Matthew 7:7-11

Ask, Seek, Knock

7:7 “Ask ¹  and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door ²  will be opened for you. 7:8 For everyone who asks ³  receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 7:9 Is ⁴  there anyone among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 7:10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ⁵  7:11 If you then, although you are evil, ⁶  know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts ⁷  to those who ask him!

Matthew 18:19

18:19 Again, I tell you the truth, ⁸  if two of you on earth agree about whatever you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. ⁹ 

Matthew 21:22

21:22 And whatever you ask in prayer, if you believe, ¹⁰  you will receive.”

Luke 11:9-13

11:9 “So ¹¹  I tell you: Ask, ¹²  and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door ¹³  will be opened for you. 11:10 For everyone who asks ¹⁴  receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door ¹⁵  will be opened. 11:11 What father among you, if your ¹⁶  son asks for ¹⁷  a fish, will give him a snake ¹⁸  instead of a fish? 11:12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹⁹  11:13 If you then, although you are ²⁰  evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit ²¹  to those who ask him!”

Luke 18:1-8

Prayer and the Parable of the Persistent Widow

18:1 Then ²²  Jesus ²³  told them a parable to show them they should always ²⁴  pray and not lose heart. ²⁵  18:2 He said, ²⁶  “In a certain city ²⁷  there was a judge ²⁸  who neither feared God nor respected people. ²⁹  18:3 There was also a widow ³⁰  in that city ³¹  who kept coming ³²  to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 18:4 For ³³  a while he refused, but later on ³⁴  he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor have regard for people, ³⁵  18:5 yet because this widow keeps on bothering me, I will give her justice, or in the end she will wear me out ³⁶  by her unending pleas.’” ³⁷  18:6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge says! ³⁸  18:7 Won’t ³⁹  God give justice to his chosen ones, who cry out ⁴⁰  to him day and night? ⁴¹  Will he delay ⁴²  long to help them? 18:8 I tell you, he will give them justice speedily. ⁴³  Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith ⁴⁴  on earth?”

John 14:13

14:13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, ⁴⁵  so that the Father may be glorified ⁴⁶  in the Son.

John 15:7

15:7 If you remain ⁴⁷  in me and my words remain ⁴⁸  in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you. ⁴⁹ 

John 16:23-27

16:23 At that time ⁵⁰  you will ask me nothing. I tell you the solemn truth, ⁵¹  whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you. ⁵²  16:24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive it, ⁵³  so that your joy may be complete.

16:25 “I have told you these things in obscure figures of speech; ⁵⁴  a time ⁵⁵  is coming when I will no longer speak to you in obscure figures, but will tell you ⁵⁶  plainly ⁵⁷  about the Father. 16:26 At that time ⁵⁸  you will ask in my name, and I do not say ⁵⁹  that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 16:27 For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. ⁶⁰ 

James 1:5-6

1:5 But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him. 1:6 But he must ask in faith without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed around by the wind.

James 5:15-18

5:15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick and the Lord will raise him up – and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ⁶¹  5:16 So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness. ⁶²  5:17 Elijah was a human being ⁶³  like us, and he prayed earnestly ⁶⁴  that it would not rain and there was no rain on the land for three years and six months! 5:18 Then ⁶⁵  he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land sprouted with a harvest.

James 5:1

Warning to the Rich

5:1 Come now, you rich! Weep and cry aloud ⁶⁶  over the miseries that are coming on you.

James 3:1

The Power of the Tongue

3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, ⁶⁷  because you know that we will be judged more strictly. ⁶⁸ 

James 5:14-15

5:14 Is anyone among you ill? He should summon the elders of the church, and they should pray for him and anoint ⁶⁹  him with oil in the name of the Lord. 5:15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick and the Lord will raise him up – and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ⁷⁰ 

[7:7]  ¹ sn The three present imperatives in this verse (Ask…seek…knock) are probably intended to call for a repeated or continual approach before God.

[7:7]  ² tn Grk “it”; the referent (a door) is implied by the context and has been specified in the translation here and in v. 8 for clarity.

[7:8]  ³ sn The actions of asking, seeking, and knocking are repeated here from v. 7 with the encouragement that God does respond.

[7:9]  ⁴ tn Grk “Or is there.”

[7:10]  ⁵ sn The two questions of vv. 9-10 expect the answer, “No parent would do this!”

[7:11]  ⁶ tn The participle ὄντες (ontes) has been translated concessively.

[7:11]  ⁷ sn The provision of the good gifts is probably a reference to the wisdom and guidance supplied in response to repeated requests. The teaching as a whole stresses not that we get everything we want, but that God gives the good that we need.

[18:19]  ⁸ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[18:19]  ⁹ tn Grk “if two of you…agree about whatever they ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven.” The passive construction has been translated as an active one in keeping with contemporary English style, and the pronouns, which change from second person plural to third person plural in the Greek text, have been consistently translated as second person plural.

[21:22]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “believing”; the participle here is conditional.

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

[11:9]  ¹² sn 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]  ¹³ tn Grk “it”; the referent (a door) is implied by the context and has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:10]  ¹⁴ sn The actions of asking, seeking, and knocking are repeated here from v. 9 with the encouragement that God does respond.

[11:10]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “it”; the referent (a door) is implied by the context and has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:11]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[11:11]  ¹⁷ tc 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]  ¹⁸ sn The snake probably refers to a water snake.

[11:12]  ¹⁹ sn The two questions of vv. 11-12 expect the answer, “No father would do this!”

[11:13]  ²⁰ tn The participle ὑπάρχοντες (Juparconte") has been translated as a concessive participle.

