New King James Version
Matthew 5:42
42Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.
Matthew 5:42 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
- New International Version (NIV)Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.
Context of Matthew 5:42
40If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. 43“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
Read all of Matthew 5Matthew 5:42 word by word
τῷ αἰτοῦντί σε δός, καὶ τὸν θέλοντα ἀπὸ σοῦ δανίσασθαι μὴ ἀποστραφῇς.¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Giveδίδωμιdidōmi · to giveG1325
- to him that askethαἰτέωaiteō · to askG154
- theeσύsu · youG4771
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- fromἀπόapo · away fromG575
- him that wouldθέλωthelō ethelō · to will/desireG2309
- borrowδανείζωdaneizō · to lend/borrowG1155
- turnἀποστρέφωapostrephō · to turn awayG654
- notμήmē · notG3361
Cross-references for Matthew 5:42
- Matthew 25:35for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;
- Deuteronomy 15:7“If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother,
- Job 31:16“If I have kept the poor from their desire, Or caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
- Psalms 37:21The wicked borrows and does not repay, But the righteous shows mercy and gives.
- Psalms 112:5A good man deals graciously and lends; He will guide his affairs with discretion.
- Proverbs 3:27Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in the power of your hand to do so.
- Proverbs 11:24There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty.
- Proverbs 19:17He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, And He will pay back what he has given.
- Ecclesiastes 11:1Cast your bread upon the waters, For you will find it after many days.
- Isaiah 58:6“Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?
- Daniel 4:27Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity.”
- Luke 6:30Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.
- Luke 11:41But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you.
- Luke 14:12Then He also said to him who invited Him, “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid.
- Romans 12:20Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
- 2 Corinthians 9:6But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Commentaries on Matthew 5:42
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 42Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow - To give and lend freely to all who are in need, is a general precept from which we are only excused by our inability to perform it. Men are more or less obliged to it as they are more or less able, as the want is more or less pressing, as they are more or less burthened with common poor, or with necessitous relatives. In all these matters, both prudence and charity must be consulted. That God…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 42Give to him that asketh thee - This is the general rule. It is better to give sometimes to an undeserving person than to turn away one who is really in need. It is good to be in the habit of giving. At the same time, the rule must be interpreted so as to be consistent with our duty to our families 1 Timothy 5:8 and with other objects of justice and charity. It is seldom, perhaps never, good to give to a person who is able to work, 2 Thessalonians 3:10. To…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 38-42Verses 38-42 The plain instruction is, Suffer any injury that can be borne, for the sake of peace, committing your concerns to the Lord's keeping. And the sum of all is, that Christians must avoid disputing and striving. If any say, Flesh and blood cannot pass by such an affront, let them remember, that flesh and blood shall not inherit the kingdom of God; and those who act upon right principles will have most peace and comfort.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 42See Deuteronomy 15:7–11.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 4242. Give to him that asketh thee--The sense of unreasonable asking is here implied (compare Lu 6:30). and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away--Though the word signifies classically "to have money lent to one on security," or "with interest," yet as this was not the original sense of the word, and as usury was forbidden among the Jews (Ex 22:25, &c.), it is doubtless simple borrowing which our Lord here means, as indeed the whole strain…Read the comment
Topics related to Matthew 5:42
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Matthew 5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Catena Aurea
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- John Lightfoot Commentary
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries