Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts

Spoken to: 

Apostles

After the Lord's Prayer, Jesus talked about asking in prayer.

KJV: 

Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

NIV : 

Luke 11:13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

LISTENERS HEARD: 

If certainly you yourselves already being worthless know worthwhile gifts to give those kids of yours, how much more certainly will that Father, the one from skies, give a holy spirit to those begging him.

MY TAKE: 

The gift of prayer is divine inspiration.

GREEK (Each Word Explained Bottom of Page): 

GREEK ORDER: 

εἰ οὖν ὑμεῖς πονηροὶ ὑπάρχοντες οἴδατε δόματα ἀγαθὰ
If certainly you yourselves already being worthless know worthwhile gifts

διδόναι τοῖς   τέκνοις  ὑμῶν,     πόσῳ        μᾶλλον                  πατὴρ [ὁ]        ἐξ     οὐρανοῦ
to give  those kids      of yours, how much more certainly that Father the one from skies,

δώσει         πνεῦμα ἅγιον     τοῖς     αἰτοῦσιν αὐτόν.
will give a  spirit     holy  to those begging    him.

LOST IN TRANSLATION: 

Many little mistranslations here. The word translated as "being" and "are" is not the verb "to be" but anoter word meaning "already in existence" so the word should be "already being." Both  "good" and "evil" are mistranslated as usual. The word translated as "evil" means "second-rate" or "worthless." This article explores it meaning in more detail.The word translated as "good" means  "beneficial" or, to make it the opposite of "worthless," "worthwhile." The Greek translated as "heaven" means "skies." It is unusual here because the Greek says "from skies" rather than the common "in the skies" phrase. There is not "the" before the holy spirit. What is given is "a holy spirit" not "the Holy Spirit."  Read more about this word in this article on the holy spirit.

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES: 

16
  • MW -- Missing Word -- This subject pronoun duplicates information in the verb so it needs a "yourselves" after "you" for emphasis.
  • CW --Confusing Word -- The "being" does not capture the word's specific meaning in this situation.
  • CW --Confusing Word -- The "evil" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
  • CW --Confusing Word -- This is not the common word better translated as "good."
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "these" before "children" is not shown in the English translation.
  • WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "your" should be something more like "the/this."
  • CW --Confusing Word -- The word, "heaven," is a religious concept, but this word just means "sky."
  • WN  --Wrong Number- The word "heaven" is translated as singular but the Greek word is plural.
  • WF -- Wrong Form -  This "heavenly" is not an adverb but a noun object, "skies."
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the one" is not shown in the English translation.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "from" is not shown in the English translation.
  • IW - Inserted Word-- The "the" before "holy spirit" doesn't exist in the source.
  • CW --Confusing Word -- This is not one of the common words usually translated as "them."
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The "that" doesn't exist in the source.
  • CW --Confusing Word -- The "ask" is not the word that means "ask a question" but a word that means "request."
  • WF -- Wrong Form -  This "ask" is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, ending with "-ing."

# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES: 

16
  • MW -- Missing Word -- This subject pronoun duplicates information in the verb so it needs a "yourselves" after "you" for emphasis.
  • IP - Inserted Phrase-- The "though you " doesn't exist in the source.
  • CW --Confusing Word -- The "are" does not capture the word's specific meaning in this situation.
  • WF -- Wrong Form -  This "are" is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, ending with "-ing."
  • CW --Confusing Word -- The "evil" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
  • CW --Confusing Word -- This is not the common word better translated as "good."
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "these" before "children" is not shown in the English translation.
  • WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "your" should be something more like "the/this."
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the one" is not shown in the English translation.
  • WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "in" should be something more like "from."
  • CW --Confusing Word -- The word, "heaven," is a religious concept, but this word just means "sky."
  • WN  --Wrong Number- The word "heaven" is translated as singular but the Greek word is plural.
  • IW - Inserted Word-- The "the" before "holy spirit" doesn't exist in the source.
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The "who" doesn't exist in the source.
  • CW --Confusing Word -- The "ask" is not the word that means "ask a question" but a word that means "request."
  • WF -- Wrong Form -  This "ask" is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, ending with "-ing."

