Passage

Matthew 7.7

Book: Matthew · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"5. Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. 6. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before the swine, lest haply they trample them under their feet, and turn and rend you."

"7. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:"

"8. for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9. Or what man is there of you, who, if his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone;" (Matthew 7:5-9, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"5. You hypocrite! First remove the beam out of your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye. 6. “Don’t give that which is holy to the dogs, neither throw your pearls before the pigs, lest perhaps they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces."

"7. “Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you."

"8. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened. 9. Or who is there among you, who, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?" (Matthew 7:5-9, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"5. Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. 6. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you."

"7. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:"

"8. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?" (Matthew 7:5-9, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"5. Hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then thou shalt see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. 6. 'Ye may not give that which is [holy] to the dogs, nor cast your pearls before the swine, that they may not trample them among their feet, and having turned, may rend you."

"7. 'Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you;"

"8. for every one who is asking doth receive, and he who is seeking doth find, and to him who is knocking it shall be opened. 9. 'Or what man is of you, of whom, if his son may ask a loaf, a stone will he present to him?" (Matthew 7:5-9, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: Matthew (traditionally) the tax-collector-apostle / narrator + Jesus's direct teaching in the Sermon on the Mount
Audience: Jewish-Christian audience (heavy OT-fulfillment emphasis)
Location: first-century Palestine (events); possibly Antioch (composition)
Time period: events c. 4 BC, AD 30/33; composed c. AD 60-80

Theological reading

Matthew 7:7 is Jesus's signature teaching on prayer-as-seeking, deployed in the Divine Hiddenness discussion as the canonical statement that the kingdom is found by those who seek it (not delivered by overwhelming evidence to those who do not). For full theological treatment, see Lesson 4.2, Divine Hiddenness. The book of Matthew hub (Matthew) provides higher-level theological context.

Quoted in

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.