In the context of the Bible, the concept of "demand" can be understood in various ways, often reflecting the expectations or requirements placed by God upon His people, as well as the requests or demands made by individuals to God or others. The term can encompass commands, requests, or expectations that carry a sense of urgency or necessity.

Divine Demands

God's demands are often seen as expressions of His will and commandments, which are intended for the well-being and holiness of His people. In the Old Testament, the Law given to Moses is a primary example of divine demands. These laws were not merely suggestions but were commands that required obedience. For instance, in Deuteronomy 10:12-13, it is written: "And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD that I am giving you this day for your own good?"

The prophets also conveyed God's demands for justice, mercy, and humility. Micah 6:8 succinctly summarizes this: "He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?"

Human Demands

In the Bible, individuals often make demands of God, sometimes in the form of prayers or requests. These demands can reflect a deep faith and reliance on God's power and provision. For example, in the New Testament, Jesus teaches about the importance of persistence in prayer. In Luke 11:9-10, He says, "So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."

However, the Bible also warns against making demands of God that stem from a place of testing or unbelief. In Matthew 4:7, Jesus responds to Satan's temptation by saying, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

Interpersonal Demands

The Bible also addresses demands made between individuals, often highlighting the importance of justice and fairness. In the context of debts and financial demands, the Bible encourages mercy and compassion. In Matthew 18:23-35, Jesus tells the parable of the unmerciful servant, illustrating the importance of forgiving others as we have been forgiven by God.

Moreover, the Bible speaks to the demands of leadership and service within the community of believers. Leaders are called to serve with humility and integrity, as seen in 1 Peter 5:2-3: "Be shepherds of God’s flock that is among you, watching over them—not out of compulsion, but because it is God’s will; not out of greed, but out of eagerness; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock."

Conclusion

The concept of demand in the Bible encompasses a range of interactions between God and humanity, as well as among individuals. Whether divine or human, demands in the biblical sense often carry a moral or spiritual weight, reflecting the values of justice, mercy, faith, and obedience that are central to the biblical narrative.1. (v. t.) To ask or call for with authority; to claim or seek from, as by authority or right; to claim, as something due; to call for urgently or peremptorily; as, to demand a debt; to demand obedience.

2. (v. t.) To inquire authoritatively or earnestly; to ask, esp. in a peremptory manner; to question.

3. (v. t.) To require as necessary or useful; to be in urgent need of; hence, to call for; as, the case demands care.

4. (v. t.) To call into court; to summon.

5. (v. i.) To make a demand; to inquire.

6. (n.) The act of demanding; an asking with authority; a peremptory urging of a claim; a claiming or challenging as due; requisition; as, the demand of a creditor; a note payable on demand.

7. (v. t.) Earnest inquiry; question; query.

8. (n.) A diligent seeking or search; manifested want; desire to possess; request; as, a demand for certain goods; a person's company is in great demand.

9. (v. t.) That which one demands or has a right to demand; thing claimed as due; claim; as, demands on an estate.

10. (n.) The asking or seeking for what is due or claimed as due.

11. (n.) The right or title in virtue of which anything may be claimed; as, to hold a demand against a person.

12. (n.) A thing or amount claimed to be due.

DEMAND

de-mand': The peremptory, imperative sense is absent from this word in its occurrences in the King James Version, where it means no more than "ask," "inquire" (compare French, demander) one or the other of which the Revised Version (British and American) substitutes in 2 Samuel 11:7 Matthew 2:4 Luke 3:14; Luke 17:20 Acts 21:33. the Revised Version (British and American) retains "demand" in Exodus 5:14 Job 38:3; Job 40:7; Job 42:4 Daniel 2:27; and inserts it (the King James Version "require") in Nehemiah 5:18.

