Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ New Living Translation A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ English Standard Version And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ Berean Standard Bible And there was a widow in that town who kept appealing to him, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ Berean Literal Bible And there was a widow in that city, and she was coming to him, saying, 'Avenge me of my adversary.' King James Bible And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. New King James Version Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ New American Standard Bible Now there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my opponent.’ NASB 1995 “There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ NASB 1977 “And there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ Legacy Standard Bible Now there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice from my opponent.’ Amplified Bible There was a [desperate] widow in that city and she kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice and legal protection from my adversary.’ Christian Standard Bible And a widow in that town kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ Holman Christian Standard Bible And a widow in that town kept coming to him, saying, Give me justice against my adversary.’ American Standard Version and there was a widow in that city; and she came oft unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. Aramaic Bible in Plain English “There was a certain widow in that city, and she was coming to him and saying, 'Vindicate me of my legal adversary.' “ Contemporary English Version In that same town there was a widow who kept going to the judge and saying, "Make sure that I get fair treatment in court." Douay-Rheims Bible And there was a certain widow in that city, and she came to him, saying: Avenge me of my adversary. English Revised Version and there was a widow in that city; and she came oft unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. GOD'S WORD® Translation In that city there was also a widow who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice.' Good News Translation And there was a widow in that same town who kept coming to him and pleading for her rights, saying, 'Help me against my opponent!' International Standard Version In that city there was also a widow who kept coming to him and saying, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.' Literal Standard Version and a widow was in that city, and she was coming to him, saying, Do me justice on my opponent, Majority Standard Bible And there was a widow in that town who kept appealing to him, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ New American Bible And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’ NET Bible There was also a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice against my adversary.' New Revised Standard Version In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ New Heart English Bible A widow was in that city, and she often came to him, saying, 'Give me justice against my adversary.' Webster's Bible Translation And there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, Avenge me of my adversary. Weymouth New Testament And in the same town was a widow who repeatedly came and entreated him, saying, "'Give me justice and stop my oppressor.' World English Bible A widow was in that city, and she often came to him, saying, ‘Defend me from my adversary!’ Young's Literal Translation and a widow was in that city, and she was coming unto him, saying, Do me justice on my opponent, Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context The Persistent Widow…2“In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected men. 3And there was a widow in that town who kept appealing to him, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4For a while he refused, but later he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect men,… Cross References Matthew 5:25 Reconcile quickly with your adversary, while you are still on the way to court. Otherwise, he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Luke 18:2 "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected men. Luke 18:4 For a while he refused, but later he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor respect men, Luke 18:5 yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice. Then she will stop wearing me out with her perpetual requests.'" Treasury of Scripture And there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, Avenge me of my adversary. a widow. Deuteronomy 27:19 Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen. 2 Samuel 14:5 And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, I am indeed a widow woman, and mine husband is dead. Job 22:9 Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken. Avenge. Luke 18:7,8 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? … Romans 13:3,4 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: … Jump to Previous Adversary Adverse Avenge City Defend Entreated Grant Justice Kept Legal Oft Often Opponent Oppressor Party Plea Protection Repeatedly Right Stop Vindicate WidowJump to Next Adversary Adverse Avenge City Defend Entreated Grant Justice Kept Legal Oft Often Opponent Oppressor Party Plea Protection Repeatedly Right Stop Vindicate WidowLuke 18 1. Of the importunate widow.9. Of the Pharisee and the tax collector. 