EACH WORD of KJV : 

 If -- The "if" here is used to express conditions "if" (implying nothing about its fulfillment) or indirect and direct questions, "whether."It also means "if ever" and "whenever." When used in an "if" clause, the verb is the subjunctive form of possibility. When citing a fact  the sense is more  "whether," "since" or "as sure as."

ye -- The pronoun "you" is used explicitly as the subject of the sentence. When it has no verb, the verb "is" or the previous verb is assumed. When it is already part of the verb, its use here creates emphasis on the "you" as we might say "you yourselves." It sometimes precedes a verbal adjective or infinitive where it is not part of the verb. It is plural.

missing "yourselves"  ---- (MW) The pronoun is used here explicitly as the subject of the sentence. Since this information is already in the verb, the sense is repetitive as we say "you yourselves." 

then, -- The Greek word translated as "then" either emphasizes the truth of something ("certainly," "really") or it simply continues an existing narrative, "then," "therefore." Jesus uses it to respond positively to questions, but in parables, it can continue the story.

being -  (CW) "Being" is a verb that means "to begin," "to take the initiative," "to already be in existence."  Perhaps "accumulations" works best to capture this in English. As a participle, this word doesn't mean "being" as much as "already being."  It is not from the verb "to be."

evil, -- (CW)  The word translated as "evil" means "second-rate" or "worthless." When used as a noun, it has the sense of "worthlessness" or, when referring to an action, a "failure." It doesn't have a sense of malevolence that our word "evil" does. This article explores its meaning in more detail.

know - The word translated as "know" means primarily "to see" and is used to mean "know' as we use the word "see" to mean "know" in English. It is the past perfect tense so "have seen" but it is translated as the present tense of "know."  What someone "has seen" is what they "know" in the present.

how -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source. IW - Inserted Word-- The "how" doesn't exist in the source.

to -- This "to" is added to create the infinitive form of the following verb.

give -- The verb translated as "give" means "to give," "to grant," "to hand over," "appoint," "establish," and "to describe." It is almost always translated as some form of "give."

good - (CW) The adjective translated as "good" means "useful," "worthwhile," and "of high quality. As a noun, the word "valuable" makes the idea clearer than "good." See this article on "good" and this one on "evil."  This is not the word most often and less ambiguously translated as "good."

gifts -- The word for "gifts" also means "payments." -- The word for "gifts" also means "payments."

unto -- This word "to" comes from the indirect object form of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is a "to" for the English indirect object.

missing "these"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more. 

your - The word translated as "your" is a plural, second-person pronoun in the possessive (genitive) case. This pronoun follows the noun so the possessive "of yours."

children: -- The word translated as "son" means "child" but in the most general sense of "offspring." Christ does not use it to refer specifically to children under seven, which is another term. See this article more about these words for "child."

how much -- The adjective translated as "how much"  means "of what quantity," [in distance] "how far." [of number] how far," [of time] "how long," [of value] "how much," "how great," "how many," and "how much."

more   - "More" is the comparative form of the Greek word that means "very," "exceedingly," "more certainly," "especially," "more," "to a greater degree," and "rather."

shall -- This helping verb "will" indicates that the verb is the future tense. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.

 your - (WW) The word "your" is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more. This word doesn't mean "your." 

heavenly-- (CW, WN, WF) The word translated as "heaven" means simply the "sky," but it can also mean the "climate," or the "universe." It also meant the home of the gods in a physical sense: the sun, moon, and planets were named for the gods. More about the word in this article. This is not an adverb but a noun object of the untranslated "from" below. It was not the religious concept of heaven. The word is plural, "skies. 

Father -- "Father" is the Greek noun that means "father" or any male ancestor so "forefathers." It is the word that Christ uses to address his own Father.

missing "the one"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more. 

missing "from"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is s "from" means "out of" or "from." The word also means "beyond," "on," "in," "since," or "by"based upon its context, but it indicates separation "from" something rather than being a part "of" it like "of" does.

give -- The verb translated as "give" means "to give," "to grant," "to hand over," "appoint," "establish," and "to describe." It is almost always translated as some form of "give."

the  -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source.

Holy  -- The Greek word translated as "holy" means "dedicated to the divine," which itself means both "pure" since things dedicated to the Divinewere first purified and "accursed" since using such things for your own purposes carried a punishment. See this article.

Spirit -- The word translated as "spirit" primarily means "breath," "wind," a "non-material being," and "blast." Like "spirit" in English, it can also mean "attitude" or "motivation.' It also means the "breath of life," from which we get to "spirit" and "spiritual." It also means the "breath of life," from which we get to "spirit" and "spiritual." Its meaning as "the breath of life" is brought out by the idea of creating life. Its meaning as "spiritual" is brought out by the contrast with "physical." See this article.

to -- This "to" is added to create the infinitive form of the following verb.

them  --(CW)  The word translated as "them" is the Greek definite article, "the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more.  This is not one of the common words usually translated as "them."

that -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source. It was added because the next verb was translated as active rather than as a participle

ask -- (CW, WF) The Greek word translated as "ask" means "asking for" something. It might be best to translate consistently as "request" to avoid confusion with the Greek word meaning "ask a question." This word has shades of meaning from "demand" to "claim." It means to beg or even to demand something from someone else. This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, ending with "-ing." 

him? -- The word translated as "him" is the Greek adjective that acts like our third-person pronoun. The form is the third person, singular, masculine as a direct object of a verb or preposition. 

