Genesis 18:27

18:27 Then Abraham asked, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord ¹  (although I am but dust and ashes), ² 

Matthew 7:7

Ask, Seek, Knock

7:7 “Ask ³  and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door ⁴  will be opened for you.

Matthew 7:11

7:11 If you then, although you are evil, ⁵  know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts ⁶  to those who ask him!

Luke 11:8

11:8 I tell you, even though the man inside ⁷  will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of the first man’s ⁸  sheer persistence ⁹  he will get up and give him whatever he needs.

Luke 18:1

Prayer and the Parable of the Persistent Widow

18:1 Then ¹⁰  Jesus ¹¹  told them a parable to show them they should always ¹²  pray and not lose heart. ¹³ 

Ephesians 6:18

6:18 With every prayer and petition, pray ¹⁴  at all times in the Spirit, and to this end ¹⁵  be alert, with all perseverance and requests for all the saints.

Hebrews 4:16

4:16 Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help. ¹⁶ 

Hebrews 10:20-22

10:20 by the fresh and living way that he inaugurated for us ¹⁷  through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, ¹⁸  10:21 and since we have a great priest ¹⁹  over the house of God, 10:22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in the assurance that faith brings, ²⁰  because we have had our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience ²¹  and our bodies washed in pure water.

[18:27]  ¹ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 30, 31, 32 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[18:27]  ² tn The disjunctive clause is a concessive clause here, drawing out the humility as a contrast to the Lord.

[7:7]  ³ 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]  ⁴ 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.

[7:11]  ⁵ tn The participle ὄντες (ontes) has been translated concessively.

[7:11]  ⁶ 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.

[11:8]  ⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man in bed in the house) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

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

[11:8]  ⁹ tn 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.

[18:1]  ¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[18:1]  ¹¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:1]  ¹² tn Or “should pray at all times” (L&N 67.88).

[18:1]  ¹³ 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).

[6:18]  ¹⁴ tn Both “pray” and “be alert” are participles in the Greek text (“praying…being alert”). Both are probably instrumental, loosely connected with all of the preceding instructions. As such, they are not additional commands to do but instead are the means through which the prior instructions are accomplished.

[6:18]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “and toward it.”

[4:16]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “for timely help.”

[10:20]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “that he inaugurated for us as a fresh and living way,” referring to the entrance mentioned in v. 19.

[10:20]  ¹⁸ sn Through his flesh. In a bold shift the writer changes from a spatial phrase (Christ opened the way through the curtain into the inner sanctuary) to an instrumental phrase (he did this through [by means of] his flesh in his sacrifice of himself), associating the two in an allusion to the splitting of the curtain in the temple from top to bottom (Matt 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45). Just as the curtain was split, so Christ’s body was broken for us, to give us access into God’s presence.

[10:21]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “and a great priest,” continuing the construction begun in v. 19.

[10:22]  ²⁰ tn Grk “in assurance of faith.”

[10:22]  ²¹ sn The phrase our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience combines the OT imagery of the sprinkling with blood to give ritual purity with the emphasis on the interior cleansing provided by the new covenant: It is the heart that is cleansed and the conscience made perfect (cf. Heb 8:10; 9:9, 14; 10:2, 16).