Matthew 5:42 (ASV)

Passage

Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

Nearby Context

Matthew 5:40 And if any man would go to law with thee, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.

Matthew 5:41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile, go with him two.

Matthew 5:42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

Matthew 5:43 Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy:

Matthew 5:44 but I say unto you, love your enemies, and pray for them that persecute you;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "give", "asketh", "thee", "borrow", "turn", "thou", and "away". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "give" and "asketh", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 41's "And whosoever shall compel thee to go..." into verse 43's "Ye have heard that it was said...", so "give" and "asketh" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "give" and "asketh" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.