Ask

Ask - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

'ASK, v.t. [Gr. In former times, the English word was pronounced ax, as in the royal style of assenting to bills in Parliament. ""Be it as it is axed.""]

1. To request; to seek to obtain by words; to petition; with of before the person to whom the request is made.

Ask counsel of God. Judg 18.

2. To require, expect or claim.

To whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. Luke 12.

3. To interrogate, or inquire; to put a question, with a view to an answer.

He is of age, ask him. John 9.

4. To require, or make claim.

Ask me never so much dowry. Gen 34. Dan 2.

5. To claim, require or demand, as the price or value of a commodity; to set a price; as, what price do you ask?

6. To require, as physically necessary.

The exigence of a state asks a much longer time to conduct the design to maturity.

This sense is nearly or entirely obsolete; ask being superseded by require and demand.

7. To invite; as, to ask guests to a wedding or entertainment; ask my friend to step into the house.

'ASK, v.i.

1. To request or petition, followed by for; as, ask for bread; or without for.

Ask and it shall be given you. Mat 7.

2. to inquire, or seek by request; sometimes followed by after.

Wherefore dost thou ask after my name? Gen 32.

This verb can hardly be considered as strictly intransitive, for some person or object is always understood.

Ask is not equivalent to demand, claim, and require, at least, in modern usage; much less, is it equivalent to beg and beseech. The first three words, demand, claim, require, imply a right or supposed right in the person asking, to the thing requested; and beseech implies more urgency, than ask. Ask and request imply no right, but suppose the thing desired to be a favor. The French demander is correctly rendered by ask, rather than by deman.

ask (sha'al "to inquire," "to seek for counsel," "to demand"): It is the word commonly used in the Old Testament and is equivalent to eperotao, "to request," used in the New Testament. It does not imply any inferiority on the part of the person asking (Ps 2:8). It is the Son who is bidden to ask, and therefore the word expresses the request of an equal. It has also the meaning "to inquire": "Wherefore .... ask after my name?" (Ge 32:29) signifying, "Surely you must know who I am." "Ye shall ask me no question" (Joh 16:23), i.e. "about the true meaning of My words, for all will then be clear to you" (Dummelow). aiteo, is the word commonly used with reference to prayer. It means "to ask," "to implore," and presents the petitioner as an inferior asking from a superior (Mt 6:8; 7:7,8; Mr 10:35; Joh 14:13, and in many other places). It is not, however, asking in the sense of the word beg, but rather that of a child making request of its father. The petitioner asks both because of his need and of the assurance that he is welcome. He is assured before he asks that the petition will be granted, if he asks in accordance with God's will (1 Joh 3:22; 5:15). Moreover the Spirit leads us to such asking in that He reveals our need and the goodness of God to us. See AMISS; PRAYER.

Jacob W. Kapp