Matthew 7:10

7:10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹ 

Matthew 14:7

14:7 so much that he promised with an oath ²  to give her whatever she asked.

Matthew 21:22

21:22 And whatever you ask in prayer, if you believe, ³  you will receive.”

Matthew 5:42

5:42 Give to the one who asks you, ⁴  and do not reject ⁵  the one who wants to borrow from you.

Matthew 7:7-9

Ask, Seek, Knock

7:7 “Ask ⁶  and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door ⁷  will be opened for you. 7:8 For everyone who asks ⁸  receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 7:9 Is ⁹  there anyone among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?

Matthew 27:58

27:58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. ¹⁰  Then Pilate ordered that it be given to him.

Matthew 6:8

6:8 Do ¹¹  not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Matthew 20:20

A Request for James and John

20:20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling down she asked him for a favor. ¹² 

Matthew 27:20

27:20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed.

Matthew 7:11

7:11 If you then, although you are evil, ¹³  know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts ¹⁴  to those who ask him!

Matthew 18:19

18:19 Again, I tell you the truth, ¹⁵  if two of you on earth agree about whatever you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. ¹⁶ 

Matthew 20:22

20:22 Jesus ¹⁷  answered, “You don’t know what you are asking! ¹⁸  Are you able to drink the cup I am about to drink?” ¹⁹  They said to him, “We are able.” ²⁰ 

[7:10]  ¹ sn The two questions of vv. 9-10 expect the answer, “No parent would do this!”

[14:7]  ² tn The Greek text reads here ὁμολογέω (Jomologew); though normally translated “acknowledge, confess,” BDAG (708 s.v. 1) lists “assure, promise with an oath” for certain contexts such as here.

[21:22]  ³ tn Grk “believing”; the participle here is conditional.

[5:42]  ⁴ sn Jesus advocates a generosity and a desire to meet those in dire need with the command give to the one who asks you. This may allude to begging; giving alms was viewed highly in the ancient world (Matt 6:1-4; Deut 15:7-11).

[5:42]  ⁵ tn Grk “do not turn away from.”

[7:7]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ 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]  ⁶ sn The actions of asking, seeking, and knocking are repeated here from v. 7 with the encouragement that God does respond.

[7:9]  ⁷ tn Grk “Or is there.”

[27:58]  ⁸ sn Asking for the body of Jesus was indeed a bold move on the part of Joseph of Arimathea, for it clearly and openly identified him with a man who had just been condemned and executed, namely, Jesus. His faith is exemplary, especially for someone who was a member of the council that handed Jesus over for crucifixion (cf. Mark 15:43, Luke 23:51). He did this because he sought to give Jesus an honorable burial.

[6:8]  ⁹ tn Grk “So do not.” Here οὖν (oun) has not been translated.

[20:20]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “asked something from him.”

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

[7:11]  ¹² 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]  ¹² tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[18:19]  ¹³ 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.

[20:22]  ¹³ tn Grk “And answering, Jesus said.” This is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[20:22]  ¹⁴ tn The verbs in Greek are plural here, indicating that Jesus is not answering the mother but has turned his attention directly to the two disciples.

[20:22]  ¹⁵ tc Most mss (C W 33 Ï, as well as some versional and patristic authorities) in addition have “or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” But this is surely due to a recollection of the fuller version of this dominical saying found in Mark 10:38. The same mss also have the Lord’s response, “and you will be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized” in v. 23, again due to the parallel in Mark 10:39. The shorter reading, in both v. 22 and v. 23, is to be preferred both because it better explains the rise of the other reading and is found in superior witnesses (א B D L Z Θ 085 Ë^1,13 pc lat, as well as other versional and patristic authorities).

[20:22]  ¹⁶ sn No more naïve words have ever been spoken as those found here coming from James and John, “We are able.” They said it with such confidence and ease, yet they had little clue as to what they were affirming. In the next sentence Jesus confirms that they will indeed suffer for his name.