15. Of Children brought to Jesus. 18. A ruler would follow Jesus, but is hindered by his riches. 28. The reward of those who leave all for his sake. 31. He foretells his death; 35. and restores a blind man to sight. (3) There was a widow in that city.--The neglect of the cause of the widow had always been noted by Lawgiver and Prophet--and it was one of the notes of a high ethical standard in both--as the extremest form of oppressive tyranny (Exodus 22:22; Deuteronomy 10:18; Deuteronomy 27:19; Isaiah 1:17; Isaiah 1:23; Ezekiel 22:7). Comp. also the speech of the widow of Tekoah (2Samuel 14:2; 2Samuel 14:5). . . . Verse 3. - And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. The petitioner was a woman and a widow, the latter being in the East a synonym for helplessness. With no one to defend her or plead her cause, this widow was ever a prey to the covetous. Not once nor twice in the noble generous words of the chivalrous Hebrew prophets we find this readiness on the part of those in power to neglect, if not to oppress these helpless widow-women, sternly commented upon. So in Isaiah we read (Isaiah 1:23), "They judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them." While Jesus (Matthew 23:14) includes this cowardly sin among the evil deeds of the rulers of the Israel of his day: "Ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer." A more desperate situation, as regards any hope of obtaining the object of her earnest prayer, could not well be pictured - a careless, corrupt judge of the lawless Herod period for the tribunal in Israel, and a poor helpless widow for the suppliant. The forlorn woman of the parable represents the Church or people of God in dire straits, overborne by an unbelieving world and seemingly forgotten even of their God. The story is a reminder that there is hope even in that extreme situation sketched in the parable, if the petitioner only continues persistent in her prayer. The argument which lies on the surface of the parable, teaching is obvious: if such a judge will in the end listen to the prayer of a suppliant for whom he cares nothing, will not God surely listen to the repeated prayer of a suppliant whom he loves with a deep, enduring love? Such is the argument of the story. Importunity, it seems to say, must inevitably triumph. But underlying this there is much deep teaching, of which, perhaps, the most important item is that it insists upon the urgent necessity for us all to continue in prayer, never fainting in this exercise though no answer seems to come. "The whole limb of the faithful," as Origen once grandly said, "should be one great connected prayer." That is the real moral of the story; but there are a number of minor bits of Divine teaching contained in this curious parable setting, as we shall see. Avenge me of mine adversary. We must not suppose that mere vengeance in the vulgar sense is what the widow prayed for; that would be of no use to her; all she wanted was that the judge should deliver her from the oppression which her adversary exercised over her, no doubt in keeping from her the heritage to which she was lawfully entitled. Of course, the granting her prayer would revolve loss and possibly punishment to her fraudulent oppressor. Parallel Commentaries ... Greek Andδὲ (de) Conjunction Strong's 1161: A primary particle; but, and, etc. there was ἦν (ēn) Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist. a widow χήρα (chēra) Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular Strong's 5503: Feminine of a presumed derivative apparently from the base of chasma through the idea of deficiency; a widow, literally or figuratively. in ἐν (en) Preposition Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc. that ἐκείνῃ (ekeinē) Demonstrative Pronoun - Dative Feminine Singular Strong's 1565: That, that one there, yonder. From ekei; that one (neuter) thing); often intensified by the article prefixed. town πόλει (polei) Noun - Dative Feminine Singular Strong's 4172: A city, the inhabitants of a city. Probably from the same as polemos, or perhaps from polus; a town. who kept appealing ἤρχετο (ērcheto) Verb - Imperfect Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular Strong's 2064: To come, go. to πρὸς (pros) Preposition Strong's 4314: To, towards, with. A strengthened form of pro; a preposition of direction; forward to, i.e. Toward. him, αὐτὸν (auton) Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons. ‘Give me justice Ἐκδίκησόν (Ekdikēson) Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular Strong's 1556: To give justice over, defend, avenge, vindicate. From ekdikos; to vindicate, retaliate, punish. [against] ἀπὸ (apo) Preposition Strong's 575: From, away from. A primary particle; 'off, ' i.e. Away, in various senses. my μου (mou) Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 1st Person Singular Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I. adversary.’ ἀντιδίκου (antidikou) Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular Strong's 476: An opponent (at law), an adversary. From anti and dike; an opponent; specially, Satan. Links Luke 18:3 NIVLuke 18:3 NLT Luke 18:3 ESV Luke 18:3 NASB Luke 18:3 KJV Luke 18:3 BibleApps.com Luke 18:3 Biblia Paralela Luke 18:3 Chinese Bible Luke 18:3 French Bible Luke 18:3 Catholic Bible NT Gospels: Luke 18:3 A widow was in that city (Luke Lu Lk) |
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