properly · verb — present active indicative, 1st person singular
you
ὑμῖνhymîn
G5213
to (with or by) you
that
ὅτιhoti
G3754
demonstrative · conjunction
he will
ποιήσειpoiēsei
G4160
to make or do (in a very wide application · verb — future active indicative, 3rd person singular
avenge
ἐκδίκησινekdikēsin
G1557
vindication · noun — accusative singular feminine
them
αὐτῶνautōn
G846
the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — genitive plural masculine
speedily
τάχει.tachei
G5034
a brief space (of time) · noun — dative singular neuter
Nevertheless when
πλὴνplēn
G4133
moreover (besides) · conjunction
the Son
υἱὸςhuios
G5207
a "son" (sometimes of animals) · noun — nominative singular masculine, a title
of man
ἀνθρώπουanthrōpou
G444
from G3700 (ὀπτάνομαι)) · noun — genitive singular masculine, a title
cometh
ἐλθὼνelthōn
G2064
to come or go (in a great variety of applications · verb — second aorist active participle, nominative singular masculine
shall
ἆραara
G687
therefore · particle — negative
he find
εὑρήσειheurēsei
G2147
to find (literally or figuratively) · verb — future active indicative, 3rd person singular
faith
πίστινpistin
G4102
persuasion · noun — accusative singular feminine
on
ἐπὶepi
G1909
properly · preposition
the earth
γῆς;¶gēs
G1093
soil · noun — genitive singular feminine
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
Hebrews 10:23-26 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
2 Peter 3:8-9 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
Matthew 24:9-13 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
Psalms 46:5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
Luke 17:26-30 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
Psalms 143:7-9 Hear me speedily, O LORD: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2 Peter 2:3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their d…
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…
speedily--as if pained at the long delay, impatient for the destined moment to interpose. (Compare Pro 29:1.)
Nevertheless, &c.--that is, Yet ere the Son of man comes to redress the wrongs of His Church, so low will the hope of relief sink, through the length of the delay, that one will be fain to ask, Will He find any faith of a coming avenger left on the earth? From this we learn: (1) That the primary and historical reference of this parable is to the Church in its widowed, desolate, oppressed, defenseless condition during the present absence of her Lord in the heavens; (2) That in these circumstances importunate, persevering prayer for deliverance is the Church's fitting exercise; (3) T…
He will avenge them speedily - Or, He will do them justice speedily - εν ταχει, instantly, in a trice.
1. Because he has promised it; and
2. Because he is inclined to do it.
When the Son of man cometh - To require the produce of the seed of the kingdom sown among this people.
Shall he find faith on the earth? - Or rather, Shall he find fidelity in this land? Shall he find that the soil has brought forth a harvest proportioned to the culture bestowed on it? No! And therefore he destroyed that land.
John Gill
The Church Fathers
When the Almighty Creator shall appear in the form of the Son of man, so scarce will the elect be, that not so much the cries of the faithful as the torpor of the others will hasten the world's fall. Our Lord speaks then as it were doubtfully, not that He really is in doubt, but to reprove us; just as we sometimes, in a matter of certainty, might use the words of doubt, as, for instance, in chiding a servant, "Remember, am I not thy master?"
(Serm. 115.) Our Lord speaks this of perfect faith, which is seldom found on earth. See how full the Church of God is; were there no faith, who would enter it? Were there perfect faith, who would not move mountains? (ut sup.) Our Lord adds this to show, that when faith fails, prayer dies. In order to pray then, we must have faith, and that our faith fail not, we must pray. Faith pours forth prayer, and the pouring forth of the heart in prayer gives stedfastness to faith.
[Daniel 11:32] "And ungodly men shall deceitfully dissemble against the covenant. But the people who know their God shall prevail and succeed." And in Maccabees we read that there were some who, to be sure, pretended that they were custodians of God's law, and later they came to terms with the Gentiles; yet the others adhered to their religion. But in my opinion this will take place in the time of the Antichrist, when the love of many shall wax cold. It is concerning these people that our Lord says in the Gospel, "Dost thou think that the Son of man, when He comes, will find faith upon the earth?" (Luke 18:8).
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
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 18:8
I tell you that he will avenge them speedily,.... As he did in a few years after the death of Christ, when God's elect among the Jews were singled out, and gathered in from them, and were delivered from their persecutors, and saved from temporal ruin and destruction, whilst the Roman army made sad havoc of their enemies; and so will he do in the end of the world.
Nevertheless, when the son of man cometh; either to destroy Jerusalem, or to judge the world:
shall he find faith on the earth? either in the land of Judea, the believers being removed from thence, and scattered among the Gentiles, and not a man, at least in Jerusalem, that had any faith in Jesus, as the Messiah; or in the world 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…
when the Son of Man returns: This is an allusion to Dan 7:13-14. • how many will he find on the earth who have faith? The question is whether believers will remain faithful through the trials that will precede the coming of the Son of Man (see Matt 24:10-12; 2 Thes 2:3; 1 Tim 4:1).
