Deliver Us From Evil

A line-by-line exploration of the Lord's Prayer through the writings of famous theological commentators

"But deliver us from evil" is the last of the seven petitions in the Lord's prayer (the first three address God, the second four are prayers related to our needs and concerns)

Please select a commentary by clicking on one of the following:-

Matthew Henry on the meaning of "Deliver us from evil"

Adam Clarke on "Deliver us from evil"

Albert Barnes on "Deliver us from evil"

(Commentary on Matthew chapter 6, verse 13)

Wesley Study Notes
Matthew 6:9-13
Commentary by John Calvin
Lords Prayer Matt 6:9
Commentary by John Calvin
Lords Prayer Matt 6:10
Commentary by John Calvin
Lords Prayer Matt 6:11
Commentary by John Calvin
Lords Prayer Matt 6:12
Commentary by John Calvin
Lords Prayer Matt 6:13
Sermon by Charles Spurgeon
"The Fatherhood of God"
Sermon by Charles Spurgeon
"A Heavenly Pattern..."
Interpretation by
Alexander Maclaren - intro
Interpretation by
Alexander Maclaren - part 1
Interpretation by
Alexander Maclaren - part 2
a contemporary bible study
on the Lord's Prayer

prayerscapes - creative
prayer music

Matthew Henry on "Deliver us from evil"

(2.) Positively: But deliver us from evil; apo tou ponerou--from the evil one, the devil, the tempter; "keep us, that either we may not be assaulted by him, or we may not be overcome by those assaults:" Or from the evil thing, sin, the worst of evils; an evil, an only evil; that evil thing which God hates, and which Satan tempts men to and destroys them by. "Lord, deliver us from the evil of the world, the corruption that is in the world through lust; from the evil of every condition in the world; from the evil of death; from the sting of death, which is sin: deliver us from ourselves, from our own evil hearts: deliver us from evil men, that they may not be a snare to us, nor we a prey to them."

Source: Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume V (Matthew to John)

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Adam Clarke on "Deliver us from evil"

But deliver us from evil] APOTOUPONHROU, from the wicked one.
Satan is expressly called OPONHROS, the wicked one.
Mt 13:19, 38, compare with Mr 4:15; Lu 8:12. This epithet of
Satan comes from PONOS, labour, sorrow, misery, because of the
drudgery which is found in the way of sin, the sorrow that
accompanies the commission of it, and the misery which is entailed
upon it, and in which it ends.

It is said in the MISHNA, Tit. Beracoth, that Rabbi Judah was
wont to pray thus: "Let it be thy good pleasure to deliver us from
impudent men, and from impudence: from an evil man and an evil
chance; from an evil affection, an evil companion, and an evil
neighbour: from Satan the destroyer, from a hard judgment, and a
hard adversary." See Lightfoot.

Deliver us] RUSAIHMAS-a very expressive word-break our chains,
and loose our bands-snatch, pluck us from the evil, and its
calamitous issue.

Source: Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Albert Barnes on "Deliver us from evil"

Deliver us from evil. The original, in this place, has the article-- deliver us from THE evil--that is, as has been supposed, the evil one, or Satan. He is elsewhere called, by way of eminence, the evil one, Mt 13:19, 1Jn 2:13, 14, 3:12. Deliver us from his power, his snares, his arts, his temptations. He is supposed to be the great parent of evil, and to be delivered from him is to be safe. Or it may mean, deliver us from the various evils and trials which beset us, the heavy and oppressive calamities into which we are continually liable to fall.

Source: Barnes' New Testament Notes