EACH WORD of NIV : 

 If -- The "if" here is used to express conditions "if" (implying nothing about its fulfillment) or indirect and direct questions, "whether."It also means "if ever" and "whenever." When used in an "if" clause, the verb is the subjunctive form of possibility. When citing a fact  the sense is more  "whether," "since" or "as sure as."

you -- The pronoun "you" is used explicitly as the subject of the sentence. When it has no verb, the verb "is" or the previous verb is assumed. When it is already part of the verb, its use here creates emphasis on the "you" as we might say "you yourselves." It sometimes precedes a verbal adjective or infinitive where it is not part of the verb. It is plural.

missing "yourselves"  ---- (MW) The pronoun is used here explicitly as the subject of the sentence. Since this information is already in the verb, the sense is repetitive as we say "you yourselves."

then, -- The Greek word translated as "then" either emphasizes the truth of something ("certainly," "really") or it simply continues an existing narrative, "then," "therefore." Jesus uses it to respond positively to questions, but in parables, it can continue the story.

though you -- (IP) There is nothing that can be translated as this phrase in the Greek source.

are-  (CW, WF) "Being" is a verb that means "to begin," "to take the initiative," "to already be in existence."  Perhaps "accumulations" works best to capture this in English. As a participle, this word doesn't mean "being" as much as "already being."  It is not from the verb "to be." This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, ending with "-ing." 

evil, -- (CW)  The word translated as "evil" means "second-rate" or "worthless." When used as a noun, it has the sense of "worthlessness" or, when referring to an action, a "failure." It doesn't have a sense of malevolence that our word "evil" does. This article explores its meaning in more detail.

know - The word translated as "know" means primarily "to see" and is used to mean "know' as we use the word "see" to mean "know" in English. It is the past perfect tense so "have seen" but it is translated as the present tense of "know."  What someone "has seen" is what they "know" in the present.

how -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source. IW - Inserted Word-- The "how" doesn't exist in the source.

to -- This "to" is added to create the infinitive form of the following verb.

give -- The verb translated as "give" means "to give," "to grant," "to hand over," "appoint," "establish," and "to describe." It is almost always translated as some form of "give."

good - (CW) The adjective translated as "good" means "useful," "worthwhile," and "of high quality. As a noun, the word "valuable" makes the idea clearer than "good." See this article on "good" and this one on "evil."  This is not the word most often and less ambiguously translated as "good."

gifts -- The word for "gifts" also means "payments." -- The word for "gifts" also means "payments."

to -- This word "to" comes from the indirect object form of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is a "to" for the English indirect object.

missing "these"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more. 

your - The word translated as "your" is a plural, second-person pronoun in the possessive (genitive) case. This pronoun follows the noun so the possessive "of yours."

children: -- The word translated as "son" means "child" but in the most general sense of "offspring." Christ does not use it to refer specifically to children under seven, which is another term. See this article more about these words for "child."

how much -- The adjective translated as "how much"  means "of what quantity," [in distance] "how far." [of number] how far," [of time] "how long," [of value] "how much," "how great," "how many," and "how much."

more   - "More" is the comparative form of the Greek word that means "very," "exceedingly," "more certainly," "especially," "more," "to a greater degree," and "rather."

will -- This helping verb "will" indicates that the verb is the future tense. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.

 your - (WW) The word "your" is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more. This word doesn't mean "your." 

Father -- "Father" is the Greek noun that means "father" or any male ancestor so "forefathers." It is the word that Christ uses to address his own Father.

missing "the one"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more. 

in -- (WW) The word is translated as "from" means "out of" or "from." The word also means "beyond," "on," "in," "since," or "by"based upon its context, but it indicates separation "from" something rather than being a part "of" it like "of" does. This word doesn't mean "in." 

heaven - (CW, WN ) The word translated as "heaven" means simply the "sky," but it can also mean the "climate," or the "universe." It also meant the home of the gods in a physical sense: the sun, moon, and planets were named for the gods. More about the word in this article. This is not an adverb but a noun object of the untranslated "from" below. It was not the religious concept of heaven. The word is plural, "skies.

give -- The verb translated as "give" means "to give," "to grant," "to hand over," "appoint," "establish," and "to describe." It is almost always translated as some form of "give."

the  -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source.

