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Read the Bible

King James Version

Matthew 7:10

Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Commandments;   Food;   Penitent;   Prayer;   Religion;   Seekers;   Serpent;   Thompson Chain Reference - Food;   Food, Physical-Spiritual;   Serpents;   Victuals;   The Topic Concordance - Prayer;   Seeking;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Adoption;   Diet of the Jews, the;   Fishes;   Reptiles;   Serpents;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Fish, Fisher;   Prayer;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Sermon on the mount;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Prayer;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Hutchinsonians;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Food;   James, the General Epistle of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Family;   Judge (Office);   Matthew, the Gospel of;   Prayer;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Mss;   Text of the New Testament;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Animals;   Fish, Fisher, Fishing;   Food;   Humour;   Illustrations;   Luke, Gospel According to;   Matthew, Gospel According to;   Poet;   Prayer (2);   Proverbs ;   Redemption (2);   Salvation;   Sanctify, Sanctification;   Scorpion (2);   Sea of Galilee;   Sermon on the Mount;   Serpent;   Simple, Simplicity ;   Trinity (2);   Vain;   Winter ;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Fish;   Serpent;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Fish;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Father;   Give;   Prayer;   Priesthood;   Sermon on the Mount, the;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
King James Version (1611)
Or if he aske a fish, will hee giue him a serpent?
English Standard Version
Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?
New American Standard Bible
"Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?
New Century Version
Or if your children ask for a fish, would you give them a snake?
Amplified Bible
"Or if he asks for a fish, will [instead] give him a snake?
Geneva Bible (1587)
Or if he aske fish, wil he giue him a serpent?
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?
Legacy Standard Bible
Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?
Berean Standard Bible
Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
Contemporary English Version
Would you give your child a snake if the child asked for a fish?
Complete Jewish Bible
or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
Darby Translation
and if he ask a fish, will give him a serpent?
Easy-to-Read Version
Or if he asked for a fish, would you give him a snake? Of course not!
George Lamsa Translation
Or if he should ask him for fish, why, will he hand him a snake?
Good News Translation
Or would you give him a snake when he asks for a fish?
Lexham English Bible
Or also if he will ask for a fish, will give him a snake?
Literal Translation
And if he should ask a fish, will he give him a snake?
American Standard Version
or if he shall ask for a fish, will give him a serpent?
Bible in Basic English
Or if he makes a request for a fish, will give him a snake?
Hebrew Names Version
Or if he asks for a fish, who will give him a serpent?
International Standard Version
Or if he asks for a fish, he wouldn't give him a snake, would he?
Etheridge Translation
if a fish he shall ask of him, a serpent will he reach forth to him ?
Murdock Translation
Or if he ask of him a fish, will he reach him a serpent?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Or yf he aske fyshe, wyll he geue hym a serpent?
English Revised Version
or if he shall ask for a fish, will give him a serpent?
World English Bible
Or if he asks for a fish, who will give him a serpent?
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
Weymouth's New Testament
Or if the son shall ask him for a fish will offer him a snake?
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Or if he axe fische, whether he wole take hym an edder?
Update Bible Version
or if he shall ask for a fish, will give him a serpent?
Webster's Bible Translation
Or if he shall ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
New English Translation
Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
New King James Version
Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?
New Living Translation
Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not!
New Life Bible
Or if he asks for a fish, would he give him a snake?
New Revised Standard
Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake?
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Or, a fish also, shall ask, - a serpent, will give him?
Douay-Rheims Bible
Or if he shall ask him a fish, will he reach him a serpent?
Revised Standard Version
Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Or if he axed fysshe wolde he proffer hym a serpet?
Young's Literal Translation
and if a fish he may ask -- a serpent will he present to him?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Or yf he axed fysshe, wolde he proffer hym a serpent?
Mace New Testament (1729)
or instead of a fish, would he give him a serpent?
Simplified Cowboy Version
If they ask for some macaroni and cheese, do you give them turpentine and taters? Of course you don't!

Contextual Overview

7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Cross-References

Genesis 6:17
And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
Genesis 7:4
For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.
Genesis 7:17
And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.
Genesis 7:20
Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.
Job 22:16
Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood:
Luke 17:27
They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?] Which is somewhat like a fish, especially an eel. Fish and bread are mentioned, because these were common food; see Mark 6:41

John 21:13 and particularly in Galilee, a fish country, where Christ now was, and from whence he had called his disciples, who were fishermen. In Luke 11:12 it is added, "or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?" which is used, as the rest, to show the absurdity and inhumanity of such conduct; and that indeed nothing of this kind is to be found among men, unless it be among monsters in nature.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Ask, and it shall be given you ... - There are here three different forms presented of seeking the things which we need from God - asking, ‘seeking, and knocking. The latter is taken from the act of knocking at a door for admittance. See Luke 13:25; Revelation 3:20. The phrases signify to seek with earnestness, diligence, and perseverance. The promise is, that what we seek shall be given us. It is of course implied that we seek with a proper spirit, with humility, sincerity, and perseverance. It is implied, also, that we ask the things which it may be consistent for God to give - that is, things which he has promised to give, and which would be best for us, and most for his own honor, 1 John 5:14. Of that God is to be the judge. And here there is the utmost latitude which a creature can ask. God is willing to provide for us, to forgive our sins, to save our souls, to befriend us in trial, to comfort us in death, to extend the gospel through the world. Man “can” ask no higher things of God; and these he may ask, assured that he is willing to grant them.

Christ encourages us to do this by the conduct of parents. No parent turns away his child with that which would be injurious. He would not give him a stone instead of bread, or a serpent instead of a fish. God is better and kinder than the most tender earthly parents; and with what confidence, therefore, may we come as his children, and ask what we need! Parents, he says, are evil; that is, are imperfect, often partial, and not unfrequently passionate; but God is free from all this, and therefore is ready and willing to aid us.

Every one that asketh receiveth - That is, every one that asks aright; that prays in faith, and in submission to the will of God. He does not always give the very thing which we ask, but he gives what would be better. A parent will not always confer the “very thing” which a child asks, but he will seek the welfare of the child, and give what he thinks will be most for its good. Paul asked that the thorn from his flesh might be removed. God did not “literally” grant the request, but told him that his “grace” should be “sufficient” for him. See the notes at 2 Corinthians 12:7-9.

A fish - A fish has some resemblance to a serpent; yet no parent would attempt to deceive his child in this. So God will not give to us that which might appear to be of use, but which would be injurious.


 
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