Luke 18:3

Luke 18:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
• New International Version (NIV)And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
• English Standard Version (ESV)And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice against my adversary.'
• New King James Version (NKJV)Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’

Context of Luke 18:3

1Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times and not lose heart: 2“In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected men. And 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, 5yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice. Otherwise, she will wear me out with her perpetual requests.’”

Luke 18:3 word by word

χήρα δὲ ἦν ἐν τῇ πόλει ἐκείνῃ καὶ ἤρχετο πρὸς αὐτὸν λέγουσα· ἐκδίκησόν με ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀντιδίκου μου.Read the interlinear

• Andδέde · thenG1161
• there wasεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• a widowχήραchēra · widowG5503
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• thatἐκεῖνοςekeinos · thatG1565
• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• townπόλιςpolis · cityG4172
• ·καίkai · andG2532
• who kept appealingἔρχομαιerchomai · to come/goG2064
• who kept appealingλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• toπρόςpros · to/withG4314
• himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• Give me justiceἐκδικέωekdikeō · to avengeG1556
• Give me justiceἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• ·ἀπόapo · away fromG575
• adversaryἀντίδικοςantidikos · opponentG476

Cross-references for Luke 18:3

• Deuteronomy 27:19‘Cursed is he who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
• 2 Samuel 14:5“What troubles you?” the king asked her. “Indeed,” she said, “I am a widow, for my husband is dead.
• Job 22:9You sent widows away empty-handed, and the strength of the fatherless was crushed.
• Job 29:13The dying man blessed me, and I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.
• Isaiah 1:17Learn to do right; seek justice and correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.”
• Jeremiah 5:28They have grown fat and sleek, and have excelled in the deeds of the wicked. They have not taken up the cause of the fatherless, that they might prosper; nor have they defended the rights of the needy.
• Luke 18:7Will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will He delay in helping them?
• Romans 13:3For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Then do what is right, and you will have his approval.

Commentaries on Luke 18:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Avenge me of mine adversary - The original, , had better be translated, Do me justice against, or vindicate me from, my adversary. If the woman had come to get revenge, as our common translation intimates, I think our blessed Lord would never have permitted her to have the honor of a place in the sacred records. She desired to have justice, and that only; and by her importunity she got that which the unrighteous judge had no inclination to give, but…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3A widow - This is a circumstance that gives increasing interest to the parable. Judges were bound to show special attention to widows, Isaiah 1:17; Jeremiah 22:3. The reason of this was that they were defenseless, were commonly poor, and were liable to be oppressed by those in power. Avenge me - This would have been better translated, “Do me justice against my adversary, or vindicate me from him.” It does not denote vengeance or revenge, but simply that…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3a widow: God cares for widows, orphans, and foreigners. These were the most vulnerable people in ancient society. He has promised to judge those who treat them badly (Exodus 22:22; Deuteronomy 10:18; 24:17; 27:19; Psalm 68:5; Isaiah 1:23; 10:2; Jeremiah 22:3; Ezekiel 22:7; Amos 5:10–13; Zechariah 7:10; Malachi 3:5). Give me justice: The woman was right in this dispute. She was not asking for special treatment.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-81-5. always--Compare Lu 18:7, "night and day." faint--lose heart, or slacken.Read the comment

Topics related to Luke 18:3

• Despondency
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Prayer

In the dictionaries

• Admiration
• Adversary
• Bear
• Elect
• Avenge; Avenger
• Jesus Christ
• Luke, the Gospel of
• Mark, the Gospel According to
• Martha
• Prayer

Commentaries on Luke 18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings