Lectionary Calendar
Friday, July 25th, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

The Darby Translation

Luke 11:6

since a friend of mine on a journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him;

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Jesus, the Christ;   Jesus Continued;   Prayer;   Thompson Chain Reference - Ask;   Care;   Christ;   Church;   Family;   Human;   Importunity;   Limitations, Human;   Limited Resources;   Prayer;   Secret Prayer;   United Prayer;   Unwise Prayers;   Wicked, the;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Parables;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Parable;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Prayer;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Christ, Christology;   Friend, Friendship;   Prayer;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Lord's Prayer;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Prayer;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Banquet;   Lord's Prayer, the;   Luke, Gospel of;   Prayer;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Parable;   Prayer;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Bed;   Character;   Claim;   Discourse;   Friendship;   Intercession ;   Laughter;   Luke, Gospel According to;   Old Testament (Ii. Christ as Student and Interpreter of).;   Parable;   Prayer (2);   Property (2);   Reality;   Winter ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Jesus of Nazareth;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Bed;   Jesus Christ (Part 2 of 2);   Prayer;   Prayers of Jesus;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Christianity in Its Relation to Judaism;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for March 15;   My Utmost for His Highest - Devotion for September 12;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I don’t have anything to offer him.’
King James Version (1611)
For a friend of mine in his iourney is come to me, and I haue nothing to set before him,
King James Version
For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
English Standard Version
for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him';
New American Standard Bible
because a friend of mine has come to me from a journey and I have nothing to serve him';
New Century Version
A friend of mine has come into town to visit me, but I have nothing for him to eat.'
Amplified Bible
for a friend of mine who is on a journey has just come to visit me, and I have nothing to serve him';
New American Standard Bible (1995)
for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him';
Legacy Standard Bible
for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him';
Berean Standard Bible
because a friend of mine has come to me on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him.'
Contemporary English Version
A friend of mine has dropped in, and I don't have a thing for him to eat."
Complete Jewish Bible
because a friend of mine who has been travelling has just arrived at my house, and I have nothing for him to eat.'
Geneva Bible (1587)
For a friende of mine is come out of the way to me, & I haue nothing to set before him:
George Lamsa Translation
For a friend has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him.
Good News Translation
A friend of mine who is on a trip has just come to my house, and I don't have any food for him!'
Lexham English Bible
because a friend of mine has come to me on a journey, and I do not have anything to set before him.'
Literal Translation
For a friend of mine arrived to me from a journey, and I do not have what I may set before him.
American Standard Version
for a friend of mine is come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him;
Bible in Basic English
Because a friend of mine has come to me on a journey, and I have nothing to put before him;
Hebrew Names Version
for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him,'
International Standard Version
A friend of mine on a trip has dropped in on me, and I don't have anything to serve him.'
Etheridge Translation
because a friend has come to me from the way, and I have nothing to set to him ?
Murdock Translation
for a friend hath come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
For a friende of mine is come out of the way to me, and I haue nothyng to set before hym:
English Revised Version
for a friend of mine is come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him;
World English Bible
for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him,'
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
For a friend of mine on his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him:
Weymouth's New Testament
for a friend of mine has just come to my house from a distance, and I have nothing for him to eat'?
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
for my freend cometh to me fro the weie, and Y haue not what Y schal sette bifor hym.
Update Bible Version
for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him;
Webster's Bible Translation
For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
New English Translation
because a friend of mine has stopped here while on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him.'
New King James Version
for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him';
New Living Translation
‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.'
New Life Bible
for a friend of mine is on a trip and has stopped at my house. I have no food to give him.'
New Revised Standard
for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.'
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
forasmuch as, a friend of mine, hath come off a journey unto me, and I have not what I can set before him;
Douay-Rheims Bible
Because a friend of mine is come off his journey to me and I have not what to set before him.
Revised Standard Version
for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him';
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
for a frende of myne is come out of the waye to me and I have nothinge to set before him:
Young's Literal Translation
seeing a friend of mine came out of the way unto me, and I have not what I shall set before him,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
for a frende of myne is come to me out of the waye, and I haue nothinge to set before him:
Mace New Testament (1729)
for a friend of mine, a traveller, is come to my house, and I have nothing to entertain him with.
Simplified Cowboy Version

