Lukas 11:8-9

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.

11:9 “So ⁴  I tell you: Ask, ⁵  and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door ⁶  will be opened for you.

Lukas 18:1-7

Prayer and the Parable of the Persistent Widow

18:1 Then ⁷  Jesus ⁸  told them a parable to show them they should always ⁹  pray and not lose heart. ¹⁰  18:2 He said, ¹¹  “In a certain city ¹²  there was a judge ¹³  who neither feared God nor respected people. ¹⁴  18:3 There was also a widow ¹⁵  in that city ¹⁶  who kept coming ¹⁷  to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 18:4 For ¹⁸  a while he refused, but later on ¹⁹  he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor have regard for people, ²⁰  18:5 yet because this widow keeps on bothering me, I will give her justice, or in the end she will wear me out ²¹  by her unending pleas.’” ²²  18:6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge says! ²³  18:7 Won’t ²⁴  God give justice to his chosen ones, who cry out ²⁵  to him day and night? ²⁶  Will he delay ²⁷  long to help them?

[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.

[11:9]  ⁴ tn Here καί (kai, from καγώ [kagw]) has been translated as “so” to indicate the conclusion drawn from the preceding parable.

[11:9]  ⁵ sn The three present imperatives in this verse (Ask…seek…knock) are probably intended to call for a repeated or continual approach before God.

[11:9]  ⁶ tn Grk “it”; the referent (a door) is implied by the context and has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:1]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[18:1]  ⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:1]  ⁹ tn Or “should pray at all times” (L&N 67.88).

[18:1]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² tn Or “town.”

[18:2]  ¹³ sn The judge here is apparently portrayed as a civil judge who often handled financial cases.

[18:2]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “man,” but the singular ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used as a generic in comparison to God.

[18:3]  ¹⁵ sn This widow was not necessarily old, since many people lived only into their thirties in the 1st century.

[18:3]  ¹⁶ tn Or “town.”

[18:3]  ¹⁷ tn This is an iterative imperfect; the widow did this on numerous occasions.

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

[18:4]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “after these things.”

[18:4]  ²⁰ tn Grk “man,” but the singular ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used as a generic in comparison to God.

[18:5]  ²¹ tn The term ὑπωπιάζω (Jupwpiazw) in this context means “to wear someone out by continual annoying” (L&N 25.245).

[18:5]  ²² tn Grk “by her continual coming,” but the point of annoyance to the judge is her constant pleas for justice (v. 3).

[18:6]  ²³ 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]  ²⁴ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[18:7]  ²⁵ 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]  ²⁶ tn The emphatic particles in this sentence indicate that God will indeed give justice to the righteous.

[18:7]  ²⁷ 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.