Matthew 7:7-8

Matthew 7:7-8
Narrative Lectionary

BibleHub

“Ask,A and it will be givenB to you; search,C and you will find;D

Notes on verse 7a

A “ask” = aiteo. This is to ask, demand, beg, desire.
B “given” = didomi. To give, offer, place, bestow, deliver. This is give in a literal or figurative sense.
C “search” = zeteo. This is to seek, search for, desire. It is searching for something by inquiring or investigation. It can be seek in a literal or figurative sense. There is a Hebrew figure of speech “to seek God’s face” so it can also mean to worship God. Alternately, you could seek someone’s life i.e. plot to kill them.
D “find” = heurisko. This is to find, learn, or obtain. It is to discover something, which generally implies a period of searching for it. This is to find in a literal or figurative sense. This is where the word “heuristic” comes from.

knock,E and the door will be openedF for you. For everyoneG who asks receives,H and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

Notes on verses 7b-8

E “knock” = krouo. 9x in NT. To knock, hit a door with a stick in order to enter.
F “opened” = anoigo. From ana (up, back, again, among, between, anew) + oigo (to open). This is to open in  literal or figurative sense.
G “everyone” = pas. This is all or every.
H “receives” = lambano. It does not refer to passive receiving of something, but active acceptance or taking of something whether it is offered or simply nearby. It focuses on individual decision and action.


Image credit: “The Lost Drachma” by James Tissot, between 1886 and 1894.

You May Also Like

Leave a Reply