Matthew 5:42 (YLT)

Passage

to him who is asking of thee be giving, and him who is willing to borrow from thee thou mayest not turn away.

Nearby Context

Matthew 5:40 and whoever is willing to take thee to law, and thy coat to take--suffer to him also the cloak.

Matthew 5:41 `And whoever shall impress thee one mile, go with him two,

Matthew 5:42 to him who is asking of thee be giving, and him who is willing to borrow from thee thou mayest not turn away.

Matthew 5:43 `Ye heard that it was said: Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and shalt hate thine enemy;

Matthew 5:44 but I--I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those cursing you, do good to those hating you, and pray for those accusing you falsely, and persecuting you,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "asking", "thee", "giving", "willing", "borrow", "thou", and "mayest". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "asking" and "thee", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 41's "And whoever shall impress thee one mile..." into verse 43's "Ye heard that it was said Thou...", so "asking" and "thee" 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 "asking" and "thee" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.