Matthew 7:7
Bible verses · Also called: Matt. 7:7, Mt 7:7, Ask, seek, knock, Ask, and it shall be given you
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Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
The text is the New Korean Revised Version (1998), shown under a licence from the Korean Bible Society. Wording may differ slightly from the Korean Revised Version and the Revised New Korean Standard Version. Read in the Korean Revised Version
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" is a promise concerning prayer. The verse is cherished as an encouragement to persistent prayer, though reading it as a promise that one will receive whatever one asks for has been the subject of debate.
Context
The verse appears in Matthew 7, within the Sermon on the Mount, following the teaching on judging others. After giving three commands with their accompanying promises, Jesus asks what father, if his son asks for bread, would give him a stone, or, if he asks for a fish, would give him a serpent. If even evil people know how to give good gifts to their children, how much more will the Father in heaven "give good things" to those who ask him (Matthew 7:9-11). In Luke, the same saying follows the parable of the friend who comes at midnight to borrow bread, and it concludes by asking how much more the heavenly Father will "give the Holy Spirit" (Luke 11:13).
Interpretation
- As persistent prayer: Many interpreters note that the Greek imperatives are in the present tense, which denotes continuing action, and render the verse as "keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking."
- As relationship with the Father: This reading holds that the ground of the promise lies in the character of the good Father rather than in the zeal of the one praying. It therefore emphasizes that what is received is not necessarily exactly what was requested, but what the Father regards as "good things."
- As three stages: A widely used homiletical interpretation sees asking, seeking, and knocking as progressively deepening degrees of earnestness.
Debates and Issues
Some object to teaching that reads this verse as a promise that one may receive whatever one desires, pointing out that other passages of Scripture attach conditions to prayer. Those who "ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts" do not receive (James 4:3), and God hears when we ask "according to his will" (1 John 5:14). This objection frequently appears in critiques of prosperity theology. Others, by contrast, hold that overemphasizing such qualifications weakens Jesus' invitation to ask boldly.
In the Korean Church
The verse is a standard text for encouraging prayer at early-morning prayer meetings, committed prayer (in which believers resolve to pray for a set period), and revival meetings, and it is regarded as fitting well with the tradition of tongsung kido (praying aloud together).
Related Passages
- Luke 11:5-13
- James 1:5-6
- James 4:2-3
- 1 John 5:14-15
See also 6
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