And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
Parallel translations
- WEB He wouldn’t for a while, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God, nor respect man,
- BSB For a while he refused, but later he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect men,
- NKJV And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man,
- NASB For a while he was unwilling; but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect any person,
- NLT The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
For a while the judge refuses, but eventually reconsiders despite caring nothing for God or people. Even hardness can be worn down by persistence.
Overview
The judge's initial refusal highlights his indifference, yet the widow's continual coming begins to move him for purely selfish reasons. Jesus deliberately makes the judge unsympathetic so the contrast with God is sharp. The point is not that God is reluctant, but that persistence overcomes even a reluctant judge.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Heb 4:12–13For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
- Luke 16:3Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.
- Luke 12:17And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 18:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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