to make or do (in a very wide application · verb — aorist active subjunctive, 3rd person singular
not
μὴmē
G3361
(adverb) not · particle — negative
God
θεὸςtheos
G2316
figuratively · noun — nominative singular masculine, a title
avenge
ἐκδίκησινekdikēsin
G1557
vindication · noun — accusative singular feminine
his own
αὐτοῦautou
G846
the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — genitive singular masculine
elect
ἐκλεκτῶνeklektōn
G1588
select · adjective — genitive plural masculine
which
ὁho
G3588
the (sometimes to be supplied · article — nominative singular masculine
cry
βοώντωνboōntōn
G994
to halloo · verb — present active participle, genitive plural masculine
day
ἡμέραςhēmeras
G2250
day · noun — genitive singular feminine
and
καὶkai
G2532
and · conjunction
night
νυκτός,nuktos
G3571
"night" (literally or figuratively) · noun — genitive singular feminine
unto
πρόςprós
G4314
a preposition of direction
him
αὐτῷautō
G846
the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — dative singular masculine
though
καὶkai
G2532
and · conjunction
he bear long
μακροθυμεῖmakrothumei
G3114
to be long-spirited · verb — present active indicative, 3rd person singular
with
ἐπ᾽ep᾽
G1909
properly · preposition
them
αὐτοῖς;autois
G846
the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — dative plural masculine
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should peri…
Hebrews 10:35-37 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to the…
1 Timothy 5:5 Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day.
Jeremiah 20:11-13 But the LORD is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly…
2 Thessalonians 1:6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;
Luke 2:37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night an…
Revelation 6:10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on th…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Luke 18:1-8
This parable has its key hanging at the door; the drift and design of it are prefixed. Christ spoke it with this intent, to teach us that men ought always to pray and not to faint, Luk 18:1. It supposes that all God's people are praying people; all God's children keep up both a constant and an occasional correspondence with him, send to him statedly, and upon every emergency. It is our privilege and honour that we may pray. It is our duty; we ought to pray, we sin if we neglect it. It is to be our constant work; we ought always to pray, it is that which the duty of every day requires. We must pray, and never grow weary of praying, nor think of leaving it off till it comes to be swallowed up…
shall not God--not unjust, but the infinitely righteous Judge.
avenge--redeem from oppression.
his own elect--not like this widow, the object of indifference and contempt, but dear to Him as the apple of the eye (Zac 2:8).
cry day and night--whose every cry enters into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth (Jam 5:4), and how much more their incessant and persevering cries!
bear long with them--rather, "in their case," or "on their account" (as) Jam 5:7, "for it"), [GROTIUS, DE WETTE, &c.].
Adam Clarke on Luke 18:7
And shall not God avenge his own elect - And will not God the righteous Judge do justice for his chosen? Probably this may refer to the cruel usage which his disciples had met with, and were still receiving, from the disobedient and unbelieving Jews; and which should be finally visited upon them in the destruction of their city, and the calamities which should follow. But we may consider the text as having a more extensive meaning. As God has graciously promised to give salvation to every soul that comes unto him through his Son, and has put his Spirit in their hearts, inducing them to cry unto him incessantly for it; the goodness of his nature and the promise of his grace bind him to hear t…
We say in our prayers to him who is able to save and drive away from us that wicked being, "Avenge me of my adversary." The only-begotten Word of God has truly done this by having become man. He has ejected the ruler of this world from his tyranny over us and has delivered and saved us and put us under the yoke of his kingdom. It is excellent to make requests through constant prayer, because Christ will receive our pleas and fulfill our petitions.
How would Christ speak, but in accordance with the treatment to which the Christian would be subjected? But when He forbids thinking about what answer to make at a judgment-seat, He is preparing His own servants for what awaited them, He gives the assurance that the Holy Spirit will answer by them; and when He wishes a brother to be visited in prison, He is commanding that those about to confess be the object of solicitude; and He is soothing their sufferings when He asserts that God will avenge His own elect. In the parable also of the withering of the word after the green blade had sprung up, He is drawing a picture with reference to the burning heat of persecutions.
He show us that it is God the judge whom we must importune with prayer, and not Himself, if He is not Himself the judge. But He added, that "God would avenge His own elect." Since, then, He who judges will also Himself be the avenger, He proved that the Creator is on that account the specially good God, whom He represented as the avenger of His own elect, who cry day and night to Him, And yet, when He introduces to our view the Creator's temple, and describes two men worshipping therein with diverse feelings-the Pharisee in pride, the publican in humility-and shows us how they accordingly went down to their homes, one rejected, the other justified, He surely, by thus teaching us the proper discipline of prayer, has determined that that God must be prayed to from whom men were to receive this discipline of prayer-whether condemnatory of pride, or justifying in humility.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Election · Ensures to saints: Vindication of their wrongs — Ensures to saints: Vindication of their wrongs
Parables · Importunate widow — Importunate widow
Prayer · Should be offered up: With importunity — Should be offered up: With importunity
Prayer, Answers To · Granted: Sometimes after delay — Granted: Sometimes after delay
Predestination · 19:25; — 19:25;
Righteousness · They who walk in, and follow: Are heard by God — They who walk in, and follow: Are heard by God
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
on Luke 18:7
And shall not God avenge his own elect,.... Who are a select number, a special people, whom he has loved with an everlasting love, so as of his own sovereign good will and pleasure to choose in his Son Jesus Christ unto everlasting life and salvation, through certain ways and means of his own appointing, hence they are peculiarly his: and these he will avenge and vindicate, right their wrongs, do them justice, and deliver them from their adversaries, and take vengeance on them; as may be concluded from his hatred of sin, his justice, and his holiness, from his promises, and from his power, and from the efficacy of prayer, and the regard he has to it: for it follows,
which cry unto him day a…
Luke 18:1-8
Luke 18:1-8
1. And he spake also a parable to them, that they ought always to pray, and not to grow weary: 2. Saying, There was a judge in a city, who neither feared God, nor regarded man. 3. And there was a widow in that city, who came to him, saying, Do me justice on my adversary. 4. And he refused for some time, [322] but afterwards said within himself, Though I neither fear God, nor regard man, 5. Yet because this widow is troublesome to me, [323] I will do her justice, lest by coming perpetually she weary me out. [324] 6. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. 7. And will not God avenge his elect, who cry to him night and day, even though he forbear with resp…
God will surely give justice: If persistence resulted in justice from this unjust judge, how much more will God, who loves both people and justice, answer our prayers.
