Matthew 7:11

So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Jesus addresses his followers during the Sermon on the Mount, responding directly to the preceding instructions on asking and seeking. He speaks to a group that has just heard rhetorical questions about parental provision.

The words — πονηροὶ (ponēroi) literally means "evil" or "wicked," describing the moral state of the listeners. ἀγαθὰ (agatha) translates directly to "good," establishing the contrast between human limitation and divine provision.

The thread — The argument from lesser to greater appears in Luke 11:11 regarding fish and snakes, while James 1:17 and Romans 8:32 trace the same theme of God supplying good gifts. These references map the consistent scriptural pattern of divine generosity in response to petition.

Why it lands — The text states that flawed human parents give good gifts to their children, then asserts God will certainly give good things to those who ask Him. It requires the reader to acknowledge that divine giving surpasses human giving without prescribing what those good things must be.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Greek words

King James Version

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?

Cross-references

Luke 11:11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?
James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.
Romans 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?
Psalms 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and a shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity.
Isaiah 49:15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the son of her womb? Even if she could forget, I will not forget you!
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Psalms 86:15 But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness.
Ephesians 2:1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
1 John 4:10 And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Genesis 8:21 When the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, He said in His heart, “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from his youth. And never again will I destroy all living creatures as I have done.