Luke 11:5-10
New English Translation
5 Then[a] he said to them, “Suppose one of you[b] has a friend, and you go to him[c] at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,[d] 6 because a friend of mine has stopped here while on a journey,[e] and I have nothing to set before[f] him.’ 7 Then[g] he will reply[h] from inside, ‘Do not bother me. The door is already shut, and my children and I are in bed.[i] I cannot get up and give you anything.’[j] 8 I tell you, even though the man inside[k] will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of the first man’s[l] sheer persistence[m] he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
9 “So[n] I tell you: Ask,[o] and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door[p] will be opened for you. 10 For everyone who asks[q] receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door[r] will be opened.
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- Luke 11:5 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
- Luke 11:5 tn Grk “Who among you will have a friend and go to him.”
- Luke 11:5 tn Grk “he will go to him.”
- Luke 11:5 tn The words “of bread” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by ἄρτους (artous, “loaves”).
- Luke 11:6 tn Grk “has come to me from the road.”
- Luke 11:6 sn 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.
- Luke 11:7 tn Κἀκεῖνος (kakeinos) has been translated “Then he.”
- Luke 11:7 tn Grk “answering, he will say.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “he will reply.”
- Luke 11:7 tn 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.
- Luke 11:7 tn 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.
- Luke 11:8 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man in bed in the house) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Luke 11:8 tn Grk “his”; the referent (the first man mentioned) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Luke 11:8 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.
- Luke 11:9 tn Here καί (kai, from καγώ [kagō]) has been translated as “so” to indicate the conclusion drawn from the preceding parable.
- Luke 11:9 sn The three present imperatives in this verse (Ask…seek…knock) are probably intended to call for a repeated or continual approach before God.
- Luke 11:9 tn Grk “it”; the referent (a door) is implied by the context and has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Luke 11:10 sn The actions of asking, seeking, and knocking are repeated here from v. 9 with the encouragement that God does respond.
- Luke 11:10 tn Grk “it”; the referent (a door) is implied by the context and has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 11:5-10
Lexham English Bible
Ask, Seek, Knock
5 And he said to them, “Who of you will have a friend, and will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 because a friend of mine has come to me on a journey, and I do not have anything to set before him.’ 7 And that one will answer from inside and[a] say, ‘Do not cause me trouble! The door has already been shut and my children are with me in bed! I am not able to get up to give you anything.’[b] 8 I tell you, even if he does not give him anything[c] after he[d] gets up because he is his friend, at any rate because of his impudence[e] he will get up and[f] give him whatever he needs.
9 And I tell you, ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened for you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
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- Luke 11:7 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“will answer”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Luke 11:7 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Luke 11:8 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Luke 11:8 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“gets up”) which is understood as temporal
- Luke 11:8 Or “shamelessness”; some translate as “persistence” based on the context, though this is not the normal meaning of the word
- Luke 11:8 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“will get up”) has been translated as a finite verb
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