is broad. Thayer lists "trial, proving" and "an enticement to sin" (Blue Letter Bible, G3986). So this is a humble request: keep me from tests I'm not strong enough for, and from places where I'll fall. Jesus told His disciples, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41).

"But deliver us from evil"

Barnes notes the Greek has the article, so it may mean "the Evil One, or Satan." Henry widened it: "deliver us from ourselves, from our own evil hearts." We need rescue from the enemy outside and the sin inside. Our study of the armor of God shows how God equips us for that fight.

The doxology: "For thine is the kingdom"

These words echo David: "Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory... thine is the kingdom, O LORD" (1 Chronicles 29:11). Barnes explains that "kingdom" speaks of God's dominion, "power" of His ability to answer, and "glory" of the aim of all our praying.

Why some modern translations footnote it

In the NIV and many modern versions, the prayer ends at "deliver us from the evil one" (or "from evil"). The NIV footnote says "some late manuscripts" add the doxology (Bible Gateway, NIV). Here is the issue, stated fairly.

The case for omitting it. Several of the oldest surviving Greek manuscripts, including Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus, lack it. So does the Latin Vulgate, and early writers such as Tertullian, Origen and Cyprian discuss the prayer without it. Many scholars think it was added from church worship. Textual scholar Tommy Wasserman writes that "external evidence is overwhelming in support of the shorter reading" (Evangelical Textual Criticism). Even Barnes judged its "authenticity is doubtful."

The case for keeping it. The doxology appears in the great majority of Greek manuscripts and in early translations such as the Syriac. The Didache, an early Christian handbook, closes the prayer with "for thine is the power and the glory for ever" (Didache 8, trans. Kirsopp Lake). The Trinitarian Bible Society argues that scribes may have dropped it because, in public worship, the minister said the closing words alone.

What this means for you. Believers who love Scripture land on both sides. No doctrine rests on these words, and every idea in them is taught elsewhere in the Bible. Praying the doxology is praying biblical truth, and the KJV we use here includes it.

"Debts" or "trespasses"?

Many churches pray "forgive us our trespasses." Others say "debts." The KJV has "debts" in Matthew 6:12. "Trespasses" entered English prayer largely through William Tyndale's New Testament and the 1549 Book of Common Prayer. So Anglicans, Methodists and Catholics tend to say "trespasses," while Presbyterian and Reformed churches tend to say "debts" (Desiring God, "Forgive Us Our What?").

"Trespasses" isn't an invention, though. Read the next verses:

14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Matthew 6:14–15 (KJV)

Here the Greek is paraptōma (Strong's G3900), "a side-slip (lapse or deviation)," covering both error and "wilful transgression" (Blue Letter Bible, G3900). Jesus explains "debts" with "trespasses," and Luke uses "sins." Whichever word your church uses, you're praying what Jesus meant.

How to pray the Lord's Prayer daily as a pattern

Jesus warned against vain repetition, not repetition itself. The difference is attention. This method takes ten to fifteen minutes. (For a quick five-step version, see how to pray when you don't know what to say.)

Step 1: Pray the whole prayer slowly once

Say it aloud at half your normal speed.

Step 2: Pause on each line

Pray each line, then add your own words before moving on:

"Our Father." Thank Him that you are His child. Name one way He cared for you this week.
"Hallowed be thy name." Praise one thing about His character.
"Thy kingdom come." Pray for one person who doesn't know Christ, and for your church.
"Thy will be done." Name one plan or decision and hand it over.
"Daily bread." Ask plainly for today's needs: work, health, bills, wisdom. Ask for enough, and give thanks.
"Forgive us our debts." Confess specific sins. Name anyone you need to forgive, and release them.
"Lead us not into temptation." Name the temptation waiting today, and plan a way out.
"Deliver us from evil." Pray protection for yourself and your family.
"For thine is the kingdom." End with praise, resting every request in His power.

Step 3: Carry one line into your day

Pick the line that hit hardest and repeat it at a red light or before a hard conversation. If worry is heavy, pair "Give us this day" with our Bible verses about peace.

The Didache told early Christians to "pray thus three times a day." You might try morning, midday and night for one week. Like Psalm 23, this prayer grows richer the longer you live with it.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

What is the meaning of the Lord's Prayer?

It is Jesus' model for prayer. It starts with God, honoring His name and asking for His kingdom and will, then brings our needs to Him: daily provision, forgiveness and protection.

Where is the Lord's Prayer in the Bible?

It appears in Matthew 6:9–13, in the Sermon on the Mount, and in a shorter form in Luke 11:2–4. In Luke, Jesus gives it after a disciple asks, "Lord, teach us to pray."

Why do some Bibles leave out "For thine is the kingdom"?

Some of the oldest surviving Greek manuscripts do not include it, so many modern translations footnote it. Most Greek manuscripts and some early translations do include it, and the KJV keeps it. Its words reflect biblical truth (1 Chronicles 29:11), so it is right to pray.

Should I say "debts" or "trespasses"?

Either is faithful. The KJV says "debts" in Matthew 6:12, Jesus uses "trespasses" in Matthew 6:14–15, and Luke uses "sins." "Trespasses" became common through Tyndale and the Book of Common Prayer.

Does God lead people into temptation?

No. Scripture says God tempts no one to sin (James 1:13). The Greek word can also mean trial or testing, so we are asking God to keep us from tests we cannot bear and from falling into sin.

Is it wrong to pray the Lord's Prayer word for word?

No. Matthew Henry said it is very good to use it as a form, though we are not tied to it only. Jesus warned against "vain repetitions," words said without the heart.