Lukas 11:8

11:8 I tell you, even though the man inside ¹  will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of the first man’s ²  sheer persistence ³  he will get up and give him whatever he needs.

Lukas 11:29

The Sign of Jonah

11:29 As ⁴  the crowds were increasing, Jesus ⁵  began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation; it looks for a sign, ⁶  but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. ⁷ 

[11:8]  ¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man in bed in the house) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:8]  ² tn Grk “his”; the referent (the first man mentioned) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:8]  ³ 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.

[11:29]  ⁴ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[11:29]  ⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:29]  ⁶ sn The mention of a sign alludes back to Luke 11:16. Given what Jesus had done, nothing would be good enough. This leads to the rebuke that follows.

[11:29]  ⁷ sn As the following comparisons to Solomon and Jonah show, in the present context the sign of Jonah is not an allusion to Jonah being three days in the belly of the fish, but to Jesus’ teaching about wisdom and repentance.