Luke 18:6

6 And the Lord said, Hear ye, what the doomsman of wickedness saith;

Luke 18:6 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 18:6

And the Lord said
The Lord Jesus Christ, who delivered out this parable to his disciples:

hear what the unjust judge saith;
and take encouragement from hence to be frequent and importunate in prayer with God; for if such a cruel, merciless, and unjust judge is to be wrought upon by importunity to do justice, who has no principle to influence him, how much more will not God, who is a just judge, the judge of widows, and of the oppressed, a God of great mercy and compassion, who delights in the prayers of his people, knows their cases, and is able to help them, and who has an interest in them, and they in him? how much more will not he regard their importunate requests, and arise, and save them much such like reasoning this is used by the Jews:

``says R. Simeon ben Chelphetha, an impudent man overcomes a good man, or a modest man, (by his importunity,) how much more the goodness of the world itself F17?''

that is, how much more will a man, by his continual prayer, prevail with God, who is goodness itself? And they have another saying F18, that agrees with this:

``says R. Nachman, impudence (i.e. importunity) even against God is profitable.''

The application of this parable follows:


FOOTNOTES:

F17 T. Hieros. Taaniot, fol. 65. 2.
F18 T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 105. 1.

Luke 18:6 In-Context

4 and he would not long time [and he would not by much time]. But after these things he said within himself, Though I dread not God, and shame not of man,
5 nevertheless for this widow is heavy to me, I shall venge her; lest at the last she coming condemn me [lest at the last she coming strangle me].
6 And the Lord said, Hear ye, what the doomsman of wickedness saith;
7 and whether God shall not do [the] vengeance of his chosen, crying to him day and night, and shall have patience in them?
8 Soothly I say to you, for soon he shall do [the] vengeance of them. Nevertheless guessest thou, that man's Son coming shall find faith in earth?
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.