1809. exaiteo -- to ask for oneself (mid.), demand
... to ask for oneself (mid.), demand. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: exaiteo
Phonetic Spelling: (ex-ahee-teh'-om-ahee) Short Definition: I demand of, ask ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1809.htm - 7k

1906. eperotema -- an inquiry, a demand
... an inquiry, a demand. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: eperotema Phonetic
Spelling: (ep-er-o'-tay-mah) Short Definition: inquiry, request, appeal ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1906.htm - 6k

1458. egkaleo -- to call in (as a debt or demand), ie bring to ...
... to call in (as a debt or demand), ie bring to account. Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: egkaleo Phonetic Spelling: (eng-kal-eh'-o) Short Definition: I ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1458.htm - 7k

1567. ekzeteo -- to seek out, demand, inquire
... to seek out, demand, inquire. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: ekzeteo Phonetic
Spelling: (ek-zay-teh'-o) Short Definition: I seek out, require Definition ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1567.htm - 7k

1567a. ekzeteo -- to seek out, demand, inquire
... 1567, 1567a. ekzeteo. 1567b . to seek out, demand, inquire. Transliteration:
ekzeteo Short Definition: charged. Word Origin from ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1567a.htm - 5k

1905. eperotao -- to inquire of
... to inquire of. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: eperotao Phonetic Spelling:
(ep-er-o-tah'-o) Short Definition: I interrogate, question, demand of Definition ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1905.htm - 8k

523. apaiteo -- to ask back
... apaiteo Phonetic Spelling: (ap-ah'-ee-teh-o) Short Definition: I ask back, ask what
is my due Definition: I ask back, ask what is my due, demand back. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/523.htm - 6k

4441. punthanomai -- to inquire, by impl. to learn
... to learn NASB Word Usage ask (1), asking (2), inquire (4), inquired (2),
inquiring (1), learned (1). ask, demand, inquire, understand. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4441.htm - 7k

1934. epizeteo -- to inquire for
... desire, enquire, seek after. From epi and zeteo; to search (inquire) for; intensively,
to demand, to crave -- desire, enquire, seek (after, for). see GREEK epi. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1934.htm - 7k

5532. chreia -- need, business
... From the base of chraomai or chre; employment, ie An affair; also (by implication)
occasion, demand, requirement or destitution -- business, lack, necessary ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5532.htm - 6k

7592. shaal -- to ask, inquire
... 1), begged (1), begs (1), borrow (1), borrowed (1), borrows (1), consult (2),
consulting (1), consults (1), dedicated (2), dedicated* (1), demand (1), demanded ...
/hebrew/7592.htm - 6k

7595. sheelah -- affair
... demand. (Aramaic) from sh'el; properly, a question (at law), ie Judicial decision
or mandate -- demand. see HEBREW sh'el. 7594, 7595. sheelah. 7596 . ...
/hebrew/7595.htm - 6k

7593. sheel -- to ask
... ask, demand, require. (Aramaic) corresponding to sha'al -- ask, demand, require.
see HEBREW sha'al. 7592, 7593. sheel. 7594 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/7593.htm - 6k

1245. baqash -- to seek
... root Definition to seek NASB Word Usage aim (1), beg (1), begging (1), concerned
(1), consulted (1), demand (1), desire (1), eager (1), hold* (1), inquired (2 ...
/hebrew/1245.htm - 6k

1875. darash -- to resort to, seek
... NASB Word Usage ask (1), avenge (1), calls (1), care (1), cares (3), comes the
reckoning (1), consult (2), consulted by them at all (1), demand (1), inquire (33 ...
/hebrew/1875.htm - 6k

559. amar -- to utter, say
... answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, + (at
the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire ...
/hebrew/559.htm - 7k

7896. shith -- to put, set
... Usage account (1), apply (1), appoint (1), appointed (1), bring (1), cast (1), close*
(1), concern* (1), concerned* (1), consider* (1), demand (1), demanded (2 ...
/hebrew/7896.htm - 6k

But Neither do I Demand that this Should be Said...
... Book VII. 7 But neither do I demand that this should be said? But neither
do I demand that this should be said, or that I should ...
/.../arnobius/the seven books of arnobius against the heathen/7 but neither do i.htm

The Demand of a Sign from Heaven Answered Only by the Sign of the ...
... Section 165. The Demand of a Sign from Heaven answered only by the Sign of
the Prophet Jonah. (Luke, xi., 16, 29-36.). We stated, on ...
/.../section 165 the demand of.htm

