Lukas 11:5-8

11:5 Then ¹  he said to them, “Suppose one of you ²  has a friend, and you go to him ³  at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, ⁴  11:6 because a friend of mine has stopped here while on a journey, ⁵  and I have nothing to set before ⁶  him.’ 11:7 Then ⁷  he will reply ⁸  from inside, ‘Do not bother me. The door is already shut, and my children and I are in bed. ⁹  I cannot get up and give you anything.’ ¹⁰  11:8 I tell you, even though the man inside ¹¹  will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of the first man’s ¹²  sheer persistence ¹³  he will get up and give him whatever he needs.

Lukas 18:1-8

Prayer and the Parable of the Persistent Widow

18:1 Then ¹⁴  Jesus ¹⁵  told them a parable to show them they should always ¹⁶  pray and not lose heart. ¹⁷  18:2 He said, ¹⁸  “In a certain city ¹⁹  there was a judge ²⁰  who neither feared God nor respected people. ²¹  18:3 There was also a widow ²²  in that city ²³  who kept coming ²⁴  to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 18:4 For ²⁵  a while he refused, but later on ²⁶  he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor have regard for people, ²⁷  18:5 yet because this widow keeps on bothering me, I will give her justice, or in the end she will wear me out ²⁸  by her unending pleas.’” ²⁹  18:6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge says! ³⁰  18:7 Won’t ³¹  God give justice to his chosen ones, who cry out ³²  to him day and night? ³³  Will he delay ³⁴  long to help them? 18:8 I tell you, he will give them justice speedily. ³⁵  Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith ³⁶  on earth?”

[11:5]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[11:5]  ² tn Grk “Who among you will have a friend and go to him.”

[11:5]  ³ tn Grk “he will go to him.”

[11:5]  ⁴ tn The words “of bread” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by ἄρτους (artou", “loaves”).

[11:6]  ⁵ tn Grk “has come to me from the road.”

[11:6]  ⁶ sn The background to the statement I have nothing to set before him is that in ancient Middle Eastern culture it was a matter of cultural honor to be a good host to visitors.

[11:7]  ⁷ tn Κἀκεῖνος (kakeino") has been translated “Then he.”

[11:7]  ⁸ tn Grk “answering, he will say.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “he will reply.”

[11:7]  ⁹ tn Grk “my children are with me in the bed.” In Jewish homes in the time of Jesus, the beds were often all together in one room; thus the householder may be speaking of individual beds (using a collective singular) rather than a common bed.

[11:7]  ¹⁰ tn The syntax of vv. 6-7 is complex. In the Greek text Jesus’ words in v. 6 begin as a question. Some see Jesus’ question ending at v. 6, but the reply starting in v. 8 favors extending the question through the entire illustration. The translation breaks up the long sentence at the beginning of v. 7 and translates Jesus’ words as a statement for reasons of English style.

[11:8]  ¹¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man in bed in the house) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:8]  ¹² tn Grk “his”; the referent (the first man mentioned) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:8]  ¹³ tn The term ἀναίδεια (anaideia) is hard to translate. It refers to a combination of ideas, a boldness that persists over time, or “audacity,” which comes close. It most likely describes the one making the request, since the unit’s teaching is an exhortation about persistence in prayer. Some translate the term “shamelessness” which is the term’s normal meaning, and apply it to the neighbor as an illustration of God responding for the sake of his honor. But the original question was posed in terms of the first man who makes the request, not of the neighbor, so the teaching underscores the action of the one making the request.

[18:1]  ¹⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[18:1]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:1]  ¹⁶ tn Or “should pray at all times” (L&N 67.88).

[18:1]  ¹⁷ sn This is one of the few parables that comes with an explanation at the start: …they should always pray and not lose heart. It is part of Luke’s goal in encouraging Theophilus (1:4).

[18:2]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “lose heart, saying.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in the Greek text, but a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronominal subject “He.”

[18:2]  ¹⁹ tn Or “town.”

[18:2]  ²⁰ sn The judge here is apparently portrayed as a civil judge who often handled financial cases.

[18:2]  ²¹ tn Grk “man,” but the singular ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used as a generic in comparison to God.

[18:3]  ²² sn This widow was not necessarily old, since many people lived only into their thirties in the 1st century.

[18:3]  ²³ tn Or “town.”

[18:3]  ²⁴ tn This is an iterative imperfect; the widow did this on numerous occasions.

[18:4]  ²⁵ tn Grk “And for.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[18:4]  ²⁶ tn Grk “after these things.”

[18:4]  ²⁷ tn Grk “man,” but the singular ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used as a generic in comparison to God.

[18:5]  ²⁸ tn The term ὑπωπιάζω (Jupwpiazw) in this context means “to wear someone out by continual annoying” (L&N 25.245).

[18:5]  ²⁹ tn Grk “by her continual coming,” but the point of annoyance to the judge is her constant pleas for justice (v. 3).

[18:6]  ³⁰ sn Listen to what the unrighteous judge says! The point of the parable is that the judge’s lack of compassion was overcome by the widow’s persistence.

[18:7]  ³¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[18:7]  ³² sn The prayers have to do with the righteous who cry out to him to receive justice. The context assumes the righteous are persecuted.

[18:7]  ³³ tn The emphatic particles in this sentence indicate that God will indeed give justice to the righteous.

[18:7]  ³⁴ sn The issue of delay has produced a whole host of views for this verse. (1) Does this assume provision to endure in the meantime? Or (2) does it mean God restricts the level of persecution until he comes? Either view is possible.

[18:8]  ³⁵ tn Some argue this should be translated “suddenly.” When vindication comes it will be quick. But the more natural meaning is “soon.” God will not forget his elect and will respond to them. It may be that this verse has a prophetic perspective. In light of the eternity that comes, vindication is soon.

[18:8]  ³⁶ sn Will he find faith on earth? The Son of Man is looking for those who continue to believe in him, despite the wait.