Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet--a place of retirement. and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly--Of course, it is not the simple publicity of prayer which is here condemned. It may be offered in any circumstances, however open, if not prompted by the spirit of ostentation, but dictated by the great ends of prayer itself. It is the retiring character of true prayer which is here taught. Supplementary Directions and Model Prayer (Mat 6:7-15).