Luke 11:1-13

Context

Instructions on Prayer

11:1 Now¹ Jesus² was praying in a certain place. When³ he stopped, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John⁴ taught⁵ his disciples.” 11:2 So he said to them, “When you pray,⁶ say:

Father,⁷ may your name be honored;⁸

may your kingdom come.⁹

11:3 Give us each day our daily bread,¹⁰

11:4 and forgive us our sins,

for we also forgive everyone who sins¹¹ against us.

And do not lead us into temptation.”¹²

11:5 Then¹³ he said to them, “Suppose one of you¹⁴ has a friend, and you go to him¹⁵ at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,¹⁶ 11:6 because a friend of mine has stopped here while on a journey,¹⁷ and I have nothing to set before¹⁸ him.’ 11:7 Then¹⁹ he will reply²⁰ from inside, ‘Do not bother me. The door is already shut, and my children and I are in bed.²¹ I cannot get up and give you anything.’²² 11:8 I tell you, even though the man inside²³ will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of the first man’s²⁴ sheer persistence²⁵ he will get up and give him whatever he needs.

11:9 “So²⁶ I tell you: Ask,²⁷ and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door²⁸ will be opened for you. 11:10 For everyone who asks²⁹ receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door³⁰ will be opened. 11:11 What father among you, if your³¹ son asks for³² a fish, will give him a snake³³ instead of a fish? 11:12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?³⁴ 11:13 If you then, although you are³⁵ evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit³⁶ to those who ask him!”

[11:1] ¹tn Grk “And it happened that while.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated. Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[11:1] ²tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:1] ³tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[11:1] ⁴sn John refers to John the Baptist.

[11:1] ⁵sn It was not unusual for Jewish groups to have their own prayer as a way of expressing corporate identity. Judaism had the Eighteen Benedictions and apparently John the Baptist had a prayer for his disciples as well.

[11:2] ⁶sn When you pray. What follows, although traditionally known as the Lord’s prayer, is really the disciples’ prayer. It represents how they are to approach God, by acknowledging his uniqueness and their need for his provision and protection.

[11:2] ⁷tc Most mss, including later majority (A C D W Θ Ψ 070 Ë¹³ 33^vid Ï it), add ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς (Jhmwn Jo en toi" oujranoi", “our [Father] in heaven”) here. This makes the prayer begin like the version in Matt 6:9. The shorter version is read by Ì⁷⁵ א B (L: + ἡμῶν) 1 700 pc as well as some versions and fathers. Given this more weighty external evidence, combined with the scribal tendency to harmonize Gospel parallels, the shorter reading is preferred.

[11:2] ⁸tn Grk “hallowed be your name.”

[11:2] ⁹tc Most mss (א A C D W Θ Ψ 070 Ë¹³ 33^vid Ï it) read at the end of the verse “may your will be done on earth as [it is] in heaven,” making this version parallel to Matt 6:10. The shorter reading is found, however, in weighty mss (Ì⁷⁵ B L pc), and cannot be easily explained as arising from the longer reading.

[11:3] ¹⁰tn Or “Give us bread each day for the coming day,” or “Give us each day the bread we need for today.” The term ἐπιούσιος (epiousio") does not occur outside of early Christian literature (other occurrences are in Matt 6:11 and Didache 8:2), so its meaning is difficult to determine. Various suggestions include “daily,” “the coming day,” and “for existence.” See BDAG 376 s.v.; L&N 67:183, 206.

[11:4] ¹¹tn Grk “who is indebted to us” (an idiom). The picture of sin as debt is not unusual. As for forgiveness offered and forgiveness given, see 1 Pet 3:7.

[11:4] ¹²tc Most mss (א¹ A C D W Θ Ψ 070 Ë¹³ 33 Ï it sy^c,p,h) add “but deliver us from the evil one,” an assimilation to Matt 6:13. The shorter reading has better attestation (Ì⁷⁵ א*^,2 B L 1 700 pc vg sa Or). Internally, since the mss that have the longer reading here display the same tendency throughout the Lord’s Prayer to assimilate the Lukan version to the Matthean version, the shorter reading should be regarded as authentic in Luke.

[11:5] ¹³tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[11:5] ¹⁴tn Grk “Who among you will have a friend and go to him.”

[11:5] ¹⁵tn Grk “he will go to him.”

[11:5] ¹⁶tn The words “of bread” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by ἄρτους (artou", “loaves”).

[11:6] ¹⁷tn Grk “has come to me from the road.”

[11:6] ¹⁸sn The background to the statement I have nothing to set before him is that in ancient Middle Eastern culture it was a matter of cultural honor to be a good host to visitors.

[11:7] ¹⁹tn Κἀκεῖνος (kakeino") has been translated “Then he.”

[11:7] ²⁰tn Grk “answering, he will say.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “he will reply.”

[11:7] ²¹tn Grk “my children are with me in the bed.” In Jewish homes in the time of Jesus, the beds were often all together in one room; thus the householder may be speaking of individual beds (using a collective singular) rather than a common bed.

[11:7] ²²tn The syntax of vv. 6-7 is complex. In the Greek text Jesus’ words in v. 6 begin as a question. Some see Jesus’ question ending at v. 6, but the reply starting in v. 8 favors extending the question through the entire illustration. The translation breaks up the long sentence at the beginning of v. 7 and translates Jesus’ words as a statement for reasons of English style.

[11:8] ²³tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man in bed in the house) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:8] ²⁴tn Grk “his”; the referent (the first man mentioned) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:8] ²⁵tn The term ἀναίδεια (anaideia) is hard to translate. It refers to a combination of ideas, a boldness that persists over time, or “audacity,” which comes close. It most likely describes the one making the request, since the unit’s teaching is an exhortation about persistence in prayer. Some translate the term “shamelessness” which is the term’s normal meaning, and apply it to the neighbor as an illustration of God responding for the sake of his honor. But the original question was posed in terms of the first man who makes the request, not of the neighbor, so the teaching underscores the action of the one making the request.

[11:9] ²⁶tn Here καί (kai, from καγώ [kagw]) has been translated as “so” to indicate the conclusion drawn from the preceding parable.

[11:9] ²⁷sn The three present imperatives in this verse (Ask…seek…knock) are probably intended to call for a repeated or continual approach before God.

[11:9] ²⁸tn Grk “it”; the referent (a door) is implied by the context and has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:10] ²⁹sn The actions of asking, seeking, and knocking are repeated here from v. 9 with the encouragement that God does respond.

[11:10] ³⁰tn Grk “it”; the referent (a door) is implied by the context and has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:11] ³¹tn Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[11:11] ³²tc Most mss (א A C D L W Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat sy^c,p,h bo) have “bread, does not give him a stone instead, or” before “a fish”; the longer reading, however, looks like a harmonization to Matt 7:9. The shorter reading is thus preferred, attested by Ì^45,75 B 1241 pc sy^s sa.

[11:11] ³³sn The snake probably refers to a water snake.

[11:12] ³⁴sn The two questions of vv. 11-12 expect the answer, “No father would do this!”

[11:13] ³⁵tn The participle ὑπάρχοντες (Juparconte") has been translated as a concessive participle.

[11:13] ³⁶sn The provision of the Holy Spirit is probably a reference to the wisdom and guidance supplied in response to repeated requests. Some apply it to the general provision of the Spirit, but this would seem to look only at one request in a context that speaks of repeated asking. The teaching as a whole stresses not that God gives everything his children want, but that God gives the good that they need. The parallel account in Matthew (7:11) refers to good things where Luke mentions the Holy Spirit.