King James Bible Dictionary

'ASK, verb transitive [Gr. In former times, the English word was pronounced ax, as in the royal style of assenting to bills in Parliament. 'Be it as it is axed.']

1. To request; to seek to obtain by words; to petition; with of before the person to whom the request is made.

Ask counsel of God. Judges 18:5.

2. To require, expect or claim.

To whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. Luke 12:48.

3. To interrogate, or inquire; to put a question, with a view to an answer.

He is of age, ask him. John 9:21.

4. To require, or make claim.

Ask me never so much dowry. Genesis 34:12. Daniel 2:10.

5. To claim, require or demand, as the price or value of a commodity; to set a price; as, what price do you ask?

6. To require, as physically necessary.

The exigence of a state asks a much longer time to conduct the design to maturity.

This sense is nearly or entirely obsolete; ask being superseded by require and demand.

7. To invite; as, to ask guests to a wedding or entertainment; ask my friend to step into the house.

'ASK, verb intransitive

1. To request or petition, followed by for; as, ask for bread; or without for.

Ask and it shall be given you. Matthew 7:7.

2. to inquire, or seek by request; sometimes followed by after.

Wherefore dost thou ask after my name? Genesis 32:29.

This verb can hardly be considered as strictly intransitive, for some person or object is always understood.

Ask is not equivalent to demand, claim, and require, at least, in modern usage; much less, is it equivalent to beg and beseech. The first three words, demand, claim, require, imply a right or supposed right in the person asking, to the thing requested; and beseech implies more urgency, than ask ask and request imply no right, but suppose the thing desired to be a favor. The French demander is correctly rendered by ask rather than by deman.