Paragraph 11:9–10

In this paragraph, Jesus told his disciples what he wanted them to conclude from his story in the previous paragraph. They should conclude: “We should ask God for the things we need, and he will give them to us.” Jesus restated this in three ways.

Luke 11:9–10 has almost the same words as Matthew 7:7–8, and they mean the same thing.

11:9a

So: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as So here introduces the application or conclusion of the story in the previous paragraph. Some ways to show this are:

That is why
-or-
Therefore

In other languages, no conjunction is necessary.

I tell you: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible here translates as I tell you is almost the same Greek phrase as “I tell you” in 11:8a. The only difference is that here Jesus emphasized the word I. Jesus often used this phrase in order to emphasize what he was about to say.

11:9b

Ask: In the New Testament, the Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Ask frequently refers to prayer. Here, it also refers to asking God for something when praying. In some languages, it may be necessary to make this explicit.

It may also be necessary to say what we should ask for. The context of 11:1–13 implies that a disciple of Jesus should ask God for the things he needs. So if you need to supply this information you could say:

Ask ⌊God⌋ ⌊for whatever you need⌋

Jesus was speaking to his disciples, so this verb is plural.

and it will be given to you: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as will be given is a passive verb. Some ways to translate this verb are:

• As a passive verb. For example:

and you will be given what you ask for (New Living Translation (1996))

• As an active verb. If it is necessary to say who will give, the implied subject is God. For example:

and you(plur) will receive what you ask for (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
and ⌊God⌋ will give it to you

Translate this verb in a way that is most natural in your language.

11:9c

This is the second way to say that when we ask God for the things we need, he will give them to us.

seek, and you will find: The verb seek means to “search” or “look” for something. This is a figure of speech. It compares “asking God for something” to “searching for it.” It also compares “God answering the prayer” to “the person finding/receiving” what he was searching for.

If the meaning of this figure of speech will not be clear in your language, you may need to supply some information. For example:

seek ⌊from God⌋ ⌊what you need⌋, and you will get/obtain it
-or-
seek ⌊from God⌋ ⌊whatever you need⌋, and he will provide it for you

11:9d

knock, and the door will be opened to you: This is also a figure of speech. It compares asking God for something to knocking on a door. The image of God opening the door means that he responds favorably to the person’s request. In some languages it may be necessary to make explicit where a person should knock, and who would open it. For example:

knock ⌊on the door⌋, and ⌊God⌋ will open the door ⌊to let you enter⌋

To knock is a cultural gesture. In the Jewish culture, someone arriving at someone else’s home would knock on the door to announce that he was there. But in some cultures, people do not knock on the door. They call or cough or announce in some other way that they have arrived. If the custom of knocking on a door is not understood in your area, you may:

• Make explicit the meaning of the gesture. For example:

Knock on the door ⌊to ask for God’s help⌋, and he will open the door ⌊so that you can enter and receive his help⌋.

• Use a gesture that has the right meaning in your area. For example:

Call out to God, and he will cause you to enter and help you.

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