Matthew 7:9 (LSB)

Passage

Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone?

Nearby Context

Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Matthew 7:8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Matthew 7:9 Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone?

Matthew 7:10 Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?

Matthew 7:11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "asks", "loaf", "give", and "stone". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "asks" and "loaf", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "For everyone who asks receives and he..." into verse 10's "Or if he asks for a fish...", so "asks" and "loaf" 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 "asks" and "loaf" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.