Luke 18:1

Prayer and the Parable of the Persistent Widow

18:1 Then ¹  Jesus ²  told them a parable to show them they should always ³  pray and not lose heart. ⁴ 

Luke 18:7

18:7 Won’t ⁵  God give justice to his chosen ones, who cry out ⁶  to him day and night? ⁷  Will he delay ⁸  long to help them?

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

² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ tn Or “should pray at all times” (L&N 67.88).

⁴ 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).

⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

⁶ sn The prayers have to do with the righteous who cry out to him to receive justice. The context assumes the righteous are persecuted.

⁷ tn The emphatic particles in this sentence indicate that God will indeed give justice to the righteous.

⁸ 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.