“Do not sound a trumpet before you”
Matthew 6:2
Figure of speechWell-supportedJesus
So when you give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. (Matthew 6:2 BSB)
What it sounds like today
Did donors literally hire trumpeters?
The cultural key
No evidence exists of literal trumpets announcing gifts; this is almost certainly satirical hyperbole (our 'blowing your own horn' descends from it). Some scholars hear a pun on the temple treasury's thirteen trumpet-shaped offering chests (shofarot), into which coins could be flung loudly.
Recovered meaning
Charity performed for an audience already has its full reward: the applause. Give so quietly that the applause never happens and the reward waits with God.