"ask"

[charliek]

recently, while reading anthony selvaggio's book "the 24/7 christian, he mad mentin of the word "ask" in james 1:5 and said that it was in the present indicative sense. i was wondering if that was the same case for the word "ask" in matthew 7:7, and john 16:24. can anybody give me a hand with this one? thanks.

 

[fredtgreco]

All those instances are present imperative.

 

[charliek]

the verses in question make it sound like asking is a one time thing instead of a continual process.

 

[CharlieJ]

My long-lost brother Charlie K!

Yes, they are the same word. I noticed that the HCSB translates Matt. 7:7 this way: "Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you." However, it does not do so in other passages using the same verb form. The context of Matthew 7, the persistent widow, calls for a habitual rendering of the verb.

It may be pinning too much on the verb form to demand a continual or habitual sense. After all, John 16:24 uses the present, whereas the very similar John 15:7 uses the aorist.