"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."
— Matthew 7:7 (NIV)
Matthew 7:7 is the "ask, seek, knock" verse from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. This page gives the verse, where it sits in Matthew 7, and a plain reading. For more on the theme, see Bible verses about prayer, Bible verses about seeking God, and Love and prayer.
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The verse
The King James reads: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."
"Ask" is aiteō (G154), to ask or request. "Seek" is zēteō (G2212), to look for. "Knock" is krouō (G2925), to knock at a door, and "opened" is anoigō (G455). All three commands are in the Greek present tense, which many readers take as "keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking."
Where it sits in Matthew 7
Matthew 5-7 is the Sermon on the Mount. Chapter 7 opens with a warning about judging others (Matthew 7:1-5). Then comes verse 7, and verse 8 repeats it as a promise: "For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."
Verses 9-11 give the reason. "Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?" Jesus ends, "how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" Verse 12 follows with the golden rule. Luke records the same teaching after the Lord's Prayer (Luke 11:9-13).
What the verse is saying
Jesus invites people to bring their needs to God and to keep at it. The three verbs build: asking with words, seeking with effort, knocking at a door that is not yet open.
The confidence rests on who God is. Verse 11 frames the whole promise around a Father who gives "good gifts." It is not a promise that every request comes back exactly as worded. It is a promise that a good Father hears and answers his children well.
Questions people ask
What does Matthew 7:7 say?
In the NIV it says, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." The KJV says, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."
What does Matthew 7:7 mean?
It is Jesus' invitation to keep praying: ask, seek, and knock. The verses that follow ground it in God as a Father who gives good gifts to those who ask him.
Does Matthew 7:7 mean God gives whatever we ask?
The passage frames the promise with a father giving bread, not a stone (Matthew 7:9-11). The point is God's goodness in how he answers, not that every request is granted as asked.
Where else is "ask, seek, knock" in the Bible?
Luke 11:9-10 has the same words, right after Jesus teaches the Lord's Prayer. Luke 11:13 ends, "how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
What other verses are like Matthew 7:7?
Matthew 6:33 (seek first his kingdom), Philippians 4:6 (present your requests to God), and Hebrews 4:16 (approach the throne of grace with confidence) are close companions.
