Back to Today
Luke 11:9
I tell you, keep asking, and it will be given you. Keep seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and it will be opened to you.
Permalink Verse page
Interpretation

Jesus teaches a ask seek knock that is worked out in concrete decisions in Luke 11:9—look for "keep" and "tell". Let ask seek knock in how we make amends—teach the body new reflexes.

Context

The setting is Luke—gospel narrative, developing ask seek knock. Read in Luke 11, its force becomes clearer. Listen for “keep” alongside “tell”.

Authorship & Historical Background

Early sources associate Luke with Luke the physician (companion of Paul). A common scholarly view of Luke: Anonymous; author also wrote Acts; polished Greek historian‑theologian.. Scholars commonly date Luke AD 80–90. Luke addresses Broader Greco‑Roman audience.. A careful narrative for a wide audience. A careful historian-theologian frames a universal horizon.

More details
Traditional:Luke the physician (companion of Paul)
Modern scholarship:Anonymous; author also wrote Acts; polished Greek historian‑theologian.
Date:AD 80–90
Audience:Broader Greco‑Roman audience.
Manuscripts & Textual Witnesses
The Greek text is preserved in over 5,800 manuscripts, more than any other surviving ancient work. Early papyri from the 2nd-3rd centuries like P46, P66, P75 provide text within 100–150 years of composition. Major uncial codices (Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, 4th century) contain complete or near-complete texts. The Byzantine text family represents the majority of later manuscripts. Textual variants exist but are mostly minor: word order, articles, spelling. No central Christian doctrine depends on any disputed text. Modern critical editions compare all manuscript families to determine the best reflects the earliest recoverable text reading.
Sources & witness notes
SinaiticusVaticanusP46