Contextual Overview

1 And it came to pass as he was in a certain place praying, when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray, even as John also taught his disciples. 2 And he said to them, When ye pray, say, Father, thy name be hallowed; thy kingdom come; 3 give us our needed bread for each day; 4 and remit us our sins, for we also remit to every one indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation. 5 And he said to them, Who among you shall have a friend, and shall go to him at midnight and say to him, Friend, let me have three loaves, 6 since a friend of mine on a journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him; 7 and he within answering should say, Do not disturb me; the door is already shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise up to give [it] thee? 8 —I say to you, Although he will not get up and give [them] to him because he is his friend, because of his shamelessness, at any rate, he will rise and give him as many as he wants. 9 And *I* say to you, Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. 10 For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it will be opened.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

in his journey: or, out of his way, Luke 11:6

Cross-References

Genesis 3:22
And Jehovah Elohim said, Behold, Man is become as one of us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he stretch out his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever …!
Genesis 6:5
And Jehovah saw that the wickedness of Man was great on the earth, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart only evil continually.
Genesis 8:21
And Jehovah smelled the sweet odour. And Jehovah said in his heart, I will no more henceforth curse the ground on account of Man, for the thought of Man's heart is evil from his youth; and I will no more smite every living thing, as I have done.
Genesis 9:19
These three are the sons of Noah; and from these was [the population of] the whole earth spread abroad.
Genesis 11:1
And the whole earth had one language, and the same words.
Genesis 11:4
And they said, Come on, let us build ourselves a city and a tower, the top of which [may reach] to the heavens; and let us make ourselves a name, lest we be scattered over the face of the whole earth.
Judges 10:14
Go and cry to the gods that ye have chosen: let them save you in the time of your trouble.
1 Kings 18:27
And it came to pass at noon that Elijah mocked them and said, Cry aloud; for he is a god; for he is meditating, or gone aside, or he is on a journey; perhaps he sleeps, and will awake.
Ecclesiastes 11:9
Rejoice, young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy heart, and in the sight of thine eyes; but know that for all these [things] God will bring thee into judgment.
Luke 1:51
He has wrought strength with his arm; he has scattered haughty [ones] in the thought of their heart.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For a friend of mine in his journey,.... Or "out of the way"; having lost his way, being benighted; and has rambled about for some time, and at length,

is come to me; for lodging and entertainment:

and I have nothing to set before him; to refresh him with, after such a fatigue, before he goes to bed, which was very requisite and proper.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And he said unto them ... - Jesus proceeds to show that, in order to obtain the blessing, it was necessary to “persevere” in asking for it. For this purpose he introduces the case of a friend’s asking bread of another for one who had come to him unexpectedly. His design is solely to show the necessity of being “importunate” or persevering in prayer to God.

At midnight - A time when it would be most inconvenient for his friend to help him; an hour when he would naturally be in bed and his house shut.

Three loaves - There is nothing particularly denoted by the number “three” in this place. Jesus often threw in such particulars merely to fill up the story, or to preserve the consistency of it.

My children are with me in bed - This does not necessarily mean that they were in the “same bed” with him, but that they were “all” in bed, the house was still, the door was shut, and it was troublesome for him to rise at that time of night to accommodate him. It should be observed, however, that the customs of Orientals differ in this respect from our own. Among them it is not uncommon indeed it is the common practice for a whole family - parents, children, and servants - to sleep in the same room. See “The Land and the Book,” vol. i. p. 180. This is “not” to be applied to God, as if it were troublesome to him to be sought unto, or as if “he” would ever reply to a sinner in that manner. All that is to be applied to God in this parable is simply that it is proper to “persevere” in prayer. As a “man” often gives because the request is “repeated,” and as one is not discouraged because the favor that he asks of his neighbor is “delayed,” so God often answers us after long and importunate requests.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Luke 11:6. In his journey is come — Or, perhaps more literally, A friend of mine is come to me out of his way, εξ οδου, which renders the case more urgent-a friend of mine, benighted, belated, and who has lost his way, is come unto me. This was a strong reason why he should have prompt relief.


 
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