Luke 18:1-4

Prayer and the Parable of the Persistent Widow

18:1 Then Jesus told them a parable to show them they should always pray and not lose heart. 18:2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected people. 18:3 There was also a widow in that city 10  who kept coming 11  to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 18:4 For 12  a while he refused, but later on 13  he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor have regard for people, 14 


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

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

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

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).

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.”

tn Or “town.”

sn The judge here is apparently portrayed as a civil judge who often handled financial cases.

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

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.

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

13 tn Grk “after these things.”

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