The Waypost 316

Here’s a snippet of thought heading into the message on Sunday from 1 John 5:14-15:

1 John 5:14-15

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

The word “ask” here is the Greek word aiteō. There are many words that paint the picture of prayer in NT Greek, but John chooses a word which is consistent with the picture God wants to impress upon His children. As we take in the meaning of these verses, we see why this word was chosen. One of the helpful tools I have on my shelf above my computer is R.C. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament. Trench shows us the distinction between the Greek synonyms aiteō and erōtaō – both of which can be translated similarly:

“The distinction between aiteō and erōtaō is as follows. Aiteō is the more submissive and suppliant term. It is consistently used to refer to an inferior’s seeking something from a superior (Acts 12:20), of a beggar’s seeking alms from a potential donor (Acts 3:2), of a child’s seeking something from a parent (Lam. 4:4; Matt. 7:9; Luke 6:11), of a subject’s seeking something from a ruler (Ezra 8:22), and of a man’s seeking something from God (1 Kings 3:11; Matt. 7:7; James 1:5; 1 John 3:22). In classical Greek, erōtaō never means “to ask” but only “to interrogate,” or “to inquire.” Like rogare (inquire), erōtaō implies an equality between the one who asks and the one who is asked – as a king with another king (Luke 14:32) – or if not equality, than a familiarity that lends authority to the request.”

Fascinating, isn’t it? And Trench isn’t through just yet. Check out the theologically weighty nugget which follows:

“It is noteworthy that Jesus never used aitein or aiteisthai to refer to himself when speaking to God on behalf of his disciples, for his is not the petition of the creature to the Creator but the request of the Son to the Father. Jesus’ consciousness of his equal dignity and prevailing intercession appears whenever he asks (or declares that he will ask) anything of the Father, because he always uses erōtō or erōtesō, and asking on equal terms (John 14:16; 16:26; 17:9, 15, 20), and never aiteō or aitēsō.”

Wow.