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Luke 11:12

Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

After the Lord's Prayer, Jesus talked about asking in prayer.

Spoken to:: Apostles
KJV issues:: 4

KJV

Luke 11:12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

NIV

Luke 11:12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?

What His Listeners Heard

Or also he might request an egg. Will you give him a scorpion?

Greek

Luke 11:12 ἢ καὶ αἰτήσει ᾠόν, ἐπιδώσει αὐτῷ σκορπίον;

Greek Word Order

ἢ καὶ αἰτήσει ᾠόν, ἐπιδώσει αὐτῷ σκορπίον;
Or also he might request an egg. Will you give him a scorpion?

Children know what they want and know to ask for it.

Lost in Translation

The word translated as "will he offer/give" is not from the normal verb translated as "give", but a more complicated word meaning "give besides" or "bestow." It could be the third-person form of the verb, but then it would be the middle voice, which doesn't work here. It is more likely the second person, "you will give." This is what fits with the resolution of this analogy in Luke 11:13, which is also in the second person.

The word for "scorpion" also means "heliotrope," the flowering plant. Since this is the last word and the punchline, the double meaning, one a dangerous insect, ths other, a flowering plant, is funny.

Vocabulary (Greek word by word)

ἢ [92 verses](conj/adv) "Or" is e, which is a particle used as a disjunctive, "either," "or," , or as a comparative, "than" or "rather than." It is (explam) also an exclamation, "hi!" and an adverb,(adv) meaning "in truth" and "of a surety." It is used with comparative forms of adjective or with positive adjective implying a comparison. -

καὶ [1089 verses](conj/adv) "And" is kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "also." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even," "also," and "just." In a series, it can be translated as "not only...but also." After words implying sameness "as."

αἰτήσει [28 verses](3rd sg aor-subj/fut-ind act) is from aiteo, which means "to ask for," "to request," "to demand," "to beg of," "to postulate or assume [in logic]," "to claim," and "to ask for one's own use." In passive, "to be asked" and "to have a thing begged from one."

ᾠόν, [1 verse](noun sg neut acc) "Egg" is oon, which means "egg", "spawn of eggs", and "an egg-shaped cup". - -The word translated as "an egg" means "egg" and it is used only here.

ἐπιδώσει [4 verses] (2nd sg fut ind or 3rd sg fut ind act mid) "Will he give" is epididōmi which means to "give besides," "give afterwards," "contribute as a `benevolence'," "give freely," "bestow," "give oneself up," "devote oneself," "give into another's hands," "deliver," "take as one's witness," "increase," "advance," "improve," "give in," and "give way."

αὐτῷ [106 verses](pron/adj sg masc/neut dat) "Him" is is auto, the dative case of the third-person, singular adjective that is used as a pronoun. The word also means "the same,""one's true self," and "the soul" as opposed to the body. It also means "of one's own accord." The form is the third person, plural as an indirect object of the verb or the object of a preposition. When used as a noun, it is preceded by a definite article, and it means "the same."A dative object of a preposition implies no movement but in a fixed position. With the "to be," it acts as a possessive, "his."

σκορπίον; [2 verses](noun sg masc acc) "Scorpion" is skorpios, which means "scorpion" and the constellation Scorpio.

KJV — word by word

Or - "Or" is translated from a Greek word that means primarily "or" but serves as "than" in a comparison. The same word could also be the exclamation "hi" or the adverb meaning "in truth."

missing "and" -- (MW) The untranslated word "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis, "even," "also," and "just." This word doesn't mean "or."

if - -- (OS) There is nothing in the Greek that can be translated as this in the source we use today but it does exist in the source that the KJV translators used.

he -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the verb.

shall -- This helping verb "shall" indicates that the verb is the future tense or a form that indicates possibility at some time. A "might" or "should" could work here or nothing at all in an "if/when/whoever" clause which implies a possibility. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.

ask -- (CW) The Greek word translated as "ask" means "asking for" something. It might be best to translate consistently as "request" to avoid confusion with the Greek word meaning "ask a question." This word has shades of meaning from "demand" to "claim." It means to beg or even to demand something from someone else.

an- There is no indefinite article in Greek, but when a noun doesn't have a definite article, the indefinite article can be added in English translation.

egg, - -The word translated as "an egg" means "egg" and it is used only here.

will -- This helping verb "will" indicates that the verb is the future tense. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.

he -- (CW) This is from the third-person, singular form of the verb. While the verb could be in the 3rd person, it would have to be the middle voice which requires the object to be the same as the subject. This is not how it is easily translated, so the verb is more likely in the second person, "you."

offer " -- The word translated as "offer" means "give besides," "give upon," or "bestow."

him -- The word translated as "him" or "to him" is the Greek adjective that acts like our third-person pronoun.

a - There is no indefinite article in Greek, but when a noun doesn't have a definite article, the indefinite article can be added in English translation.

scorpion? -"Scorpios" is the Greek noun that is the source of our word "scorpion". It also means "heliotrope."

NIV — word by word

Or -- "Or" is translated from a Greek word that means primarily "or" but serves as "than" in a comparison. The same word could also be the exclamation "hi" or the adverb meaning "in truth."

missing "and" -- (MW) The untranslated word "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis, "even," "also," and "just." This word doesn't mean "or."

if - -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source.

he -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the verb.

missing "should" or "might"-- (WF) A helping verb is necessary because the following verb is a verb of possibility, a subjunctive, something that "should" or "might" occur. The helping verb is not needed in a clause beginning with an "if," "when," "whoever" and other conditional clauses, but the "if" used here is not in the Greek.

ask -- The Greek word translated as "ask for" means "asking for" something. It might be best to translate consistently as "request" to avoid confusion with the Greek word meaning "ask a question." This word has shades of meaning from "demand" to "claim." It means to beg or even to demand something from someone else.

for - This completes the meaning of the verb. It is from the prefix.