Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus isn't just saying earthly fathers are nice; he's highlighting how their very humanity, their natural instinct to nurture, mirrors God's infinitely greater fatherly care. He uses familiar, everyday food items like bread and fish precisely because they are the most basic sustenance, and their counterfeits—a stone or a snake—are the most common deceptions, emphasizing God's promise to provide what truly satisfies, not just a surface-level answer.
Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is directly challenging the disciples' potential for doubt, following his teaching on judgment. He uses relatable, everyday examples of fatherly love to illustrate a profound point: if even imperfect human fathers wouldn't give their children harmful things when asked for essentials, how much more will our perfect Heavenly Father grant good gifts to those who ask Him. This builds towards his powerful conclusion about the assurance of God answering prayer.
Ever felt like God might be holding out on you? Jesus uses a powerful image to counter that very thought.
Jesus appeals to our deepest human experience: parenthood. He asks, 'Which of you, if your child asks for something essential like bread, would offer them a useless, hard stone?' The answer is obvious: no loving father would do that.
This isn't just about avoiding cruelty; it's about the natural inclination of a parent to provide. The very instinct that drives a father to give his son nourishment, not a rock, is a reflection of God's own heart. Jesus is saying that God's fatherly goodness is not just similar to ours, but infinitely greater and more reliable.
Sometimes, we ask for one thing, but God gives us something else entirely. Is He ignoring us, or is there more to it?
Jesus doesn't just ask if a father would give a stone instead of bread. The implication is that a father wouldn't offer something that looks like bread but is truly useless or even harmful. The stones of that region could resemble loaves of bread, and snakes could resemble fish.
This points to a crucial aspect of God's giving: He gives what truly satisfies the underlying need, even if it's not exactly what we verbally requested. Like a parent giving a child not just candy when they ask for 'something good,' but solid nourishment, God gives what is best. Sometimes, His 'yes' might look different than we imagined, but it's always aimed at our deepest well-being, not just a superficial answer.
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Understand the original words
artos · Greek Noun
The essential, daily sustenance provided by God for human life. It is often symbolic of the spiritual nourishment and life-giving power of Christ and the Word of God.
lithos · Greek Noun
Often used symbolically to represent something deceptive, dangerous, or evil. While it appears useful, it is fundamentally harmful, representing a betrayal of trust or a spiritual trap.
This passage is a parallel account where Jesus uses the exact same analogy of an earthly father giving good gifts, reinforcing the point about God's generosity to those who ask.
Genesis 50:20Joseph's words to his brothers, 'You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good,' echo the idea that God can take even seemingly negative or 'stony' situations and turn them into something life-giving, like bread.
Romans 8:32This verse states that if God did not spare His own Son, He will 'graciously give us all things,' directly supporting the idea that God's willingness to give is even greater than a human father's.
1 John 5:14This verse assures believers that if we ask anything according to God's will, He hears us, aligning with the principle that a loving father (God) gives good gifts to His children when they ask.
vincentMatthew 7:9: "Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?"
Bread, a stone (ἄρτον, λίθον)Rev. for bread reads loaf, which is better. On the resemblance of certain stones to cakes of bread, see on Matthew 4:3.
clarkeMatthew 7:9: "Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?"
Or what man is there - whom if his son - Men are exhorted to come unto God, with the persuasion that he is a most gracious and compassionate Parent, who possesses all heavenly and earthly good, knows what is necessary for each of his creatures, and is infinitely ready to communicate that which they need most. Will he give him a stone? - Will he not readily give him bread if he have it? This was a pr…
Jesus isn't just saying earthly fathers are nice; he's highlighting how their very humanity, their natural instinct to nurture, mirrors God's infinitely greater fatherly care. He uses familiar, everyday food items like bread and fish precisely because they are the most basic sustenance, and their counterfeits—a stone or a snake—are the most common deceptions, emphasizing God's promise to provide what truly satisfies, not just a surface-level answer.
Jesus is directly challenging the disciples' potential for doubt, following his teaching on judgment. He uses relatable, everyday examples of fatherly love to illustrate a profound point: if even imperfect human fathers wouldn't give their children harmful things when asked for essentials, how much more will our perfect Heavenly Father grant good gifts to those who ask Him. This builds towards his powerful conclusion about the assurance of God answering prayer.
Jesus is directly challenging the disciples' potential for doubt, following his teaching on judgment. He uses relatable, everyday examples of fatherly love to illustrate a profound point: if even imperfect human fathers wouldn't give their children harmful things when asked for essentials, how much more will our perfect Heavenly Father grant good gifts to those who ask Him. This builds towards his powerful conclusion about the assurance of God answering prayer.
"Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?" — Jesus isn't just saying earthly fathers are nice; he's highlighting how their very humanity, their natural instinct to nurture, mirrors God's infinitely greater fatherly care. He uses familiar, every…
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Last reviewed October 2026