Whether it is Forbidden to Demand the Debt on Holy Days?
... OF THE THINGS ANNEXED TO MARRIAGE, AND FIRST OF THE PAYMENT OF THE MARRIAGE DEBT
(TEN ARTICLES) Whether it is forbidden to demand the debt on holy days? ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether it is forbidden to.htm

Of the Demand Made by Gainas and of John Chrysostom's Reply.
... Book V. Chapter XXXII."Of the demand made by Gainas and of John Chrysostom's
reply. One Gainas, a Scythian, but still more barbarous ...
/.../the ecclesiastical history of theodoret/chapter xxxii of the demand made.htm

Third Demand of the Same, Addressed from Chalcedon to the ...
... Letters of the Blessed Theodoret, CLXVIII. Third Demand of the same, addressed
from Chalcedon to the Sovereigns. We never expected ...
/.../the ecclesiastical history of theodoret/clxviii third demand of the.htm

Secondly, with Regard to the Demand of Learned Knowledge in the ...
... Address 140: Secondly, with regard to the demand of learned knowledge in
the Christian church? Secondly, with regard to the demand ...
/.../address 140 0 0 secondly with regard.htm

Whether those Angels who Demand that we Pay them Divine Honor, or ...
... Book X. Chapter 16."Whether Those Angels Who Demand that We Pay Them Divine Honor,
or Those Who Teach Us to Render Holy Service, Not to Themselves, But to God ...
/.../augustine/city of god/chapter 16 whether those angels who.htm

The Demand for a Sign.
... GROWING POPULARITY AND RISING OPPOSITION THE DEMAND FOR A SIGN. Then certain
of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, "Teacher ...
//christianbookshelf.org/barton/his life/the demand for a sign.htm

The Pharisees and Saduccees Demand a Sign.
... HIS WITHDRAWAL WITH THE TWELVE. THE MINISTRY BEYOND GALILEE THE PHARISEES
AND SADUCCEES DEMAND A SIGN. And the Pharisees and Sadducees ...
//christianbookshelf.org/barton/his life/the pharisees and saduccees demand.htm

Epistle xx. St. Ambrose Relates to his Sister the Events at Milan ...
... Selections from the Letters of St. Ambrose. Epistle XX. St. Ambrose relates to
his sister the events at Milan connected with the demand of? St. ...
/.../ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/epistle xx st ambrose relates.htm

Demand (34 Occurrences)
... call for with authority; to claim or seek from, as by authority or right; to claim,
as something due; to call for urgently or peremptorily; as, to demand a debt ...
/d/demand.htm - 19k

Challenge (6 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) A claim or demand. 4. (n.) The opening and crying of hounds at first finding
the scent of their game. ... 9. (n.) To claim as due; to demand as a right. ...
/c/challenge.htm - 10k

Exact (31 Occurrences)
... 4. (v.) To demand or require authoritatively or peremptorily, as a right; to enforce
the payment of, or a yielding of; to compel to yield or to furnish; hence ...
/e/exact.htm - 18k

Claim (30 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (v.) To ask for, or seek to obtain, by virtue of authority,
right, or supposed right; to challenge as a right; to demand as due. ...
/c/claim.htm - 15k

Require (46 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (vt) To demand; to insist upon having; to claim as
by right and authority; to exact; as, to require the surrender of property. ...
/r/require.htm - 22k

Inform (24 Occurrences)
... The fish of the sea shall declare to you. (See NIV). Job 38:3 Gird up now thy loins
like a man; and I will demand of thee, and inform thou me. (DBY). ...
/i/inform.htm - 14k

Gideon (45 Occurrences)
... leadership. Nor did he become leader at the demand of the people. He ... Ophrah.
They demand of Joash that he put his son to death. The ...
/g/gideon.htm - 36k

Request (248 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) The act of asking for anything desired; expression
of desire or demand; solicitation; prayer; petition; entreaty. ...
/r/request.htm - 34k

Desire (565 Occurrences)
... covet. 2. (vt) To express a wish for; to entreat; to request. 3. (vt) To
require; to demand; to claim. 4. (vt) To miss; to regret. ...
/d/desire.htm - 43k

Market (24 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) An opportunity for selling anything; demand, as shown by price offered or
obtainable; a town, region, or country, where the demand exists; as, to find ...
/m/market.htm - 19k

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