Luke 18:5

5 yet because this widow is causing trouble for me, I will grant her justice, so that she does not wear me down in the end [by her] coming back!'"

Luke 18:5 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 18:5

Yet because this widow troubleth me
By often knocking at his door, by loud cries and earnest entreaties, with strong arguments, and floods of tears, and could not easily be removed from his presence, or got out of his house:

I will avenge her;
I will hear her cause, do her justice, and deliver her from her troublesome adversary:

lest by her continual coming she weary me:
so that it was not from a conscience of duty in him, as a judge, or from a commiseration of the poor widow's case; but from a selfish end, for his own ease, in perfect agreement to his character, that his house might not be disturbed, and his ears stunned with her noise and cry, and he was pestered with her company day after day. The character of this judge, his reasoning with himself upon it, his principles from which he acted, and the ends he had in view, are wholly to be left out in the accommodation of this parable; and no farther to be considered than as the argument from the lesser to the greater may be strengthened by them; the intention of the parable being only to show the force, efficacy, and usefulness of importunity in prayer, as appears by the application of it, by our Lord, in the verses following.

Luke 18:5 In-Context

3 And there was a widow in that town, and she kept coming to him, saying, 'Grant me justice against my adversary!'
4 And he was not willing for a time, but after these [things] he said to himself, 'Even if I do not fear God or respect people,
5 yet because this widow is causing trouble for me, I will grant her justice, so that she does not wear me down in the end [by her] coming back!'"
6 And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unrighteous judge is saying!
7 And will not God surely {see to it that justice is done} to his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night, and will he delay toward them?

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. *Here "[by]" is supplied as a component of the participle ("coming back") which is understood as means
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