Holy  -- The Greek word translated as "holy" means "dedicated to the divine," which itself means both "pure" since things dedicated to the Divinewere first purified and "accursed" since using such things for your own purposes carried a punishment. See this article.

Spirit -- The word translated as "spirit" primarily means "breath," "wind," a "non-material being," and "blast." Like "spirit" in English, it can also mean "attitude" or "motivation.' It also means the "breath of life," from which we get to "spirit" and "spiritual." It also means the "breath of life," from which we get to "spirit" and "spiritual." Its meaning as "the breath of life" is brought out by the idea of creating life. Its meaning as "spiritual" is brought out by the contrast with "physical." See this article.

to -- This "to" is added to create the infinitive form of the following verb.

those -- The word translated as "those " is the Greek definite article, "the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. 

who -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source. It was added because the next verb was translated as active rather than as a participle

ask -- (CW, WF) The Greek word translated as "ask" means "asking for" something. It might be best to translate consistently as "request" to avoid confusion with the Greek word meaning "ask a question." This word has shades of meaning from "demand" to "claim." It means to beg or even to demand something from someone else. This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, ending with "-ing." 

him? -- The word translated as "him" is the Greek adjective that acts like our third-person pronoun. The form is the third person, singular, masculine as a direct object of a verb or preposition. 

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV : 

εἰ [90 verses](conj) "If" is ei, which is the particle used to express conditions "if" (with the indicative, implying nothing about its fulfillment) or indirect and direct questions, "whether." It also means "if ever," "in case," and "whenever." In citing a fact, it can mean "as sure as" or "since."  It is combined with various conjunctions to create derivative conditions. When appearing as εἰ δὲ (literally, "if however") the sense is "if this...then that." The construction εἰ δὲ μή . . means "otherwise." The construction  εἰ οὖν has the sense of "if so." However, it is also used to express a wish. After verbs of wonder, delight, indignation, disappointment, contentment, and similar emotions, it is use instead of  ὅτι, to express the object of the feeling in a hypothetical form, "that" with the indicative (not subjunctive). With the future tense, it is used for emphasis, a warning, or an intention.  When this word is paired with the conjunction translated as "but" or "however," the structure works like an "if then" statement in English.  With verbs of desire and emotion and the indicative in the second clause, the sense is "that." With an imperative, it is used to express a wish. The sense is "I wish that." With the future tense indicative, it is used for emphasis, a warning, or an intention. The emphasis clause is after the main statement.

οὖν [82 verses](adv) "Then" is oun, which means "certainly," "in fact," "really," "in fact," "so" and "then" (continuing a narrative), and "then" and "therefore."

ὑμεῖς [92 verses](pron 2nd pl nom) "You" is hymeis, which is the plural nominative form of the second person, "you."

πονηροὶ  [38 verses](adj pl masc nom ) "Evil"is poneros, which means "burdened by toil," "useless," and "worthless." In a moral sense, it means "worthless," "base," and "cowardly."

ὑπάρχοντες " [7 verses](part pl pres act masc nom) "Being" is hyparcho, which means "to take the initiative," "to begin," (both taking a gen. object) and "to already be in existence," As a participle, it means, "being the beginning," and in plural neuter forms, "possessions."

οἴδατε  [38 verses](2nd pl perf ind act) "Know" is oida which has the sense of "to know." This listing is not a root word, but the past perfect tense of eido, which means "to see," "to examine," "to perceive," "to behold," "to know how to do," "to see with the mind's eye," and "to know." That which "has been seen" is that which is "known." This is a somewhat legalistic idea because the truth can only be established by eyewitnesses. -

δόματα [2 verses](noun pl neut acc ) "Gifts" is doma, which means "gift" and "payment."

ἀγαθὰ [23 verses]( (adj pl neut acc) "Good" is agathos which means "good" and, when applied to people, "well-born," "gentle," "brave," and "capable." When applied to things, it means "serviceable," "morally good," and "beneficial."

διδόναι [147 verses] (pres inf act) "To give" is didomi, which means "to give," "to grant," "to hand over," "appoint," "establish," and "to describe."

τοῖς [821 verses](article pl masc nom)  Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). It usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. When not preceding a a word that can become a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones." Proper nouns do normally not take articles but they are needed when the noun ending cannot be changed to show the noun's role in the sentence as an object, indirect object, or genitive (possessive) form. However, the Greek article is very close to "this" so the purpose of an article like this can also be demonstrative. See this article.   -

τέκνοις  [25 verses](noun pl neut dat ) "Children" is teknon (techion), which means "that which is born," "child," and "the young."

