18:1 Then 1 Jesus 2 told them a parable to show them they should always 3 pray and not lose heart. 4 18:2 He said, 5 “In a certain city 6 there was a judge 7 who neither feared God nor respected people. 8 18:3 There was also a widow 9 in that city 10 who kept coming 11 to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’
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 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.”
6 tn Or “town.”
7 sn The judge here is apparently portrayed as a civil judge who often handled financial cases.
8 tn Grk “man,” but the singular ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used as a generic in comparison to God.
9 sn This widow was not necessarily old, since many people lived only into their thirties in the 1st century.
10 tn Or “town.”
11 tn This is an iterative imperfect; the widow did this on numerous occasions.