[11:13]  ²¹ sn 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.

[18:1]  ²² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[18:1]  ²³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:1]  ²⁴ tn Or “should pray at all times” (L&N 67.88).

[18:1]  ²⁵ sn This is one of the few parables that comes with an explanation at the start: …they should always pray and not lose heart. It is part of Luke’s goal in encouraging Theophilus (1:4).

[18:2]  ²⁶ tn Grk “lose heart, saying.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in the Greek text, but a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronominal subject “He.”

[18:2]  ²⁷ tn Or “town.”

[18:2]  ²⁸ sn The judge here is apparently portrayed as a civil judge who often handled financial cases.

[18:2]  ²⁹ tn Grk “man,” but the singular ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used as a generic in comparison to God.

[18:3]  ³⁰ sn This widow was not necessarily old, since many people lived only into their thirties in the 1st century.

[18:3]  ³¹ tn Or “town.”

[18:3]  ³² tn This is an iterative imperfect; the widow did this on numerous occasions.

[18:4]  ³³ tn Grk “And for.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[18:4]  ³⁴ tn Grk “after these things.”

[18:4]  ³⁵ tn Grk “man,” but the singular ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used as a generic in comparison to God.

[18:5]  ³⁶ tn The term ὑπωπιάζω (Jupwpiazw) in this context means “to wear someone out by continual annoying” (L&N 25.245).

[18:5]  ³⁷ tn Grk “by her continual coming,” but the point of annoyance to the judge is her constant pleas for justice (v. 3).

[18:6]  ³⁸ sn Listen to what the unrighteous judge says! The point of the parable is that the judge’s lack of compassion was overcome by the widow’s persistence.

[18:7]  ³⁹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[18:7]  ⁴⁰ sn The prayers have to do with the righteous who cry out to him to receive justice. The context assumes the righteous are persecuted.

[18:7]  ⁴¹ tn The emphatic particles in this sentence indicate that God will indeed give justice to the righteous.

[18:7]  ⁴² sn The issue of delay has produced a whole host of views for this verse. (1) Does this assume provision to endure in the meantime? Or (2) does it mean God restricts the level of persecution until he comes? Either view is possible.

[18:8]  ⁴³ tn Some argue this should be translated “suddenly.” When vindication comes it will be quick. But the more natural meaning is “soon.” God will not forget his elect and will respond to them. It may be that this verse has a prophetic perspective. In light of the eternity that comes, vindication is soon.

[18:8]  ⁴⁴ sn Will he find faith on earth? The Son of Man is looking for those who continue to believe in him, despite the wait.

[14:13]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “And whatever you ask in my name, I will do it.”

[14:13]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “may be praised” or “may be honored.”

[15:7]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “reside.”

[15:7]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “reside.”

[15:7]  ⁴⁹ sn Once again Jesus promises the disciples ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you. This recalls 14:13-14, where the disciples were promised that if they asked anything in Jesus’ name it would be done for them. The two thoughts are really quite similar, since here it is conditioned on the disciples’ remaining in Jesus and his words remaining in them. The first phrase relates to the genuineness of their relationship with Jesus. The second phrase relates to their obedience. When both of these qualifications are met, the disciples would in fact be asking in Jesus’ name and therefore according to his will.

[16:23]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “And in that day.”

[16:23]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[16:23]  ⁵² sn This statement is also found in John 15:16.

[16:24]  ⁵³ tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[16:25]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “in parables”; or “in metaphors.” There is some difficulty in defining παροιμίαις (paroimiai") precisely: A translation like “parables” does not convey accurately the meaning. BDAG 779-80 s.v. παροιμία suggests in general “proverb, saw, maxim,” but for Johannine usage “veiled saying, figure of speech, in which esp. lofty ideas are concealed.” In the preceding context of the Farewell Discourse, Jesus has certainly used obscure language and imagery at times: John 13:8-11; 13:16; 15:1-17; and 16:21 could all be given as examples. In the LXX this word is used to translate the Hebrew mashal which covers a wide range of figurative speech, often containing obscure or enigmatic elements.

[16:25]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “an hour.”

[16:25]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “inform you.”

[16:25]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “openly.”

[16:26]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “In that day.”

[16:26]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “I do not say to you.”

[16:27]  ⁶⁰ tc A number of early mss (א¹ B C* D L pc co) read πατρός (patros, “Father”) here instead of θεοῦ (qeou, “God”; found in Ì⁵ א*^,2 A C³ W Θ Ψ 33 Ë^1,13 Ï). Although externally πατρός has relatively strong support, it is evidently an assimilation to “I came from the Father” at the beginning of v. 28, or more generally to the consistent mention of God as Father throughout this chapter (πατήρ [pathr, “Father”] occurs eleven times in this chapter, while θεός [qeos, “God”] occurs only two other times [16:2, 30]).

[5:15]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “it will be forgiven him.”

[5:16]  ⁶² tn Or “the fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful”; Grk “is very powerful in its working.”

[5:17]  ⁶³ tn Although it is certainly true that Elijah was a “man,” here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") has been translated as “human being” because the emphasis in context is not on Elijah’s masculine gender, but on the common humanity he shared with the author and the readers.

[5:17]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “he prayed with prayer” (using a Hebrew idiom to show intensity).

[5:18]  ⁶⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events.

[5:1]  ⁶⁶ tn Or “wail”; Grk “crying aloud.”

[3:1]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[3:1]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “will receive a greater judgment.”

[5:14]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “anointing.”

[5:15]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “it will be forgiven him.”