Luke 11:11
 
Luke 11:11
(KJV) If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
(1611 KJV) If a sonne shall aske bread of any of you that is a father, will hee giue him a stone? Or if he aske a fish, will he for a fish giue him a serpent?
(1587 Geneva Bible) If a sonne shall aske bread of any of you that is a father, will he giue him a stone? or if hee aske a fish, will he for a fish giue him a serpent?
(1526 Tyndale) Yf the sonne shall axe breed of eny of you that is a father: wyll he geve him a stone? Or yf he axe fisshe wyll he for a fysshe geve him a serpent?
 
Counterfeit Versions
(CSB) What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish?
(NIV) "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?
(NASV) "Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he?
(THE MESSAGE) If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate?
(AMP) What father among you, if his son asks for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone; or if he asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent?
(NLT) “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead?
(ESV) What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent;
(CEV) Which one of you fathers would give your hungry child a snake if the child asked for a fish?
(NCV) If your children ask for a fish, which of you would give them a snake instead?
(HCSB) What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish?
(TNIV) "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?
(RSV) What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent;
(NAB-Roman Catholic) What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish?
(NWT-Jehovah’s Witnesses) Indeed, which father is there among YOU who, if his son asks for a fish, will perhaps hand him a serpent instead of a fish?
 
Textus Receptus - Traditional Text
tina de umwn ton patera aithsei o uioV arton mh liqon epidwsei autw ei kai icqun mh anti icquoV ojin epidwsei autw
 
Hort-Westcott - Critical Text
tina de ex umwn ton patera aithsei o uioV icqun mh anti icquoV ojin autw epidwsei
 
Corrupted Manuscripts
This verse is corrupted in the following manuscripts:
 
Omit “If a son shall ask bread of any of you”
Aleph 01 - Sinaiticus - Nineteenth Century Counterfeit
A 02 - Alexandrinus - Fifth century
B 03 - Vaticanus - Fourth century
C 04 - Ephraemi Rescriptus - Fifth century
D 05 - Bezae Cantabrigiensis - Fifth century
K 017 - Ninth century
L 019 - Seventh century
R 027 - Sixth century
X 033 - Tenth century
Theta 038 - Ninth century
 
Omit “will he give him a stone”
B 03 - Vaticanus - Fourth century
P 45 - Third century
P 75 - Third century
 
Manuscripts which agree with the Textus Receptus for this verse
Contains “will he give him a stone?”
Byzantine Text (450-1450 A.D.)
Aleph 01 - Sinaiticus - Nineteenth Century Counterfeit
A 02 - Alexandrinus - Fifth century
C 04 - Ephraemi Rescriptus - Fifth century
D 05 - Bezae Cantabrigiensis - Fifth century
L 019 - Seventh century
W 032 - Fourth/fifth century
Theta 038 - Ninth century
1 (Minuscule) - Seventh century
13 (Minuscule) - Eighth century
 
Published Critical Greek Texts with Corruptions
 
Omit “If a son shall ask bread of any of you”
Lachmann, Karl - 1842
Tregelles, Samuel - 1857
Alford, Henry - 1849 revised in 1871
Tischendorf, Constantine - 1869
Westcott and Hort - 1881
Nestle - 1927 as revised in seventeenth edition in 1941
Nestle-Aland - 1979 - Twenty Sixth Edition
Nestle-Aland - 1993 - Twenty Seventh Edition
United Bible Societies - 1983 - Fourth Edition
 
Omit “will he give him a stone?”
Westcott and Hort - 1881
Nestle - 1927 as revised in seventeenth edition in 1941
Nestle-Aland - 1979 - Twenty Sixth Edition
Nestle-Aland - 1993 - Twenty Seventh Edition
United Bible Societies - 1983 - Fourth Edition
 
Affected Teaching
Here Jesus is giving a lesson on faith and the modern versions have chopped it up to a point it makes no sense. This verse speaks about two staple foods which a son asks for. They are fish and bread. Now do you remember what two miracles Jesus performed concerning the fish and bread (loaves)?
 
(Mat 14:19-21 KJV) And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. {20} And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. {21} And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.
 
(Mark 8:4-8 KJV) And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness? {5} And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven. {6} And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people. {7} And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them. {8} So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets.
 
When Jesus had taken the fishes and loaves in both cases and blessed them, He was able to feed literally thousands. In Luke 11:11, He is giving a lesson on faith among family members. He is asking the fathers among them if their child would ask for fish and bread, would they give them a stone, something which would be of no value since it could not be eaten or give them a serpent, something which could kill them? An earthly father would not do this, especially one who is sinful (Vs 13) will give good gifts to their children and not hurt them. Then He goes on to say in Verse 13 that the Holy Heavenly Father would never do anything like that which would be an absurd assumption. The Lord deals with two contrasts here. The first, is that He compares the actions of an earthly father to those of the Heavenly Father. God the Father can be expected to supply more to His children than an earthly father can for his. The second, is that an earthly father can only supply the physical needs but the Heavenly Father can give the Holy Spirit who can minister to all our spiritual needs in this life and the next. As the Lord gave the fish and bread to the multitudes, the Heavenly Father gives the Holy Spirit to the multitude of the body of Christ. We must be careful not to insist that Luke 11:13 is stating that the Holy Spirit is given to every human but only indwells those who become saved. However, there are many who do partake of the benefits of the Holy Spirit who are not saved. (Heb 6:4-5 KJV) For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, {5} And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, Those who sit in churches each week and hear the beautiful hymns or those who are in hospitals built by Christians are two groups who have benefited from those who are saved. What about Christians who help those unbelievers in disasters or personal trials in their life? They too are tasting the good word of God and partakers of the Holy Ghost yet are not indwelled through salvation. There is no good reason why the modern versions have chopped this verse up but then again I guess the reason may be that the modern versions are just no good.

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