ὑμῶν [168 verses](pron 2nd pl gen) "Your/you" is humon, the plural possessive form of su the pronoun of the second person, "you." It is either a possessive pronoun or the object of a preposition. As an object of a preposition, the genitive indicates movement away or a position away from something.-

πόσῳ  [19 verses](adj sg neut dat) "How much"h" is posos, which means "of what quantity," [in distance] "how far." [of number] how far," [of time] "how long," [of value] "how much," "how great," "how many," and "how much."

μᾶλλον [13 verses](adv) "Much" is mallon, which is the comparative of mala which means "very," "exceedingly," "more certainly," "especially," "more," "to a greater degree," and "rather."

[821 verses](article sg masc nom)  "Your" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). It usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. When not preceding a a word that can become a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones." Proper nouns do normally not take articles but they are needed when the noun ending cannot be changed to show the noun's role in the sentence as an object, indirect object, or genitive (possessive) form. However, the Greek article is very close to "this" so the purpose of an article like this can also be demonstrative. See this article.   -

πατὴρ [191 verses](noun sg masc nom) "Father" is pater, which means "father," "grandfather," "author," "parent," and "forefathers."

 [ὁ]  [821 verses](article sg masc nom)  Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). It usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. When not preceding a a word that can become a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones." Proper nouns do normally not take articles but they are needed when the noun ending cannot be changed to show the noun's role in the sentence as an object, indirect object, or genitive (possessive) form. However, the Greek article is very close to "this" so the purpose of an article like this can also be demonstrative. See this article.   -

ἐξ  [121 verses] (prep) Untranslated is ek, which means 1) [of motion] "out of," "from," "by," "away from;" 2) [of place] "beyond," "outside of," "beyond;" 3) [of succession] "after," "from;" 4) [of rest] "on," "in," 5) [of time] "since," "from," "at," "in;" 7) [of materials] "out of," "made from;" 7) cause, instrument, or means "by." It is also used to describe the author or means "by" which something is done, especially with passive verbs.-- The Greek preposition translated as "from" means "out of" or "from." The word also means "beyond," "on," "in," "since," or "by"based upon its context, but it indicates separation "from" something rather than being a part "of" it like "of" does. It is also used to describe the author or means "by" which something is done, especially with passive verbs.-

οὐρανῶν [111 verses](noun pl masc gen) "Of Heaven" is the Greek ouranos, which means "heaven as in the vault of the sky," "heaven as the seat of the gods," "the sky," "the universe," and "the climate."

δώσει  [147 verses](3rd sg fut ind act) "Give" is didomi, which means "to give," "to grant," "to hand over," "appoint," "establish," and "to describe."

πνεῦμα [40 verses] (noun sg neut acc) "Spirit" is pneuma, which means "blast," "wind," "breath," "the breath of life," "divine inspiration," "a spiritual or immaterial being," and "the spirit" of a man.

ἅγιον  [18 verses] (adj sg neut acc) "Holy" is hagios, which means "devoted to the gods," "pure," "holy," and on the negative side "accursed."

τοῖς [821 verses](article pl masc dat)  "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").   It usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. When not preceding a a word that can become a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones." Proper nouns do normally not take articles but they are needed when the noun ending cannot be changed to show the noun's role in the sentence as an object, indirect object, or genitive (possessive) form. However, the Greek article is very close to "this" so the purpose of an article like this can also be demonstrative.There is no vocative definite article, (despite being shown in Perseus). When the vocative is meant, no article is used or they used ω or εSee this article

αἰτοῦσιν "[28 verses](part pl pres act masc dat) "To them that ask is from aiteo, which means "to ask for," "to request," "to demand," "to beg of," "to postulate or assume [in logic]," "to claim," and "to ask for one's own use." In passive, "to be asked" and "to have a thing begged from one."

αὐτὸν [124 verses](pron/adj sg masc acc) "Him/It" is auton, is the masculine, accusative case of the third-person, singular adjective that is used as a pronoun. Masculine pronouns can refer to things as well as people, so it can be it."  The word also means "the same," and "of one's own accord." An accusative object of a preposition indicates movement towards something or a position reached as a result of that movement. Events may show the amount of time.  However, masculine pronouns refer to masculine nouns, not just masculine people so this word can mean "it" as well as "he." As a preposition's object indicates movement towards something or a position reached as a result of that movement. Events may show the amount of time.

Wordplay: 

 A play on the ideas of worthless [beings], worthwhile [gifts] and the more worth that comes from the divine. 

Related Verses: 

parallel comparison: 

This verse is nearly the same as Matthew 7:11. As we see often see from Luke, a common word is changed to a less common one. The idea of the "holy spirit" is added to it. 

Front Page Date: 

May 8 2024