Luke 18:4

Luk 18:4. Ἐν ἑαυτῷ, within himself) of his own accord.—τὸν, κ.τ.λ.) The creed of an Atheist in power.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Luk_18:4-5. Ἐπὶ χρόνον] for a time, Hom. Il. ii. 299; Plat. Protag. p. 344 B, Phaed. p. 84 C; Nägelsbach, Anm. z. Ilias, ed. 3, p. 284.

διάγε] as at Luk_11:8.

ἵνα μὴ κ.τ.λ.] is explained: that she may not continually (εἰς τέλος equal to διὰ τέλους, see Kypke and Wetstein; comp. לָעַד, לָנֶצַח) come and plague me. See also Luthers gloss. But that ὑπωπιάζω (to strike any ones eyes black and blue, see Wetstein) is to be taken in the general sense of harass, annoy, there is no proof, since it is an error to adduce not merely 1Co_9:27, but also Aristoph. Pax 541, where the πόλεις ὑπωπιασμέναι are represented as smitten and wounded persons, and hence the word is to be taken in the literal sense, to beat black and blue. But the assumption of a Latinism, after the manner of obtundere (Beza, Grotius), is arbitrary, and does not at all correspond with the special idea of the Greek word. Accordingly there is nothing left us but to interpret: that she may not at last come and beat my face black and blue. The judge mockingly puts the case of the woman at length becoming desperate, and actually laying hands on him and beating his face black and blue. The Vulgate rightly has it: sugillet me. Comp. also Bleek and Schegg. On εἰς τέλος, at the end, finally, comp. Herod. iii. 40, ix. 37; Xen. Oec. xvii. 10; Soph. Phil. 407, and thereupon Hermann; Gen_46:4, and elsewhere. τέλος, without any preposition, might also have been used.

Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Luk 18:4 . ἐπὶ χρόνον , for a considerable time. Per multum tempus (Vulgate) may be too strong, but it is in the right direction. The scope of the parable and the use of the word χρόνος in a pregnant sense implying πολὺς ( vide examples in Kypke) demand a time sufficient to test the temper of the parties. ἐν ἑαυτῷ , within himself. The characters in Lk.’s parables are given to talking to themselves (Prodigal, Unjust Steward).

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 4. He said within himself] How many actions which appear good have neither the love of God, nor that of our neighbour, but only self-love of the basest kind, for their principle and motive!

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(4) He would not for a while.—The judge was callous and dead to pity, even for that extremest wretchedness. The pleadings of the widow were simply an annoyance, which at first he bore with indifference.

Though I fear not God, nor regard man.—Here, also, there is a graphic touch of intensity. The man had passed beyond the stage of hypocrisy, conscious or unconscious, and saw himself even as others, even as God, saw him.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

4. he said within himself] The shamelessness with which he acknowledges his own sin renders it still more aggravated.

Though I fear not God, nor regard man] ‘The creed of a powerful atheist.’ Bengel.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And he would not for a while,.... He would give no ear to her cries, nor take her cause in hand, nor right her wrongs, and clear her of her adversary:

but afterward he said within himself; as he was considering the matter in his own mind, and reflecting on this woman's case and the frequent application she had made to him:

though I fear not God, nor regard man; a monster in iniquity he was, to say so of himself; for though the character belongs to many, there are few that are so impudent in sin, as to take it to themselves, and glory in it.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;

Ver. 4. And he would not for awhile] There is a passive injustice. Non faciendo nocens, sed patiendo fuit, saith Ausonius of Claudius: Not to do justice is injustice.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For a while - Probably this means for a “considerable” time. It was his duty to attend to the claims of justice, but this was long delayed.

Within himself - He thought, or came to a conclusion.

Though I fear not ... - This contains the reason why he attended to the case at all. It was not from any regard to justice, or to the duties of his office. It was simply to avoid “trouble.” And yet his conduct in this case might have appeared very upright, and possibly might have been strictly according to law and to justice. How many actions are performed that “appear well,” when the doers of those actions know that they are mere hypocrisy! and how many actions are performed from the basest and lowest motives of “selfishness,” that have the appearance of external propriety and even of goodness!

She weary me - The word used here, in the original, is that which was employed to denote the wounds and bruises caused by “boxers,” who beat each other, and blacken their eyes, and disable them. See the notes at 1Co 9:27. Hence, it means any vexatious and troublesome importunity that takes the time, and disables from other employment.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

And he would not for a long time. The Almighty does not always hear us as soon as we could wish, nor in the manner that seems best to us; but if we are not always heard according to our desires, we always are as far as is conducive to our salvation. He sometimes delays, in order to exercise our patience, and increase our ardour: sometimes he grants, in his anger, what, in him mercy, he would refuse. Let us then pray always, desire always, love always. Desire always, and you pray always. This is the continual voice of prayer, which the Almighty demands of you. You are silent, when you cease to love. The cooling of charity, is the silence of the heart. (St. Augustine, in Psalm xxxvii.) (Witham)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

4. For a while—The grand interval between the First and Second Coming of the Son of man. This we take to be its true and perhaps its only proper meaning. But as the same principle is applicable to the prayer of the individual soul as to the collective prayer of the Church, so God often makes a trying interval between the offering of our prayer and the granting of the reply.

I fear not God—Most men believe that they are not so very bad; and though they may each deceive themselves, yet they are the less evil for even this self-pretence. But here is a man consciously unprincipled upon principle. The man who can thus unflinchingly face himself, can of course show the hardest face to others.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

4, 5. And he would not for a while. Because selfishly indifferent.

This widow troubleth me. What neither the fear of God nor the regard for human rights could do, her persistence accomplished, because her “continual coming wearied him.”

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

4. εἶπεν ἐν ἑαυτῷ. The shamelessness with which he acknowledges his own sin renders it still more aggravated.

εἰ καὶ τὸν θεὸν κ.τ.λ. The οὐ coalesces with the φοβοῦμαι and is unaffected by εἰ as in Luk 11:8, Luk 16:11-12, &c. “The creed of a powerful atheist.” Bengel.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

4.] ἐπὶ χρ.… for some time, not, ‘for a long time.’ τλῆτε, φίλοι, καὶ μείνατʼ ἐπὶ χρόνον, Il. β. 299:—for a while, E. V.

The point of this part of the parable is, the extortion of right from such a man by importunity. His act was not an act of justice, but of injustice; his very ἐκδίκησις was ἀδικία, because he did it from self-regard, and not from a sense of duty. He, like the steward above, was τῆς ἀδικίας,—belonging to, being of, the iniquity which prevails in the world.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

4. οὐκ ἤθελεν. The imperf. (A.aleph; A B D L Q R Ξ L) has more point than the aor. (A etc.): he continued refusing, just as she continued coming. With ἐπὶ χρόνον comp. ἐπὶ πλείονα χρ. (Act 18:20); ἐφʼ ὅσον χρ. (Rom 7:1; 1Co 7:39; Gal 4:1).

Εἰ καὶ τὸν Θεὸν οὐ φοβοῦμαι. “Although I fear not God,” implying that this is the actual fact (2Co 12:11), whereas καὶ εἰ would have put it as an hypothesis (1Co 8:5; , 1Pe 3:1). Win. 53:7. b, p. 554.

Perhaps its being given as a fact explains the use of οὐ rather than μή: or the οὐ coalesces with the verb, and thus escapes the influence of the εἰ: comp. 11:8, 14:26, 16:11, 12, 31; 2Co 12:11. Burton., §§ 284, 469. But see Simcox, Lang. of N. T. p. 184.

οὐδέ. “Nor yet, nor even”: a climax.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.